Hopkins vs Jones II Told Us Nothing We Did Not Already Know

After 55 professional boxing fights Bernard Hopkins has a pretty astute idea of what he can and can't get away with in the ring.

He gave Roy Jones Jr a lesson, not just in boxing, but the dark art of wandering off its rule book reservation.

Hopkins continually moved forward with his head down, landing enough punches to please the judges before tying Jones up.

If the heads made "accidental" contact as they did in round two with Jones sustaining a small cut, he was not unduly concerned.

Hopkins landed a cynical low blow on the referees blind side in the fifth round, safe in the knowledge that referee Tony Weeks was unsighted.

Meanwhile, Jones was struggling to land any sort of meaningful punch while Hopkins continued to enjoy success on the way in landing short bursts of punches before tying Jones up so he was unable to counter.

In Round six, Jones' frustration got the better of him and he landed a deliberate punch to the back of Hopkins head. There was no power behind the punch, but that did not stop Hopkins from collapsing to the floor, where he remained prone for a good few minutes.

The tactic worked, as the referee belatedly deducted a point from Jones but the histrionics were highly unnecessary, as Hopkins was already cruising to victory on the scorecards.

It did spark the best exchanges of the fight as an enraged Hopkins, miraculously recovered from  his seemingly debilitating head injury, tore into Jones.

There were only seconds remaining in the round, a fact which Hopkins was doubtless aware of when he came charging forward and the two men continued to trade after the bell with the referee battling to separate them.

The crowd were hoping to see two enraged fighters come charging out in the seventh round but, with the experience that both men possess, they were always destined for disappointment, as the earlier pattern of the fight continued with Hopkins edging an action free round.

Round eight saw both men exchange gentle rabbit punches, with Hopkins landing first, Jones responded in similar fashion and Hopkins collapsed dramatically to the canvas for the second time in the fight.

This time Tony Weeks was not impressed, merely warning both fighters to keep it clean.

Hopkins was down again from an illegal blow in round ten, this time a low shot but once again Tony Weeks was unmoved.

In round 11, Hopkins charged in with his head down and this time Jones, perhaps taking a chapter out of his opponents book, reacted and once again the fight was stopped.

The continual stoppages were starting to seriously detract from an intriguing fight. Jones was starting to have more success as the fight wore on, but the pattern of Hopkins landing quick combinations of eye catching punches before tying Jones up in the clinch, continued unabated.

The animosity between the two men was evident throughout the fight, but Hopkins was never going to allow a brawl to break out.

In round 12, Jones came out banging but Hopkins was easily able to evade most of his shots, landing a few quick combinations of his own.

The scorecards reflected Hopkins dominance of the fight, with all three judges awarding him a landslide victory.

Had Hopkins remained on his feet for the entire fight instead of collapsing dramatically at the slightest hint of a foul, he would probably have been applauded for a masterful victory.

Instead, he was greeted by boos from a crowd who were obviously uncomfortable with the image of a seasoned fighter lying prone on the floor after the slightest suggestion of contact.

It is common knowledge that Hopkins is a seasoned veteran who knows every trick in the book and is still more than a match for any fighter at the weight.

It is also hardly a secret that, bereft of the speed which was his hallmark in his hey day, Jones is a shadow of his former self.

We did not need to watch Jones and Hopkins get in the ring together, 17 years after their first meeting to have the wisdom of these widely accepted truths confirmed.

This fight told us nothing we did not already know and even the victor was not cast in a particularly favourable light due to his unfortunate antics.

The interviews with both fighters sadly failed to ask the question which must have been on viewers lips, particularly those that had to pay for the privilege of watching this fight, "Why bother?".