19.10.08 – by James Slater – We’ve seen how one veteran, in Bernard Hopkins, fared when he went up against the unbeaten Joe Calzaghe; ‘Nard lost a close and debatable split decision. Next up, on November 8th, we’ll see how another ageing great, in Roy Jones Junior, does against “The Pride of Wales.” And should Jones actually go one better than Hopkins and defeat Joe, wouldn’t it make perfect sense for the two legends to have a return meeting of their 1993 fight? It sure would.
These two have been destined to meet again at some point ever since their May 1993 fight. And now that B-Hop has once again risen to the top of the sport thanks to his sensational upset of middleweight king Kelly Pavlik, the timing for a Hopkins-Jones II is about perfect – if Jones does well against Calzaghe, that is. For even if Jones were to do okay against the Welshman in November, a return with “The Executioner” would still be a big seller, whereas a win for the former pound-for-pound king on November 8th would make such a return a genuine mega-fight.
Jones, who was at ringside last night as Hopkins dominated Pavlik, is, Bernard claims, the one and only man to have ever beaten him fair and square. Taking the IBF middleweight title fight relatively early in his pro career (only his 24th fight), Hopkins was nowhere near the complete ring master he was to become, whereas Jones, though he’d actually had less fights at the time, was a much more advanced athlete. Doing it again, next year some time, would settle it when it comes to just who the better man is after all.
But would Jones want to go back in with the marvellously well preserved and conditioned Philly great? Of course, a lot of it has to do with how Jones, who is now almost 40-years-old himself, copes with Calzaghe. If he’s beaten up and either KO’d or hammered convincingly, then any chance of a return with Hopkins will have vanished. But if Jones can either pull it off or push Joe to a close decision, as B-Hop did, the two could conceivably do it again some 16-years on from their first clash.
The fight would absolutely be intriguing. Who has retained their skills better? Who can still fight for 12 fast-paced rounds? And who is the finer 160-175-pound fighter of the last 15-plus years? These questions and others would be answered if the two modern day masters got it on for a second time. Actually, the answer to the first question seems to be clear judging by Hopkins’ awe-inspiring victory last night in Atlantic City. But Jones has his own attempt at giving Father Time a beat down in three weeks time. Maybe R.J will look as good as B-Hop did last night? Maybe.
A Jones-Hopkins II would definitely offer more to gain for Hopkins. Jones has already beaten him once and may see an unnecessary risk in boxing him again. But one thing seems sure, Hopkins, the way he looked against Pavlik, is not going to retire any time soon, and if Jones shocks Calzaghe he’s almost certainly going to want to carry on also. Who better for each guy to fight next year than each other?
Hopkins-Jones II, it could be much more than just two veterans settling a score – if Jones does to Calzaghe what Hopkins did to Pavlik it would a meeting between the two best light-heavyweights on the planet! .