Bernard Hopkins won a brutal unanimous decision over Roy Jones Jr.
in their long-delayed rematch Saturday, emphatically avenging his
loss in the famed champions' first fight nearly 17 years ago.
The 45-year-old Hopkins (51-5-1, 32 KOs) dominated nearly
every round of a light heavyweight bout filled with wily veteran
tactics and fueled by obvious mutual hatred, winning for the fifth
time in his six fights since 2005.
Hopkins punctuated his dominance with a stirring rebound from
Jones' punch behind his head late in the sixth round at the
Mandalay Bay Events Center.
"It was definitely worth it, and it was sweet revenge,''
Hopkins said. "It was really rough in there. He's a good fighter,
and he tried to rough me up. I tried to tough it out, but I was
seeing spots from the sixth round on.''
Hopkins settled an old score against the 41-year-old Jones
(54-7), who beat him by decision in May 1993 when both fighters
still were on the cusp of standout careers. Jones has lost six of
his last 11 bouts, falling precipitously from his pedestal as
arguably the most dominant fighter of the 1990s.
"He's a defensive fighter, and he fought a smart fight,''
Jones said. "I had to chase him the whole time. The referee didn't
warn him about (head butts), but every time I did something, I got
a warning.''
Judges Don Trella and Glenn Trowbridge scored it 117-110 for
Hopkins, while Dave Moretti favored him 118-109. The Associated
Press had it 119-108, scoring 11 of 12 rounds for Hopkins.
The rematch was delayed by money and egos until well after
most fight fans had stopped salivating for it. Hopkins finally
agreed to the bout last year and stuck with it even after Jones
lost his previous fight by first-round knockout in Australia last
December.
With veteran skills in the body of a man half his age, the
longtime middleweight champion then unleashed 17 years of
frustration on Jones, who repeatedly declined to fight him a decade
earlier.
Hopkins used his strength from the opening round, backing up
Jones with bull-rushes or peppering him with shots while in
retreat. A right hand from Hopkins in the second round appeared to
open a cut near the left eye of Jones, who struggled to land
combinations against Hopkins' defense and aggression.
During a clinch in the sixth, Jones threw a left hand to the
back of Hopkins' skull with 10 seconds left, and Hopkins
immediately crumpled to the canvas on his knees with his hands on
his head. Hopkins said he saw spots while staying down for about
three minutes, but he eventually recovered - and Hopkins then
unleashed a stunning flurry of vicious punches to Jones' head,
propelling the crowd to its feet.
The fighters kept trading shots well after the bell sounded.
Referee Tony Weeks dived between them to break it up after a
prolonged struggle against the ropes, and a member of Jones'
entourage jumped into the ring before Weeks and security guards
restored order and got the fighters back to their corners.
Jones then threw a right hand to the back of Hopkins' head
with 20 seconds left in the eighth round, and Hopkins dropped to
one knee.
Hopkins dropped to his knees for a third time after Jones hit
him with a low blow 45 seconds into the 10th round, staying down
for another long stretch. Jones then got a recovery timeout in the
11th round when Hopkins charged into him with a flurry that
included a clash of heads.
Another generation has grown up since Jones won the vacant
IBF middleweight title with an unanimous decision over Hopkins on
May 22, 1993, on the undercard of a defense by heavyweight champion
Riddick Bowe at RFK Stadium in Washington, D.C.
Jones won the fight despite a right hand that was "pretty
much fractured,'' he said. He went on to become arguably the best
pound-for-pound fighter of the 1990s, with a grace and multisport
athleticism that landed him everything from a Nike deal to movie
roles.
Hopkins took a harder road, just as he's done throughout an
adulthood that began with nearly five years in prison. He won the
middleweight title in 1995 and defended it a record 20 times before
evolving into one of the world's most versatile fighters in his
40s, trouncing Antonio Tarver, Winky Wright and Kelly Pavlik in
recent years after a brief retirement.
Hopkins recognized the fight's throwback vibe in his ring
walk by donning the black executioner's hood he frequently wore
earlier in his career, but has pretty much discarded in recent
years. He was led to the ring by an elderly multimillionaire
businessman singing ``My Way,'' with the lyrics adjusted to fit the
fight.
Jones wore a cocky grin before the fight, stopping to talk to
commentator Sugar Ray Leonard before it started.
