WILL HOPKINS PULL FINAL TRIGGER ON ROY?
Las Vegas, NV– Neil Young’s lyrics about the end of rock and roll careers in “Hey Hey My My” could equally apply to boxers’: “It’s better to burn out than it is to rust.” We’ll forever remember the likes of Jimi Hendrix, Jim Morrison and Kurt Cobain as young men, their early demises forever freezing their youthful images and actually enhancing their stardom and legends. Boxer’s careers on the other hand, as we’ve learned time and again, all too often turn to rust. Although the stature of Joe Louis, Sugar Ray Robinson and Muhammand Ali have remained intact, who can forget the image of Rocky Marciano knocking an old Louis through the ropes? Or of Robinson carried back to his corner after almost collapsing in the heat against Joey Maxim? Or of Ali helplessly taking a beating at the hands of his old sparring partner Larry Holmes? For six years, we’ve witnessed a rusted once-great in Roy Jones, Jr. take unnecessary beatings to the point where our only hope for him Saturday night against Bernard “the Executioner” Hopkins (50-5-1, 32 KOs) is to escape without permanent damage.
END IS NEAR FOR ROY’S CAREER/GOOD HEALTH?
One reason stands above all others as to why Jones has little chance this weekend against Hopkins: Fighters don’t get un-shot. While Hopkins has preserved himself with less abuse on his body and brain, in large part due to his technical mastery, Jones’ career was effectively over when he leapfrogged to the heavyweight division for his WBA title win in 2003 over John Ruiz, followed by dropping over 30 pounds back to light heavyweight. Almost no one, especially an aging fighter, can endure severe weight losses. Antonio Tarver, who famously questioned Jones’ excuse-making in their rematch, has never been the same since he put on 40+ pounds to take on Rocky Balboa. Like Jones, Chris Byrd had no legs under him when he dropped to 175 a couple years back, nor did Oscar De La Hoya when he returned to 147 against Manny Pacquiao. Perhaps he didn’t quite know it yet, but when Jones went to heavyweight and then back to light heavyweight, his career was over, just like that.
BUT WHAT A CAREER IT WAS!
Jones has received some deserved criticism for defending his 175 pound crown against some lesser challengers, but his greatness cannot be denied. In addition to wins over Hopkins and James Toney, he still defeated quality opponents such as Montell Griffin and Eric Harding and an aging Mike McCallum and Virgil Hill. Equally important was the way he would win – with spectacular, once-in-a-generation (conservatively) speed and athleticism, providing unparalleled highlights. Up until and including his win over Ruiz, Jones was still near the top of his game; he absolutely dismantled Clinton Woods just before that, rendering the future titlist completely helpless against his assault. Jones, the 1990s’ greatest fighter, would still have probably defeated Hopkins had they fought again in 2001 or 2002.
LET’S REMEMBER THE GREAT ROY, NOT THE OLD ONE
I’ll pass on this weekend’s public execution and just hope that Jones doesn’t have immediate or lingering effects from the beating he’ll take. I don’t need to watch – it’s as though I can already envision it happening, Jones taking a methodical but painful battering at the hands of a rough, tough old foe out for revenge. Instead, I’d rather view “Superman” as I knew him back when and have another chuckle. Hopefully I’ll still be laughing Sunday. Click to watch Roy in his prime
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Check out Brian’s site www.SteelCityFighters.com for all of the latest information on the fighters and upcoming fights from Pittsburgh, Pa. and the local tri-state area. Click to enter Steel City site