Hopkins Revenge will be mine

Bernard Hopkins insists his legacy will be sealed when he gains belated revenge over Roy Jones Jnr in Las Vegas on April 3.

The ageing warriors finally get it on again 17 years after their first encounter, when Jones became middleweight champion for the first time with a unanimous points win.

The duo went their separate ways thereafter, Jones becoming a four-weight champion over the course of a decade while Hopkins was left to reign at middleweight for a similiar period.

Calls for the pair to settle their differences were never answered until now, with egos and self interest holding sway as the both fighters massaged their records and back balances with easy defences.

However, with Jones having lost five times in his last 10 fights, including a first-round knockout last time out, and Hopkins losing twice to Jermain Taylor and also to Joe Calzaghe, neither have much to lose.
Legacy

At 45, Hopkins is the senior by four years but despite all that has gone before, he believes beating up a faded star will be the crowning moment in a long career.

"Roy Jones Jr. had nothing to do with my legacy and career up until now, but I will be the final chapter [of his]," he said. "We probably would have been here earlier if he would have taken the fight when we were debating through the media.

"My statement is simple. This fight is very important to me because it is personal. We have 17 plus years of on and off history. I want to show the world that when our legacy is put together and analyzed, this fight will be the reason.

"So to me, not only am I a better fighter today, I will prove my legacy on April 3. I have a lot of incentive to win. I have waited 10 plus years to come to this debate.

"Everyone has it in their spirit to get somebody back. Whether it is justified or unjustified. This fight is redemption in a lot of ways - to finish him once and for all."

Nightmare

Hopkins admits Jones won their first fight in Washington in 1993, but claims he is a much better fighter now than he was then.

"He (Jones) won that fight. I have watched that tape a million times," he added. "What Roy has to understand is that I got better. I have a resume to show that I have gotten better.

"That is the difference between then and now. Come April 3, Roy Jones Jr is going to realize that his worst nightmare has come true.

"It is important to get the knockout. There is a financial incentive. I want to finally close a chapter personally. This is a 17 year rivalry."

Jones Jnr believes Hopkins is still the perfect fit for his style and feels he, too, is a better fighter with 17 years' experience under his belt.

"Now, 'Big Head' (Hopkins) has got to get it in his mind - we both went on to do good things in this sport," he said. "Mine was great early, his was great late. The facts wont change I am still going to beat him.

"I only hit with one hand last time. I've got two hands now. With two hands, I'm going to beat the hell out of this old man.

Rivals

"I never have dodged 'Big Head', and I never will. That is why this fight is so important to me.

"We are long time rivals, we waited a long time to fight again. We went our separate ways. I haven't had a rival as long as I have had 'Big Head' sitting around.

"This is like putting on an old pair of pants that still fit after a bunch of years. They probably look better on me now too.

"I don't duck and dodge anyone. I was the test he had to pass to get out of high school. He didn't pass that test. Now he wants to retake the test!

"I can care less about how much better he has gotten. My job is to knock him out on April 3 and that is what I am going to do."

The light-heavyweight match-up will earn the pair 50 per cent of the final purse, although the split will be 60-40 in the event of a knockout.