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GL: How's everything going in preparation for the big fight on April 3? "Everything is going real good. I'm looking good, I'm feeling good, I'm looking forward to a wonderful night. You know, to me it's just another day at the office."
GL: You've made it clear that you feel Hopkins means nothing for your legacy, why do you feel that way?
Roy Jones Jr: "Cause I already beat him with one hand, so when I beat him with two, what are they going to say? So what, I already did it with one hand, so they should expect that. We were both in the primes of our career and I won the fight. He's only taking this fight now because he thinks I'm a finished fighter. If he didn't think I was a finished fighter, he wouldn't be fighting me now. And that tells you more about my legacy right there. He wouldn't fight me when he thought I was right, he's only wanting to fight me now because he thinks I ain't got it no more."
GL: What's going to be the difference in this fight that leads to Roy Jones Jr winning?
RJ: "I got two hands instead of one."
GL: Does that mean with two hands this fight isn't going the distance?
RJ: "There's no reason I shoudln't be able to stop him now."
GL: How much does the extra 10% to a winner by stoppage motivate you?
RJ: "It ain't got nothing to do with motivating me at all. If I beat you with one hand, there's no reason I shouldn't stop you with two."
GL: Where are you training for the fight?
RJ: " Pensacola."
GL: What are your thoughts on the debate that took place in New York. It was a rather unusual press conference.
RJ: "It was wonderful. I love doing things differently. It was wonderful."
GL: Does it bother you that a lot of people have taken the stance that this is a fight that should have happened years ago?
RJ: "First thing is, it wasn't me who held out this long. It's not my fault that they feel that way. I kind of feel like some of them feel, but I know why it took so long. Since I know why it took so long, it's kind of a laughing matter for me. Hey look, I can't make that man fight me, I can't force him. I understand what they saying, but they gotta settle for what they getting. We can't get Pacquiao-Mayweather right now, so we should be happy with what we got and quit complaining about what we didn't get."
GL: You say that the fight with Hopkins does nothing for your legacy, but at the same time he's in a better position than you are coming into this fight. A victory over Hopkins would probably have a positive impact on your future purses. Do you agree with that?
RJ: "It'll have something to do with my future fights and future purses, but it'll have nothing to do with my legacy and that's what I'm trying to tell you. So yeah, it'll probably make a difference in my next fight, because everyone is going to be demanding me and saying damn, Roy's still got it. Of course that will happen, but that has nothing to do with the legacy and that's not what made the legacy. "
GL: Would a victory over Hopkins cause you to take a different position as it relates to the Danny Green rematch?
RJ: "Nah, nothing about that fight would change at all."
GL: So he will be your next fight after April 3 as it stands?
RJ: "I don't know that yet. Let me get through with April 3 first and then I'll see."
GL: You keep saying that you beat him with one hand, but do you think that Bernard Hopkins has gotten better as a fighter since then?
RJ: "His head is a bit bigger, but that's about it."
GL: So you don't think he's improved from 1993 until now?
RJ: "He became smarter. Instead of being an aggressive fighter, he became a smarter fighter, I have to give him credit for that. But he learned that from me too. I don't call that improvement I call that a choice. He chose to be smarter fighter instead of fighting the way he was fighting. That's not an improvement, that's a choice."
