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Hopkins outpoints Jones in long-delayed rematch
(Agencies)
Updated: 2010-04-04 15:41
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The fighters kept trading shots well after the bell sounded. Referee Tony Weeks dived between them to break it up after a prolonged struggle against the ropes, and a member of Jones' entourage jumped into the ring before Weeks and security guards restored order and got the fighters back to their corners.
Jones then threw a right hand to the back of Hopkins' head with 20 seconds left in the eighth round, and Hopkins dropped to one knee.
Hopkins dropped to his knees for a third time after Jones hit him with a low blow 45 seconds into the 10th round, staying down for another long stretch. Jones then got a recovery timeout in the 11th round when Hopkins charged into him with a flurry that included a clash of heads.
Another generation has grown up since Jones won the vacant IBF middleweight title with an unanimous decision over Hopkins on May 22, 1993, on the undercard of a defense by heavyweight champion Riddick Bowe at RFK Stadium in Washington, D.C.
Jones won the fight despite a right hand that was "pretty much fractured," he said. He went on to become arguably the best pound-for-pound fighter of the 1990s, with a grace and multisport athleticism that landed him everything from a Nike deal to movie roles.
Hopkins took a harder road, just as he's done throughout an adulthood that began with nearly five years in prison. He won the middleweight title in 1995 and defended it a record 20 times before evolving into one of the world's most versatile fighters in his 40s, trouncing Antonio Tarver, Winky Wright and Kelly Pavlik in recent years after a brief retirement.
Hopkins recognized the fight's throwback vibe in his ring walk by donning the black executioner's hood he frequently wore earlier in his career, but has pretty much discarded in recent years. He was led to the ring by an elderly multimillionaire businessman singing "My Way," with the lyrics adjusted to fit the fight.
Jones wore a cocky grin before the fight, stopping to talk to commentator Sugar Ray Leonard before it started.
