By Chris Williams: Roy Jones Jr. and Bernard Hopkins are calling each other out for a trilogy fight. The 54-year-old Hopkins says he’s willing to fight Jones in China, Russia or anywhere in Europe. Hopkins says they’re tied at 1-1, and they need to break the tie by fighting a trilogy match.
What state in the U.S sanction an old timer’s fight between Hopkins and Jones? If one of them gets seriously hurt, there would be a lot of finger pointing at whatever state Commission that gave the green light for the fight.
It’s likely that the Jones Jr. vs. Hopkins trilogy match will be put on pay-per-view. One can’t imagine that they would have their third on free TV.
There’s no demand for this fight with the boxing public. Hopkins (55-8-2, 32 KOs) hasn’t won a fight since 2014, and he hasn’t fought in three years. Let’s face it, it’s so late in the game fans might be worried about their health if this fight actually takes place.
Roy Jones Jr. says he’s been waiting to fight Bernard Hopkins again
“You never get lost in the crowd when your Roy Jones Jr. We can do it anytime, anywhere, anytime. You know me. I stay ready,” said Jones Jr. in a video on Russian boxing chief Umar Kremlev’s Instagram.
“I’ve been waiting for an opportunity to do this anyway. So let’s get it on. Let me know which weight so I can get down, because I’m up. I know I’m bigger than he is. Tell me which weight so I can start heading in that direction,” said Jones.
The 50-year-old Jones is game, and just wants to know what weight Hopkins wants to fight at.
While the two were both in their primes, Jones (66-9, 47 KOs) beat Hopkins by a 12 round unanimous decision. The scores were 116-112, 116-112 and 116-112. Those scores were VERY generous for Hopkins, because Jones got the better of him in virtually every round of the fight.
Back then, Jones’s hand speed was second to none. He turned it on anytime he wanted to during the fight, and made Hopkins look bad. You can argue that Jones should have every round, but the set of judges that worked that night were giving Hopkins a lot of charity rounds.
17 years later, Hopkins avenged his loss to Jones in beating him by a one-sided 12 round unanimous decision in April 2010. However, Jones was badly faded from age and ring wear when that fight happened. You couldn’t give Hopkins credit, because he didn’t beat Jones when the two were in their prime. Not that it matters, but the scores for the rematch were 118-109, 117-111 and 117-110.
Hopkins wants tiebreaker against Jones Jr.
“Hey Roy, we’re 1 and 1. You have one and I have one,” said Hopkins to Umar Kremlev. “Let’s break the tie anywhere. We can go to Russia, we can go to China, or we can go anywhere in Europe to fight. Let’s do it. Hey Roy, hopefully you get this video, because I don’t want it to get lost in the clouds somewhere,” said Hopkins.