"His accomplishments are hall of fame accomplishements. The things he did, yeah he did some great things. The fighters he beat late in his career is because he started fighting smart. He didn't take no chances. He beat Glen Johnson, but that wasn't nothing spectacular and he before Glen rose to power. He came back and pulled off a good victory against Tarver and he was very motivated to do those things, because he felt like if they beat Roy and I beat them then my legacy is better than his. He also beat some smaller fighters. He beat De La Hoya, he beat Tito, the only fighter he beat of size is Antonio Tarver. So let's not start making no stupid suggestions, it's not like Bernard Hopkins been whooping the world. Winky Wright was a junior middleweight too. Bernard Hopkins ain't beat no legitimate light heavyweights except Antonio Tarver, so where's all this improvement coming from. He's bigger than all the other guys he beat so where's the damn improvement? Let's be for real about it, the only person he beat was Antonio Tarver, which wasn't that hard to do. It's not like I ain't beat Antonio Tarver once my damn self, when I was dead. What legitimate light heavyweight has beatnen since he became light heavyweight other than Tarver? None! What legitimate middleweight did he beat? Who, besides Kelly Pavlik and he's not really legitimate. He ain't did all that. Where is the improvment? What he has done that is so spectacular besides beat Antonio Tarver? He beat Glen Johnson before he became anything. Hell I beat Eric Lucas after playing a basketball game and then Eric Lucas became the WBC super middleweight champion of the world and held it for a few years. But when I beat him they said he was a nobody. Bernard ain't did a whole lot of nothing, let's keep it real. "
GL: Against Jeff Lacy you showed us that vintage Roy Jones hand speed, but it's been a while since we've seen you dominate somebody with your hands and feet at the same time. You did a lot of great work with Lacy off the ropes. I don't imagine Hopkins is going to fall into that trap and walk right to you while you're conserving energy and ripping off fast combinations. Can we expect to see you put it all together against Hopkins and show us some of that vintage footwork to go with the hand speed?
RJ: "You'll see vintage Roy Jones movement. You will see trememdous Roy Jones movement. But like I told y'all, all this improvement crap is a bunch of crap. The man ain't improve he got smarter and been fighting smart fights. And he's been picking his fights very smart. I'm not going to give him credit for being no improved fighter. You will see the same Roy Jones I always bring to the ring, that's crafty, ready to go, fast hands and you're going to see Roy Jones Jr. I will be there."
GL: Do you feel that you have his number stylistically?
RJ: "I don't need his number, I got his whole life card in my hand. I'm his idol. I'm what he dreams about at night, I'm his nightmare and his idol all at once. He wish he could beat me, so he has nightmares about me."
GL: Closing thoughts?
RJ: "I love the fact that he's finally gotten his nerve up and taken this fight. Now he's still going to get a beat down. I know he took it because he thought I was over with, but I'm still fitting to put it on him because I've been waiting till he thought I was done. But he's still fitting to wear this ass whooping after all these years. Peace out.
GL: You've made it clear that you feel Hopkins means nothing for your legacy, why do you feel that way?
Roy Jones Jr: "Cause I already beat him with one hand, so when I beat him with two, what are they going to say? So what, I already did it with one hand, so they should expect that. We were both in the primes of our career and I won the fight. He's only taking this fight now because he thinks I'm a finished fighter. If he didn't think I was a finished fighter, he wouldn't be fighting me now. And that tells you more about my legacy right there. He wouldn't fight me when he thought I was right, he's only wanting to fight me now because he thinks I ain't got it no more."
GL: What's going to be the difference in this fight that leads to Roy Jones Jr winning?
RJ: "I got two hands instead of one."
GL: Does that mean with two hands this fight isn't going the distance?
RJ: "There's no reason I shoudln't be able to stop him now."
GL: How much does the extra 10% to a winner by stoppage motivate you?
RJ: "It ain't got nothing to do with motivating me at all. If I beat you with one hand, there's no reason I shouldn't stop you with two."
GL: Where are you training for the fight?
RJ: " Pensacola."
GL: What are your thoughts on the debate that took place in New York. It was a rather unusual press conference.
RJ: "It was wonderful. I love doing things differently. It was wonderful."
GL: Does it bother you that a lot of people have taken the stance that this is a fight that should have happened years ago?
RJ: "First thing is, it wasn't me who held out this long. It's not my fault that they feel that way. I kind of feel like some of them feel, but I know why it took so long. Since I know why it took so long, it's kind of a laughing matter for me. Hey look, I can't make that man fight me, I can't force him. I understand what they saying, but they gotta settle for what they getting. We can't get Pacquiao-Mayweather right now, so we should be happy with what we got and quit complaining about what we didn't get."
GL: You say that the fight with Hopkins does nothing for your legacy, but at the same time he's in a better position than you are coming into this fight. A victory over Hopkins would probably have a positive impact on your future purses. Do you agree with that?
