Did hopkins duck RJJ after their first fight?

[Saint G Groves]

Hopkins is considered a defensive wizard, but when they fought in their primes Jones was able to hit him easily. Bernard didn't want any more of that, if they rematched in 2001 Roy would have stopped him

[pturtle]

After Hopkins destruction of Tarver, both men had a verbal agreement for a rematch and almost got made but what happened, Hopkins didn’t take the fight, nobody knows why and instead fought a fat Winky Wright. Hopkins fought Roy when he made sure Roy was finished, even stating before their 2010 fight that the reason he was going to beat Roy was because Roy didn’t have his legs anymore

And to make matters worse, in 2009 before when both men were going to fight again right before the Danny Green ko of Roy, Hopkins and Roy had a contract signed to fight and the split was 50/50. Why the hell would Hopkins fight shot Roy for even split when he was now much much more relevant fighter?

[ИATAS]

Hopkins is considered a defensive wizard, but when they fought in their primes Jones was able to hit him easily. Bernard didn't want any more of that, if they rematched in 2001 Roy would have stopped him

They were both green when they fought, Bernard even more so. Jones won clear but it wasn't easy nor a shut out. It was one of the only fights a young Jones looked human.

[dc3383]

Wouldn't say he ducked him per say; but B-Hop knew Roy speed would be a problem again

[UrDazed]

BHop would have moved up if he really wanted the rematch. Instead he wanted for Roy to loook old and get KTFO a few times before he did move up and look for the rematch.

[ИATAS]

And to make matters worse, in 2009 before when both men were going to fight again right before the Danny Green ko of Roy, Hopkins and Roy had a contract signed to fight and the split was 50/50. Why the hell would Hopkins fight shot Roy for even split when he was now much much more relevant fighter?

You're twisting things. There was no signed contract they had a verbal agreement that the winner would get 60 the loser 40 and in the event of a draw it would be 50. That was only if both fighters won and of course Roy lost to Green and basically ended up fighting Hopkins for nothing since the PPV flopped, only Hopkins got paid.

Over the years this has always been the hang up - roy asking for 60/40 or Hopkins asking for 60/40. Basically big ego's.

[Mr. Philadel]

B.Hop felt like he was worth more than a 60-40 split at the time....if he felt that way I can't blame him....because he ended getting more for the Oscar fight than he'd got for a tougher fight with Roy...so it depends on how you look at it...a BUSINESS move that anybody with common sense would make...including the every thread Hopkins bashers!!...no matter when they fought or th number of times they fought...their styles would make the fights a chess match...so if they'd fought when the 60-40 deal was offered...dudes will still be complaining....for the record, NOBODY was beating Roy before he moved up to HW...Calzaghe, Glen Johnson, Tarver...NONE of them could've beaten Roy at that time

[boliodogs]

I don't think he ducked him. Jones always asked for over half of the money and Hopkins wanted an even split. I don't call that ducking, I call it wanting to get paid what you think you are worth. If Jones had agreed to an even split they would have fought years before they did.

[MRBOOMER]

I believe so Hopkins was a huge middle weight who could have went to 168 and 175 easy hell he skipped past 168 above the age of forty.

He coulda worked his way to a being a star before the trinadad fight by beating other top fighters in the weight class right above him but chose to stay at 160 where the fights were much easier untill losing to jt who much younger and could keep a pace that Hopkins couldn't anymore.

So he moved up fighting tarver right after the big weight loss he just had after the Rocky movie also it just happened to be after jones had loss by kayo I think it was twice by then.

I'm not saying any of this is fact but it sure is a fat coincidence that he never moved up till after jones lost and was no longer really a threat. And never attempted to fight the other big names in the weight class right above him in the 90's so... Yeah I think he ducked him.

[Japanese Boxing]

Sounds like a duck then, He use to bring Roy’s name up and call him out like crazy, but demands 50/50 split when he wasn’t even close to being the bigger draw, already lost the first match up and Roy p4p best in the world at the time, that my friend is a duck.

No, I recently talked with guys who were around RJJ... If anything he was ducking Hopkins and they got tired of it.