Will their long-awaited rematch add up?
Bernard Hopkins will once again face his foe Roy Jones Jr.–after waiting 17 years for this second chance.
Their first meeting took place on May 22, 1993 and it was both fighters’ first shot at a world title. When the final bell rang, Jones (who was undefeated at the time) won by a unanimous decision 
(116-112). For Hopkins, it was only the second defeat of his career.
The two foes met face to face last week to proclaim their rivalry and to tout their upcoming matchup on April 3. “The Rivals: Hopkins vs. Jones II” will take place at the Mandalay Bay in Las Vegas, airing on PPV.
I’ve had some time to mull over the scope of this event, whether the fans’ interest remains, and to decide if their rivalry is real or just for show?
The Grammy Museum at the L.A. LIVE entertainment complex was the perfect location to hold this “debate-style” press conference. Hopkins, 45, and Jones, 41, are not exactly spring chickens in the ring, but like the Elvis Presley exhibit and Beatles artifacts showcased in the building, these two future Hall of Famers are “oldies but goodies.”
The question remains for the fans, critics and pundits alike: Will these two ageless warriors prove they still have what it takes on the canvas?
Hopkins insists there is unfinished business to settle.
Let’s see…I’m not a mathematician, but in my estimate the Philadelphia native has spent many years and countless hours waiting to extract revenge and gain redemption. Their April 3 date is seven weeks shy of their May 22nd anniversary 17 years ago. So that’s approximately 6,160 days (including four extra Leap Year days!) that Bernard has had to think about the loss. No doubt his thoughts have festered during the past almost-two decades, so it’s no wonder the pair of light heavies had a lot to say at last week’s meeting.
After the assembled media were shown a highlight reel of their respective careers, the two “elder statesmen” stood on each side of the stage as the screen rose, slowly revealing the silhouette of the rivals as they readied to engage in a verbal battle against each other.
Nose to nose in the classic stare down pose, Jones drew first blood in motioning to the crowd (which also included boxers Librado Andrade, Charles Huerta, and CBS’ JIm Hill) by holding two fingers up, as in their rematch–or in the shape of victory or a peace sign. Hopkins had an answer of his own. Nicknamed “The Executioner,” he made a gesture of slitting his throat and then pointing at the audience, all while keeping a steely gaze on the younger Jones.
Flanked by Golden Boy Promotions’ Oscar De La Hoya, Square Ring Promotions’ John Wirt, trainers Naazim Richardson and Alton Merkerson, and four Tecate girls, the boxers then settled in their chairs to address questions asked.
The well-organized event came equipped with two mediators and a timekeeper, to assure the duo each had a fair chance to answer and respond. With announcer Michael Buffer and Power 106’s DJ Big Boy acting as the day’s mediators, it was an entertaining and spirited exchange between Hopkins and Jones. At times, Buffer would remind the two that they had “30 seconds” to respond. When he told Hopkins, “15 seconds, Bernard” to verbally reply to a Jones jab, Bernard re-negotiated for 30 seconds more. As the timekeeper, Fausto De La Torre, rang the bell to signal that their time was up, the banter remained quick and clever.
Not exactly in their prime, the main question was could their April 3 clash still be a classic duel for the fans?
After his devastating knockout by Aussie Danny Green, Jones stated that this fight against Hopkins is still relevant. “The fight is important because I hate to say it but first he is my rival and I must defeat my rival,” the Pensacola, Florida resident said. “Secondly, this is the perfect opportunity and the perfect timing.”
Hopkins also stressed that the time is right right for this. “You hate to say it but we are rivals, and you hate to say it but it took us 17 years to get here. A lot of other things have happened in our lives in the time it took to get here, but now that it’s here, his worst nightmare has come to pass–ME!”
And that there is no love lost between the men.
“This is going to be devastating because that’s the way I want him to remember Bernard Hopkins for the rest of his life,” said B-Hop. “Any time he looks at boxing, he’s going to see that I took him to 
the point that he doesn’t even like boxing anymore! He won’t even let his kids go to fights anymore. The entire Jones family will leave boxing for good after April 3.”
During their quips, Jones–who has given himself a new nickname of “The Terminator” for this fight–countered quickly in response, “The man is so jealous of me that he doesn’t even want to see my kids watch the fight! He doesn’t want to see any resemblance of me near a boxing ring because it reminds him of that 17-year nightmare he’s had to face.”
There’s that number again–17 long years for this ring rivalry to simmer. Are they rivals for real?
On stage, Hopkins (50-5-1, 32 KOs) seemed to be still stewing about it for all these years, harboring a strong resentment against Jones. Roy (54-6, 40 KOs) himself seemed to dismiss any of Bernard’s derogatory comments, deflecting back with answers of his own. Whether or not they really dislike each other or it’s just for the cameras may never be known. But if their animosity was not real, then these two are very good actors worthy of an Oscar!
While much ado has been made about the ages of the two, age is just a number, right?
Remember George Foreman’s convincing comeback at age 45 against Michael Moorer? And just two weeks ago, at age 41, Glen Johnson scored a TKO against 30-year-old Yusaf Mack. And on next month, on March 26, Hector “Macho” Camacho will headline a card in Denmark at 47 years young!
Speed and skills may diminish with age but perhaps heart, will and determination takes longer to reach “old age.”
So let’s get back to the numbers and the fact that this long-awaited rematch is finally taking place after 17 years (Hey, that’s 119 in “dog years”!).
Just for fun, here are some other facts I discovered in regards to their April 3 “grudge match”:
-Between the two, they have a combined 104 victories and 72 knockouts
-The reported purse is 50-50; should either get a knockout, the bounty changes to 60-40!
-Who needs “Muscle Milk”? Not these two pugs who own 350 pounds of sinewy strength at the same 175 pounds each
-And they are also equal when measuring their biceps (13″), forearms (11″), calves (14″) and necks (16″)
-Hopkins, two inches taller, gets the edge with his 75″ reach vs. the 70″ reach of Jones
-In the “Fists of Fury” file, Bernard has the advantage again with his 12-inches of closed fist vs. Roy’s 10 inches of power
-The warriors’ birthdays are actually just ONE day apart! Bernard turned 45 on January 15; Roy celebrated his 41st on January 16
-12,000 fans is the magic number for full capacity at the Event Center in the Mandalay Bay. Will fight fans fill the seats? As of today, the box office confirmed that sales have been brisk “and it will definitely be a sell out!”
-The countdown number of 45. As of this writing, Bernard Hopkins needs to wait just 45 more days to seek revenge in getting a victory
-One last number: On April 3, unless it’s a dreaded draw, just ONE winner will be crowned
And if Hopkins does win, would that set up a third fight–a trilogy–for the two aging warriors somewhere down the line? Maybe the rivalry will continue for these two kings of the ring.
Well, they say “FIFTY IS NIFTY!” so who knows?!
Photos by Michele Chong and Steve Harpst