By Mark Vester
Roy Jones Jr. has come out swinging on Bernard Hopkins. Jones won a twelve round decision over Hopkins in 1993 to capture the vacant IBF middleweight title, and while there have been talks for a rematch since 2002 - the two were never able to reach an agreement. After Hopkins dominated Kelly Pavlik on October 18 in Atlantic City, there was immediate hype for a Hopkins-Jones rematch. Hopkins went on the record, demanding the winner of Jones vs. Joe Calzaghe, taking place on November 8 in New York's Madison Square Garden.
At first, Jones turned the idea of a rematch down. Days later he said he would consider a Hopkins rematch if the money was right. Now we add a few more days and Jones is once again downplaying a potential rematch. Jones says Hopkins never did anything to make their rematch possible over the last five years so he sees no reason for one.
"He is constantly talking about fighting me but that won't make the fight happen. I've already beaten him once. Why would I want to fight him again? He has been saying he wants to fight me for the last five years but nothing has been done about it. I do what I do. I work my own career and will do what I want to do," Jones said to PA Sport.
Jones laid out the facts and posed the question as to which of the two is the greater fighter. He said Hopkins didn't do anything spectacular against Pavlik, and he would have did the same thing to Pavlik in a more entertaining fight. He says Hopkins is not capable of entertaining the crowd and that's the reason why Hopkins fought Calzaghe on regular HBO, and why Jones is facing Hopkins on HBO pay-per-view.
"He is great at middleweight I am great all-round figher," Jones added. "He got more middleweight defences than anyone living right now while I've got the middleweight and heavyweight tiltes which no other fighter living right now has. You tell me, who is the greater?"
"I am an entertainer. People like to watch me fight. If I'd fought Kelly Pavlik two weeks ago It would have been a pay-per-view fight and in twice as many homes. With Hopkins and Pavlik you were going to get a regular old fight. Bernard looked good and shut him out but anyone can do that. Who can go out and entertain while they shut someone out? Only Roy Jones Jr. That's why Roy Jones Jr v Joe Calzaghe is pay-per-view and Bernard Hopkins v Joe Calzaghe wasn't. I will give people something to talk about the next day."
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