Hopkins outpoints Jones in long-delayed rematch

Bernard Hopkins collapsed to his knees in his dressing room,

drained from a brutal fight and exhausted by the end of his 17-year

wait for revenge against Roy Jones Jr.

Two of their generation’s greatest boxers just might have ended

their careers together in a Las Vegas hospital Saturday night, but

only Hopkins earned the right to leave with a victory.

Hopkins won a grueling unanimous decision in his long-delayed

rematch with Jones, emphatically avenging his loss in the famed

champions’ first bout in 1993.

Although both fighters often appeared to be shadows of their

former selves, the 45-year-old Hopkins (51-5-1, 32 KOs) dominated

nearly every round of a light heavyweight fight filled with wily

veteran tactics and fueled by obvious mutual dislike.

Hopkins punctuated his dominance with a stirring rebound from

the 41-year-old Jones’ punch behind his head and the ensuing

in-ring fracas late in the sixth round at the Mandalay Bay Events

Center. Hopkins was hit behind the head twice and below the belt at

least once during the bout, leaving him with spots before his eyes

in the final rounds.

“It was definitely worth it, and it was sweet revenge,”

Hopkins said in the ring before collapsing. “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 also said he would love to fight heavyweight champion

David Haye next. After recovering from his collapse, Hopkins shook

off doctors who wanted to transport him to the hospital on a

stretcher, dressing himself and walking into the ambulance. Jones

also was taken for evaluation and possible treatment for a cut near

his left eye.

With his fifth win in six fights since 2005, Hopkins settled an

old score against Jones (54-7), who beat him by a clear decision on

May 22, 1993, when both fighters still were on the cusp of standout

careers.

While Hopkins has kept winning despite his advancing age, Jones

has lost six of his last 11 bouts, falling precipitously from his

pedestal as arguably the most dominant fighter of the 1990s. Jones

was fresher than Hopkins after the bout, but his skills appeared to

be far more stale.

“He’s a defensive fighter, and he fought a smart fight,” said

Jones, who plans to talk to his advisers before deciding whether to

keep fighting. “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.”

Although Hopkins won, even his closest friends could join Jones’

camp in advising both fighters to retire.

“For Bernard, it could be a good ending,” said Golden Boy CEO

Richard Schaefer, Hopkins’ business partner in boxing promotion.

“He got his revenge, and he waited 17 years to end it. It could be

something which as a friend I would advise him to consider. … I

think it’s time for his friends and family to have a serious talk

with him.”

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.

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 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 stayed down for about three minutes, but eventually

recovered – and then unleashed a stunning flurry of vicious punches

to Jones’ head, propelling the crowd of just 6,792 fans 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 – apparently the fighter’s son – 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 a unanimous decision over Hopkins 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.

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