BERNARD HOPKINS: “Every fight I have the same mentality. It is either my life or my opponent’s life. For that reason alone, I don’t know why a fight wouldn’t be personal. Our rivalry is just a little bit spicier.
“I have accomplished so many things and I think that losing to Roy Jones Jr. made me a better fighter later on in my career.
“This is not it for me. Why should it be? The ring retires fighters. Fighters don’t retire from the ring. The ring doesn’t talk in a literal sense, but it speaks to me..
“I’ve not the prettiest fighter, but I am going on 50 plus fights without a cut.
“Roy Jones Jr. knew in 1993 that I was going to be a problem, but I was green. I am not green anymore.
“There are holes in Roy Jones Jr.’s legacy. It isn’t about whether or not he belongs in the Hall of Fame, it is about the quality of his opposition. I stopped a lot of guys from being world champions.
“I have the heart to win and the determination to win. I want to punish and destroy Roy Jones Jr. for good.
“At the end of the day, come Saturday, I am going to show the world why Roy Jones Jr. avoided ‘The Executioner’ for 17 years.”
ROY JONES JR.
“Bernard Hopkins has been waiting a long time for this fight. This fight is going to have the same result that it had the first time.
“Bernard is not going to feel happy with himself on Sunday morning. He is going to be in a lot of pain on Saturday night.
“I know how he fights. He is going to try to rough me up. I will be ready for anything he tries to do.
“He has no idea what I am going to do or how I am going to fight. I know what he does. You can’t teach an old dog new tricks. And he is old. He looks like he is 52.
“I think I am going to stop him. I don’t know when, but I will be really surprised if it goes 12 rounds.”
Bernard Hopkins Camp Notes
Bernard “The Executioner” Hopkins opted for sunny weather and sandy beaches when deciding where to train for his long-awaited rematch against Roy Jones Jr. which is set to take place Saturday, April 3 at the Mandalay Bay Events Center in Las Vegas live on pay-per-view. Hopkins decided the warm weather would make for better training conditions and bring back memories of preparing for past fights as Miami has been home to Team Hopkins for over 10 bouts since 2001.
“I feel at home in Miami and it has been great to be back,” said Hopkins. “Every fight I am motivated by something different. This time around it’s all about healing the 17-year-old wound that has been with me since I lost to Roy in ‘93. A win on April 3 will finally close this particular chapter of my career.”
Richardson Training For Two
Team Hopkins is a well oiled machine. His long-standing team members are with him in Miami, including Naazim Richardson, John David Jackson, Sharif Parker, Linwood Wilson and masseuse Tony Kolev. For this camp Richardson found himself in a predicament as he is also trainer for Shane Mosley, who is preparing in Big Bear, Calif. for his welterweight bout May 1 against Floyd Mayweather. Richardson remained in Miami with Hopkins until last weekend when he left to join Mosley in Big Bear before rejoining Hopkins in Las Vegas on Monday of fight week. The esteemed trainer feels comfortable and confident that the veteran Hopkins is ready for the fight.
“Bernard is in the zone,” said Richardson. “This has been a great camp. Bernard has taken care of his body all of these years and it shows. He is preparing for the best Roy Jones Jr. and we know that Jones is preparing for the best Bernard.”
Early to His Own Bed, Ready to Rise Well Rested
With his purchase of a two-bedroom condo on the beach in Miami, Hopkins gets the additional benefits of staying at his home away from home while training. Hopkins’ longtime training axioms of courage, determination and rest (particularly in his own bed) are working well for him. The two-division World Champion goes to bed at 9:00 p.m. and rises early for his long-standing practice of doing roadwork while running on the beach. No longer a fan of pre-dawn runs, where darkness used to be a solitary friend, Hopkins can now be found running on the beach at 7:00 a.m., followed by a couple hours of rest until he heads to the gym for an afternoon of training, sparring three days a week with a group of well accomplished fighters who give him all they can.
“I always make sure I get a lot of rest and wake up every morning with the courage and determination to keep going particularly for this fight which is extremely personal for me,” Hopkins said. “Roy thinks he is going to be able to repeat what he did [in their first fight], but I know this hard work is going to pay off in the ring on April 3.”
# # #
“The Rivals: Hopkins vs. Jones II,” set for Saturday, April 3 at the Mandalay Bay Events Center in Las Vegas, Nev., is promoted by Golden Boy Promotions and Square Ring Promotions and sponsored by Cerveza Tecate, AT&T and Southwest Airlines. The event will be broadcast live on pay-per-view beginning at 9 p.m. ET/6 p.m. PT.
Tickets priced at $750, $500, $300, $200 and $100 are on sale now at all Las Vegas Ticketmaster locations (select Smith’s Food and Drug Centers and Ritmo Latino). Ticket sales are limited to eight (8) per person. To charge by phone with a major credit card, call Ticketmaster at (800) 745-3000. Tickets also will be available for purchase at www.mandalaybay.com or www.ticketmaster.com.
The Hopkins vs. Jones II pay-per-view telecast begins at 9 p.m. ET/6 p.m. PT and has a suggested retail price of $49.95. The telecast will be available in HD-TV for those viewers who can receive HD. The main event will begin live immediately following the college basketball semi-finals. For Hopkins vs. Jones II fight week updates, log on to www.goldenboypromotions.com.