RJ: "It'll have something to do with my future fights and future purses, but it'll have nothing to do with my legacy and that's what I'm trying to tell you. So yeah, it'll probably make a difference in my next fight, because everyone is going to be demanding me and saying damn, Roy's still got it. Of course that will happen, but that has nothing to do with the legacy and that's not what made the legacy. "
GL: Would a victory over Hopkins cause you to take a different position as it relates to the Danny Green rematch?
RJ: "Nah, nothing about that fight would change at all."
GL: So he will be your next fight after April 3 as it stands?
RJ: "I don't know that yet. Let me get through with April 3 first and then I'll see."
GL: You keep saying that you beat him with one hand, but do you think that Bernard Hopkins has gotten better as a fighter since then?
RJ: "His head is a bit bigger, but that's about it."
GL: So you don't think he's improved from 1993 until now?
RJ: "He became smarter. Instead of being an aggressive fighter, he became a smarter fighter, I have to give him credit for that. But he learned that from me too. I don't call that improvement I call that a choice. He chose to be smarter fighter instead of fighting the way he was fighting. That's not an improvement, that's a choice."
"His accomplishments are hall of fame accomplishements. The things he did, yeah he did some great things. The fighters he beat late in his career is because he started fighting smart. He didn't take no chances. He beat Glen Johnson, but that wasn't nothing spectacular and he before Glen rose to power. He came back and pulled off a good victory against Tarver and he was very motivated to do those things, because he felt like if they beat Roy and I beat them then my legacy is better than his. He also beat some smaller fighters. He beat De La Hoya, he beat Tito, the only fighter he beat of size is Antonio Tarver. So let's not start making no stupid suggestions, it's not like Bernard Hopkins been whooping the world. Winky Wright was a junior middleweight too. Bernard Hopkins ain't beat no legitimate light heavyweights except Antonio Tarver, so where's all this improvement coming from. He's bigger than all the other guys he beat so where's the damn improvement? Let's be for real about it, the only person he beat was Antonio Tarver, which wasn't that hard to do. It's not like I ain't beat Antonio Tarver once my damn self, when I was dead. What legitimate light heavyweight has beatnen since he became light heavyweight other than Tarver? None! What legitimate middleweight did he beat? Who, besides Kelly Pavlik and he's not really legitimate. He ain't did all that. Where is the improvment? What he has done that is so spectacular besides beat Antonio Tarver? He beat Glen Johnson before he became anything. Hell I beat Eric Lucas after playing a basketball game and then Eric Lucas became the WBC super middleweight champion of the world and held it for a few years. But when I beat him they said he was a nobody. Bernard ain't did a whole lot of nothing, let's keep it real. "
GL: Against Jeff Lacy you showed us that vintage Roy Jones hand speed, but it's been a while since we've seen you dominate somebody with your hands and feet at the same time. You did a lot of great work with Lacy off the ropes. I don't imagine Hopkins is going to fall into that trap and walk right to you while you're conserving energy and ripping off fast combinations. Can we expect to see you put it all together against Hopkins and show us some of that vintage footwork to go with the hand speed?
RJ: "You'll see vintage Roy Jones movement. You will see trememdous Roy Jones movement. But like I told y'all, all this improvement crap is a bunch of crap. The man ain't improve he got smarter and been fighting smart fights. And he's been picking his fights very smart. I'm not going to give him credit for being no improved fighter. You will see the same Roy Jones I always bring to the ring, that's crafty, ready to go, fast hands and you're going to see Roy Jones Jr. I will be there."
GL: Do you feel that you have his number stylistically?
RJ: "I don't need his number, I got his whole life card in my hand. I'm his idol. I'm what he dreams about at night, I'm his nightmare and his idol all at once. He wish he could beat me, so he has nightmares about me."
GL: Closing thoughts?
RJ: "I love the fact that he's finally gotten his nerve up and taken this fight. Now he's still going to get a beat down. I know he took it because he thought I was over with, but I'm still fitting to put it on him because I've been waiting till he thought I was done. But he's still fitting to wear this ass whooping after all these years. Peace out.
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