I ran out of excuses for Roy Jones Jr. The weight loss, the cut-man, his father, the taping of the hands in Australia. I think we heard every excuse we need at this point. Some nights he shows up and rips apart a B fighter like Lacy, and the next fight he’s dropped by a B- Aussie. What has escaped Roy as he has aged is motivation and a sincere & consistent dedication to a fight plan inside the ring. When he commits himself he still shows us flashes of the speed and power that made him the best fighter of the 1990s. And when he doesn’t commit to a plan, he ends up on his back staring at the bright lights or pointing his finger at everyone in his corner.
Roy Jones is FINISHED!! And with that said, I’m going to tell you exactly why he beats Bernard Hopkins SOUNDLY on April 3rd in Las Vegas, which just happens to be where his original fall from glory took place on May 15, 2004 at the hands of the Magic Man, Antonio Tarver, who has since done a disappearing act of his own.
I’ve spent a lot of time studying Roy Jones Jr. over the past 20 years or so and have spent a lot of time with Roy and his camp as well. I know enough about Roy Jones to write a novel, certainly enough to know that there’s no way he loses this fight. Call it a gut feeling, call it a hunch, but if you want actual reasons, I’ll give it to you. Let’s start with looking at the type of fighters who have successfully defeated Roy Jones Jr.
Antonio Tarver: He happened to catch Roy at the right time and place. Despite what any critics might say, losing 25 lbs of muscle certainly takes its toll on the body. Tarver pressured Roy in their first bout. Roy’s body was not ready to handle what Tarver threw at him, and his reflexes were slow. But he fought valiantly in the championship rounds and eeked out a well-deserved decision over Tarver. Then May 15th came. Tarver caught Roy with a beautiful and flawless left hook that Roy never saw coming. Southpaws with power have always been dangerous fighters, especially to Roy Jones, so quite simply, he just tagged him. Right place, right time, left hook. End of story.
Glenn Johnson: While Johnson is not a notoriously powerful puncher, he stalked Roy Jones Jr. like no fighter I’ve ever seen. Top that off with a solid chin and he was just too much of a challenge for a fighter whose confidence was already shaken after the Tarver knock-out. Stalking fighters with high punch out-puts and a great chin can hurt Roy Jones Jr. See the next fighter……..
Joe Calzaghe: Do I need an excuse for this? He’s a southpaw with a great chin, a ridiculously high punch output who stalks his opponents, oh, and he NEVER LOST to ANYONE, including Bernard Hopkins. I don’t think Roy needed to look at his cut man for this one, he only needed to check the Compubox numbers.
Danny Green: I don’t know what happened that night in Australia. Roy got caught by a hard-punching cruiserweight as he tried to once again re-write boxing history. Looking ahead to B-hop? Time zone difference? Padded hand wraps? No one can be sure. But then again, he wasn’t counted out either, and according to Bernard Hopkins himself, the fight was stopped prematurely, hence why April 3rd is still on.
Describing the type of fighter that can beat Roy Jones doesn’t necessarily tell you why Bernard Hopkins can’t win. So let’s break it down. Speed. Roy has it, Hopkins doesn’t. Look at recent fights. Roy still shows blazing hand speed and superior footwork when compared to Bernard Hopkins. Power. The power of Roy Jones Jr. cannot be questioned. He packed a huge punch at Middleweight and carried it all the way to the Heavyweight Division. Chin. Ok, one checkmark for Hopkins. Experience. I think we can throw ring experience out the window when you’re talking about two future first ballot halls of famers.
Roy Jones Jr. will potshot Bernard Hopkins all night long. Hopkins will not be able to get off more than one punch at a time, and his ring generalship, which includes hooking his opponent’s arm and muscling him at angles where the referee cannot see it, will be a non-factor. Roy will hit him and get out. And when you’re talking Roy Jones Jr., any one of those shots can drop you at any time.
Bernard Hopkins is an old, slow, orthodox fighter with low punch output numbers who lacks one-punch power. He does not have the tools to defeat a 60 year-old Roy Jones Jr. When trying to predict the outcome of a sporting event, it is sometimes best to look at common opponents. I see that on May 22nd, 1993, they fought a common opponent. Roy defeated that guy via easy decision. You can expect the same on April 3, 2010.
