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Live Blog: Bernard Hopkins survives illegal punches, defeats Roy Jones Jr.

Fighters live up to rivalry with sixth round brawl, Hopkins hangs on for decision win

Hopkins vs. Jones

Sam Morris

Bernard Hopkins and Roy Jones Jr. during their fight Saturday at the Mandalay Bay Events Center.

Hopkins Avenges Loss to Jones

With Bernard Hopkins and Roy Jones Jr. unable to attend the post-fight press conference due to injury, Golden Boy Promotions CEO Richard Schafer and Square Ring Promotions CEO Jon Wirt discuss Hopkins unanimous decision victory.

Hopkins vs. Jones

Bernard Hopkins celebrates after the end of the 12th round of his rematch with Roy Jones Jr. on Saturday at the Mandalay Bay Events Center. Hopkins won a unanimous decision over Jones, who beat him in 1993. Launch slideshow »

Undercard Results

  • Yaundale Evans (6-0, 4 KO) vs. Juan Baltierrez (2-2-2, 1 KO): Evans wins via TKO at 2:08 of second round
  • Craig McEwan (18-0, 10 KO) vs. Kris Andrews (15-9-2, 4 KO): McEwan wins via TKO at 2:11 of eighth round
  • Buddy McGirt Jr. (22-2-1, 11 KO) vs. John Mackey (11-5-2, 5 KO): McGirt wins via TKO at 2:58 of second round
  • Frankie Gomez (11-1, 6 KO) vs. Clavonne Howard (2-4, 1 KO): Gomez wins via TKO at 2:45 of third round
  • Ray Narh (24-1, 21 KO) vs. Angel Hernandez (14-5, 10 KO): Narh wins via TKO at 2:59 of second round
  • Ismayl Sillakh (12-0, 11 KO) vs. Daniel Judah (23-5-1, 13 KO): Sillakh wins via TKO at 0:59 of second round
  • Sergio Mora (22-1-1, 6 KO) vs. Calvin Green (21-5-1, 13 KO): Mora wins via TKO at 1:15 of seventh round
  • Jason Litzau (27-2, 21 KO) vs. Rocky Juarez (28-6-1, 21 KO): Litzau wins via technical unanimous decision at 3:00 of seventh round

The bad blood between Bernard Hopkins and Roy Jones Jr. boiled over midway through their light heavyweight fight Saturday at the Mandalay Bay Events Center.

Hopkins (51-5-1, 32 KO) ended up defeating Jones (54-6, 40 KO) in a rematch of their 1993 title fight by unanimous decision, but the fight will be more remembered for what happened following the sixth round.

After an illegal punch to the back of the head from Jones had him floored for several minutes, Hopkins finished the round on an aggressive tear that didn't stop until well after the sound of the bell to signal the end of the round.

Referee Tony Weeks did everything he could to step in between the fighters but it took several officials to get inside the ring and break up the skirmish.

"Weeks did a hell of a job, I think he's one of the top referees in the world," Hopkins said. "He did the best he could to keep us under control. Roy, I have respect for him, but he was trying to get out of that fight by hitting me in the back of my head."

The fight had to stopped four different times throughout the night — twice for illegal punches to the back of the had from Jones, once for an illegal low blow from Jones and once for an accidental head butt.

Although replays of the fight clearly showed Jones had landed shots to the back of Hopkins's head, Jones said he exaggerated with each one to use the time to his benefit.

"He's going to get his rest, he's a crafty veteran," Jones said. "I was actually worried (the fight was going to be stopped) on the first one."

Although the fight delivered its entertaining moments, it was a mostly one-sided affair as Hopkins dominated the scorecards — 118-109, 117-110 and 117-110.

Hopkins proved to be the more active fighter and used his size to his advantage, keeping Jones off-balance and against the ropes for the majority of the fight.

"I just wanted to keep pressing," Hopkins said. "I might not be pretty and I might not be flashy. But I'm a hard worker."

For Hopkins, it was sweet revenge after he dropped the first meeting with Jones by unanimous decision in what was the first world title fight of his career.

Many speculated that Jones would be forced into retirement with a lackluster performance against Hopkins, however the 41-year-old legend appeared fairly pleased with the fight and wouldn't comment either way on what his future plans are.

"I've had a wonderful career, I don't know what's going to happen," Jones said. "I can't ask for much more though. God has blessed me. I like to give the fans what they want. I tried but I couldn't do it tonight."

Round One: No touching of gloves between these two as you might have guessed. Hopkins in a very low stance and he comes out swinging first. Jones clinches and referee Tony Weeks separates the fighters. Hopkins comes in with a few consecutive body shots before looking up high. Jones feinting a lot but has yet to throw a significant punch. Hopkins comes in close again and lands a few body shots as Jones clinches up. Hopkins much more active in opening round, he takes it easily.

Round Two: Hopkins comes forward to start the round and lands a stirring right hook through Jones’s gloves that knocks him back to the corner. Two fighters clinch and Hopkins looks to walk Jones back to the corner, but Jones uses his leverage and wheels Hopkins around and Weeks steps in to break it up. Hopkins looking to come in with body shots and Jones is doing a lot of holding early. Hopkins lands a straight right that has Jones falling back against the ropes. Hopkins swarms in and Jones is able to clinch enough to recover. Blood already coming from the left eye of Jones.

Round Three: Jones catches Hopkins with a counter left as he goes for the body. Good left jab lands for Hopkins and he follows it with a big overhand right that misses badly. Jones looks to land a left jab but Hopkins is too quick. He ducks under it and lands two shots of his own. Hopkins just bullys Jones into the ropes again. Hopkins looking extremely comfortable as third round closes.

