Las Vegas Weekly

April 2, 2010 · 12:44 PM

Bernard Hopkins, Roy Jones Jr. face off after 17 years and 70 fights

By Robin Leach

Bernard Hopkins is interviewed by Mario Lopez.

Photo: Tom Donoghue/www.donoghuephotography.com

It’s taken 17 years, but boxers Bernard Hopkins and Roy Jones Jr. will finally meet again in the ring. In May 1993, they fought over the IBF middleweight belt, and Roy won by unanimous decision. Their paths never crossed again until now.

Bernard and Roy will slug it out tomorrow night at Mandalay Bay Events Center. Call it revenge to settle a score, but it’s more like vindication for Bernard to end his sports career on a high note.

Roy dominated the light heavyweight categories for 11 years and lost only twice -- in 1997 to Montell Griffin and in 2004 when Antonio Tarver knocked him out in a rematch from six months earlier when Roy had defeated him.

Bernard enjoyed a 10-year reign as IBF middleweight champion, including a win over Oscar De La Hoya. He successfully defended his belt 20 times, which stands as a record to this day.

Bernard said in a press release: “I’ve accomplished a lot in my career since that 1993 fight, but I am going to end this thing between us once and for all.” Roy is just as confident and said that he will prove what he did 17 years ago he is capable of doing one more time.

Our contributing photographer Tom Donoghue will be on hand to chronicle the matchup from today’s weigh-in through to the winner tomorrow night, and we’ll have it all here for you in one fabulous photo gallery Monday morning.

Roy goes into the ring with a record of 54 victories(40 by knockout) and six losses, and Bernard’s stats stand at 50-5-1, with 32 knockouts. Between them, they have fought 70 fights waiting for this one!

Now this is Bernard’s chance to beat the man who ruined that first world title shot way back when. He told our colleagues at the Las Vegas Sun: “To me, in 17 years, you learn to get immune to it. It doesn’t get my blood pressure up high or anything like that. But that’s because I'm a true veteran, and I’m not trying to waste energy answering questions on whether I like him or not in the days before the fight.

“When you’ve been around the game, everything is controlled until that bell rings. But around Friday after the weigh-in, you’ll start to see it bubbling up.”

Robin Leach has been a journalist for more than 50 years and has spent the past decade giving readers the inside scoop on Las Vegas, the world’s premier platinum playground.

Follow Robin Leach on Twitter at Twitter.com/Robin_Leach.

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Follow VDLX Editor Don Chareunsy on Twitter at Twitter.com/VDLXEditorDon.

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