Bernard Hopkins, known for his extraordinary longevity, faced no small amount of elite operators throughout his 28-year professional career.
Quite remarkably, he became the oldest fighter to win a world title – breaking George Foreman’s record in the process – after outpointing and dethroning Jean Pascal in 2011.
It was just under half a year earlier that the pair had boxed to a draw, only for Hopkins to then capture the WBC light-heavyweight title at 46 years old.
Around three years later, the calculated technician went one step further to cement his greatness, unifying the 175lbs division with a spit decision victory over Beibut Shumenov.
But while his later career accolades remain a point of celebration – and rightfully so – it was at the age of 28 when Hopkins encountered his toughest challenge.
Entering his first world title fight, this time down at middleweight, the Philadelphian squared off with Roy Jones Jr on the undercard of Riddick Bowe vs Jesse Ferguson in 1993.
Jones, too, was gearing up for his maiden world title shot, but at this point, it is fair to say that he was already creeping into his prime.
As it happened, the razor-sharp slickster was carrying a minor injury to his right hand, which meant that his jab, now more than ever, represented a vital weapon.
But of course, his blistering speed and elusive movement were not hampered in the slightest, allowing him to eventually outpoint Hopkins by a margin of 116-112 on all three judges’ scorecards.
In doing so, Jones claimed the IBF strap, which had been vacated by James Toney, in convincing fashion, before amassing a scintillating career that would be widely celebrated and revered in years to come.
As for Hopkins, he too etched his name into the history books, but only after losing to one of the greatest fighters of all time.
Speaking with Ring Magazine, Hopkins made no attempt to downplay the sheer athleticism and ring craft of his opponent, who he later beat, this time at light-heavyweight, via a unanimous decision in 2010. He called Jones the best opponent he ever faced and said at his peak ‘no one’ could beat him.
“Roy Jones Jr [was the best I faced]. He was smart enough to neutralise my best weapons and smart enough to not get hit by my big shots.
“Even though I got my shots in, he wouldn’t get hit by more than one. That’s the thing about fighting unique guys… if a guy lands that one shot, normally there’s another coming behind that.
“He was an all-around thing – best boxer, best defence, offence. Early-career Roy Jones Jr – speed, reflexes, unorthodox, that type of thing. No one would have beat Roy Jones at that level, where he was at right there and then.”
