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In 1995, the boxing world was stunned as a labouring Irishman by the name of Kevin McBride fumbled his way to a knock-out victory over a bankrupt and battle worn Mike Tyson.
Many were disappointed by the fact that they had been led to believe that Tyson was on the comeback trail and were left disgruntled when in the post fight interview Tyson said, “I just ain’t got those “fighting guts” no more, I’m just here to pay my bills.”
Tyson had become a boxing freak show, and we believed the hype, even after the circus that had been his life, that he was genuinely back to recapture the form that saw him decimate the heavyweight division.
It seems that 15 years on we have fallen for the same trick, as two aging champs plan on topping up their superannuation funds.
Bernard Hopkins at 45 claims he’s in the prime of his life and points to his recent victory over Kelly Pavlik as a telling sign that he will defeat Roy Jones Jr. It must be noted that Pavlik stepped up several weight divisions to fight Hopkins at light heavyweight, and, after a decade undefeated, Hopkins had lost three of his last six fights. Hopkins certainly hasn’t imposed on himself any of the physical abuse that Tyson did, however, at 45, can’t realistically promote himself the same way as when he beat Felix Trinidad 11 years ago.
In Jones Jr’s most recent fight, he was pummeled by Danny Green and appeared almost nonchalant of the outcome and his future prospects. There’s no doubt both fighters have the ability to prepare and arrive on April 3rd in pristine condition, although its not so much the physical condition that matters but whether or not they still have their” fighting guts”.
There was never any doubt of Jones Jr’s killer instinct earlier in his career. His rabid nature was apparent when he was disqualified after hitting Montell Griffin whilst Griffin was on the canvas. He oozed confidence when he beat Eric Lucas after featuring in a game of semi professional basketball for the Jacksonville Barracudas the morning of the fight. Hopkins was feared in a similar respect, and the ‘Executioner’ defended his middleweight crown 20 consecutive times after his loss to Roy Jones Jr, which stretched over a decade, before stepping up to light heavyweight to defeat Antonio Tarver.
Both men have had stellar careers and deserve their places in the hall of fame; however, one must ask if this bout is doing either man’s legacy justice or just adding to the travelling sideshow their glittering careers have become.
Its been 17 years since these two old timers met in Washington D.C as middleweights. That bout acted as a springboard for both their careers. Despite Hopkins losing the bout it proved to be the catalyst for the consistency he showed over the next decade during which he continued to destroy opponent’s with his textbook style. Jones Jr’s did likewise, displaying hand speed unmatched by anyone.
The storyline is set; these men are fighting to be the last man standing, the last man to say, well, I was the best fighter past his prime. As if the decades of memories and punishment upon their challenges haven’t been enough, they’ve chosen to leave their legacy on the sport as two veterans battling to see who can pull himself together for one last pay check.
Killer instinct is something fighters thrive on and require to exist in this sport it could quite easily be said that both fighters’ killer instinct has wavered with their ageing bodies. As a result promoters have added an incentive of 60-40 split for the fighter who wins by knockout, rather than the 50-50 they will receive if they go the distance. As if watching two men in there 40’s fight wasn’t entertainment enough, this should give each man that extra incentive to find his “fighting guts”, and pay his bills!
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