Round Four: More body shots from Hopkins to open the round and you can tell he’s taking chances now. He’s swinging aggressively and although Jones is avoiding many of the punches he’s unable to counter with anything. Hopkins is nearly throwing himself off his feet but Jones continues to not even throw with Hopkins off balance. Jones smiles when he gets a big reaction out of Hopkins on a feint. Crowd is cheering on hoping to see something from Jones but it’s still Hopkins fight up to this point.

Round Five: More feinting and smiling from both fighters as they look for their openings. Hopkins finally throws the first punch of the round 40 seconds in. Jones lands a shot that gets the crowd into it and Hopkins is warned for hitting the back of the head on the break. Hopkins responds aggressively, firing off a combination and bullying Jones back against the ropes. Jones willingly backs himself into the corner, ties up Hopkins and lands a few uppercuts from the clinch. Hopkins throws a blatant low blow but Weeks missed it as he was on the wrong side of the exchange. Better round there for Jones.

Round Six: Hopkins lands a good body shot while Jones’s hands were up. Good counter left lands for Jones as he finally takes advantage of Hopkins diving in on that left hook. Crowd chanting ‘Roy’ and then booing the lack of action. Jones ties up Hopkins as he comes in, looks over to his corner and nods his head to show he’s in good shape. Hopkins lands a nice flurry now with Jones’s back to the ropes, but Jones responds with a shot of his own and then he drops his hands and starts yelling at Hopkins. Hopkins comes in hard, Jones clinches wheels around him and hits him with an illegal punch to the back of his head. Hopkins goes down hard and he’s staying there. Jones walks away shaking his head like he’s done nothing wrong. Hopkins is still down five minutes later, doctors are in checking on him. Crowd is going crazy with boos, not sure for who? Replay shows Jones clearly hit him in the back of his head. Hopkins is up now but he’s sitting on the ropes and doesn’t show an eagerness to continue the fight. He’s walking around now and it looks like the fight is going to o on. Hopkins comes out swinging, sraight for Jones. The bell rings and the two fighters are still going 100 percent. Officials step into the ring, Weeks is trying to break it up and finally they get them to separate. Unbelievable.

Round Seven: A good part of Jones’s entourage is gone after they rushed the ring following that last round. Weeks is taking awhile to start the seventh as both fighters are yelling at one another. Jones is showing a lot of bounce in his step as round starts. Hopkins catches a counter left as he goes in hard. Good body shot lands for Hopkins. Nice jab lands for Jones. Another jab lands for Jones but he backs himself up into the corner. He seems comfortable there though, tying up Hopkins when he comes in. Nice combination lands for Hopkins but Jones smiles. The jab is working for Jones but Hopkins is the one doing more damage. It’s not as one-sided as it was in the beginning, but Hopkins continues to win rounds.

Round Eight: Action slows down considerably here in the eighth round. Jones still trying to work off that jab, Hopkins continues using his strength to his advantage. He backs up Jones again to the ropes as he rushes forward, throwing combinations. Jones is weathering the storm but he’s not creating a lot of offense. Jones uses some great head movement to elude more shots from Hopkins and he sticks his tongue out at him. They tie up near the corner and again Jones punches the back of Hopkins’s head in the clinch. Hopkins goes down again and the action has to stop. It doesn’t appear as bad as the first one, Hopkins is already walking around and trying to shake it off. Action resumes with little time left in the round. Not the same rush from Hopkins as last time but he still finishes the round strong, just overpowering Jones the entire way.

Round Nine: Fighters feeling each other out here in the ninth round. Hopkins makes the first move and Jones ties him up. Jones’s only move right now is his jab and a handful of counters. Other than that, he’s become fairly inactive. Hopkins picking his spots and coming forward aggressively. Jones lands a nice right hook set up by his jab while Hopkins was circling away. Crowd likes it but Hopkins shrugs it off. Another round goes comfortably to Hopkins.

Round Ten: Hopkins gets the better of an exchange off a break in the opening moments of the round. Another tie up and this time Jones lands a low blow. Action stops for a third time as Hopkins goes to the canvas and sits with his back against the ropes. Again Jones shaking his head like he did nothing. Hopkins still grimacing as action gets set to start again. Jones trying to throw more here it’s Hopkins who starts tying him up for once. Jones lands a nice left uppercut before Weeks steps in for a break. Jones lands a nice right hook and he yells out in excitement. Hopkins far less active following that groin shot, but he drops his hands and walks nonchalantly around the ring in final 10 seconds to bait Jones. Whether it’s because of the low blow or not, Hopkins slows down and Jones takes this round.

Round Eleven: Hopkins comes out aggressively this time and Jones starts to complain of an accidental head-butt. Weeks stops the fight again and a doctor steps in to take a look at Jones. He’s alright, fight continues. Hopkins’s strength is really a factor here, he bullies into Jones and lands a straight right at the end of a flurry of punches. Another straight right lands for Hopkins. Jones bleeding badly from a cut over his left eye now. Another round for Hopkins.

Final Round: Hopkins still throwing aggressively here in the final round. Jones comes forward with a flurry but it misses its mark. More booing as neither fighter landing much and lots of clinches. Hopkins pushes Jones against the ropes and keeps him there until Weeks breaks it up. Jones goes after Hopkins here with 40 seconds left. Hopkins ducks under a punch and Jones keeps coming looking for a home run shot. It doesn't come and with 10 seconds left they tie up again. Hopkins raises his arms in anticipation of a decision win.

Brett Okamoto can be reached at 948-7817 or [email protected]. Also follow him on twitter: LVSunFighting.

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