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Hopkins eyes revenge against Jones
Source: Agencies |
February 11, 2010, Thursday
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SEVENTEEN years after losing an unanimous decision to Roy Jones Jr, Bernard Hopkins will finally get his chance for revenge and redemption.
Hopkins, 45, with a 50-5-1 record including 32 knockouts, called the rematch historic, personal and important to his legacy as a boxer during a mock debate on Tuesday to promote their non-title fight set for April 3 in Las Vegas.
"Whether it's justified or unjustified, this fight, to me, is redemption in a lot of ways, personally, athletically, in history ... and I know what this would do in a final chapter in Bernard Hopkins' legacy to get Roy Jones back in the ring once and for all and finish it," Hopkins said.
The two Americans have not met since May 22, 1993, in an IBF middleweight title bout in Washington.
Jones, 41, with a record of 54-6 and 40 knockouts, remained aloof during on Tuesday, referring to Hopkins as "big head".
"The one thing about it is, the facts don't change, I still can beat him," Jones said. "I've never dodged big head and I never will. My statement is simple: He didn't win the first time and he won't win again."
Although there has long been speculation about a rematch, Jones's first round knockout loss to Australian Danny Green in December prompted fears it would not take place.
Depending on how many viewers pay to watch, each fighter could take between US$6-US$10 million, said Richard Schaefer, a promoter at Golden Boy Enterprises.
Both fighters weigh 79kg now but a weight class for the fight has yet to be determined.
Elsewhere, super featherweight champion Robert Guerrero withdrew from his scheduled fight against interim WBO lightweight titleholder Michael Katsidis this week to spend more time with his wife, who has been battling cancer. Guerrero was scheduled to fight Katsidis on March 27 in what would have been a major break in his young career.
"Robert still wanted to fight," manager Shelly Finkel said on Tuesday. "When we called him, he said, 'No, you're right. My mind won't be there.'"
It will instead be on his wife Casey, who was diagnosed with leukemia two weeks before Guerrero defended his IBF featherweight title in November 2007. At her urging, Guerrero flew to Arizona the day before the bout and knocked out Martin Honorio in the first round. He promptly returned to the hospital, where he would sleep on the floor near her bedside.
Casey Guerrero's cancer went into remission and there was optimism she had beat it, but it returned in the past few weeks and she recently underwent a bone marrow transplant.
The two were childhood sweethearts growing up in the same neighborhood in Gilroy, California, They have two young kids.
"She's been with him straight through, and he's been with her through this," Finkel said.
Schaefer said he didn't hesitate when the 26-year-old Guerrero decided to back out of the fight, even though it puts him in a bit of a scheduling bind.
Hopkins, 45, with a 50-5-1 record including 32 knockouts, called the rematch historic, personal and important to his legacy as a boxer during a mock debate on Tuesday to promote their non-title fight set for April 3 in Las Vegas.
"Whether it's justified or unjustified, this fight, to me, is redemption in a lot of ways, personally, athletically, in history ... and I know what this would do in a final chapter in Bernard Hopkins' legacy to get Roy Jones back in the ring once and for all and finish it," Hopkins said.
The two Americans have not met since May 22, 1993, in an IBF middleweight title bout in Washington.
Jones, 41, with a record of 54-6 and 40 knockouts, remained aloof during on Tuesday, referring to Hopkins as "big head".
"The one thing about it is, the facts don't change, I still can beat him," Jones said. "I've never dodged big head and I never will. My statement is simple: He didn't win the first time and he won't win again."
Although there has long been speculation about a rematch, Jones's first round knockout loss to Australian Danny Green in December prompted fears it would not take place.
Depending on how many viewers pay to watch, each fighter could take between US$6-US$10 million, said Richard Schaefer, a promoter at Golden Boy Enterprises.
Both fighters weigh 79kg now but a weight class for the fight has yet to be determined.
Elsewhere, super featherweight champion Robert Guerrero withdrew from his scheduled fight against interim WBO lightweight titleholder Michael Katsidis this week to spend more time with his wife, who has been battling cancer. Guerrero was scheduled to fight Katsidis on March 27 in what would have been a major break in his young career.
"Robert still wanted to fight," manager Shelly Finkel said on Tuesday. "When we called him, he said, 'No, you're right. My mind won't be there.'"
It will instead be on his wife Casey, who was diagnosed with leukemia two weeks before Guerrero defended his IBF featherweight title in November 2007. At her urging, Guerrero flew to Arizona the day before the bout and knocked out Martin Honorio in the first round. He promptly returned to the hospital, where he would sleep on the floor near her bedside.
Casey Guerrero's cancer went into remission and there was optimism she had beat it, but it returned in the past few weeks and she recently underwent a bone marrow transplant.
The two were childhood sweethearts growing up in the same neighborhood in Gilroy, California, They have two young kids.
"She's been with him straight through, and he's been with her through this," Finkel said.
Schaefer said he didn't hesitate when the 26-year-old Guerrero decided to back out of the fight, even though it puts him in a bit of a scheduling bind.
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