On this day: Bernard Hopkins and Roy Jones Jr. put the crowd to sleep

As sequels go, this was boxing’s answer to Batman and Robin.

On April 3, 2010, Bernard Hopkins scored a dreary 12-round unanimous decision over Roy Jones Jr. at the Mandalay Bay in Las Vegas. Official scores were 118-109, 117-110 and 117-110. The victory saw Hopkins avenge a 17-year-old points loss to his nemesis.

Hopkins and Jones, now forty-somethings, entered the ring for their rematch as certified legends of the sport. Both men were former pound for pound number ones. Both men had made history during glittering careers. Both men would skip into Canastota as first-ballot Hall of Famers. And both men had unparalleled egos, which is why this sequel went ahead.

Jones, 41, had been on a steep decline since 2004. The former four weight world champion, arguably the sport’s most talented practitioner, suffered stoppage defeats to Antonio Tarver and Glen Johnson before a one-sided decision whipping to Welshman Joe Calzaghe. But it was a first-round knockout loss to Australian Danny Green, in December 2009, that really should have shut the lid on Jones’ career.

Not so fast.

Hopkins-Jones 2 was being talked about long before Green upset the apple cart. The fight was nowhere near as important as it had been a decade earlier, but these were still two household names with history. Also, both men were capable of selling a fight and the trash talk would convince some fans that Jones might come alive one last time. If anyone asks about Green, just say the referee made a bad call in stopping it.

Boom! You have a $49.95 pay-per-view price tag for a light heavyweight non-title bout.

Hopkins, 45, was no longer the middleweight juggernaut of his youth, but he had much more left in the tank than Jones. The Philly legend had never been stopped and was always competitive in a handful of points losses. His fierce work ethic, refined skills, and monk-like discipline had slowed down the aging process. Evidence? He would win three more light heavyweight titles after this.

In summary, the return bout was devoid of much significant action and descended into a very dirty and untidy affair.

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