In life there will always be people who are better than us and we simply cannot achieve everything we wish to acquire and accomplish because there?s simply no human being who is not bound to lose his race against time.
In the first place it might be safe to declare that the defeat of Roy Jones Jr. earned barely a week ago was one of Hopkins? sweetest ring triumphs, yes sweeter perhaps than winning his first world title as it was in revenge for his first and bitter loss – in his hall of fame-winning career – tendered by the same opponent in 1993. But bearing in mind the significant delay of the rematch, it might not be the case. They were supposed to have staged the 2nd fight while in their heydays but for loads of adverse reasons the so they say immediate rematch did not occur, only to take place 17 years later when both them by now were expected sipping coffee or tossing down frothy beer in the comfort of their homes in greatly deserved retirement.
In the intervening time, they had parted ways to take care of their own fighting lives leaving Hopkins, a former ex-convict from Philadelphia, to become the undisputed middleweight champion since Marvin Hagler in 1987 and after beating Oscar dela Hoya in 2004, he became the first fighter ever to unify the middleweight world titles of all four major sanctioning bodies. On one hand Roy Jones Jr. went on ascending divisions becoming one time heavyweight world champion when he beat John Ruiz for his WBA title. In the process Jones became the 2nd former middleweight to become a heavyweight champion in 106 years, while his direct leap from middleweight to heavyweight for a championship fight was unprecedented in the entire history of the sport. In an apparent race to stellar achievements, Jones and Hopkins had kept on with their mudslinging trade and even as far removed from each other, these two harsh rivals ? in and out the squared ring – had kept on launching provocative word grenades in their directions.
Based on their remarkable resumes accumulated through the years, Roy Jones Jr. would emerge having the upper hand and Hopkins being a prideful and exceedingly competitive human being was well-aware of it. So Hopkins? dogged determination to pull off the win against his first conqueror was hinged first and foremost on restoring his spoiled pride of youth. He did it but against the washed out version of Jones who had been in string of knockout losses against lesser known foes; the most appalling of which was the first-round knockout loss handed by the relatively unknown Danny Green on December 2, 2009; amusingly this was Jones? latest fight preceding his punching conflict with Hopkins.
Therefore in Hopkins? mind, his pedestrian victory did not in total vindicate him for in the opinion of most people, most likely, he beat not the Roy Jones Jr. more than a decade ago but merely the shadow of the latter?s former self, thus if and when history decides, Jones would still be on top of him. That being true even to Hopkins personal assessment, he must have already contrived the David Haye theory prior to his triumphant but dreary mission against his fellow American and former defeater from Pensacola, Florida.
Hopkins? David Haye Theory states that ?I will challenge and beat David Haye; in so doing, history will remember me as a fighter of better stuff than my arch contemporary rival Roy Jones Jr. on accounts that he fought and won the same crown but in his prime, while mine is achieved in old age.? It makes sense, but at this very late stage of his career, fighting the bigger and stronger David Haye is likely to ferry him to the world of reality after having tasted the dosage of his recent malady ? weighty insecurity. Shaking the Russian ring giant Nikolay Valuev and sending Ruiz unto the canvas right in the opening round is adequate testament of Haye?s respectable punching power and skill which might prove highly perilous to the older and relatively smaller Hopkins.
At 45 years of age, Bernard Hopkins is now on the entry stage of dismounting the hill of life, how much more in boxing? True, his gym and physical fitness obsession still allows him to survive and win his most recent fights, but those victories are light years away in comparison to his previous conquests in his youth. Being ?The Executioner? is now visibly gone and pursuing David Haye, Hopkins is in a real danger of becoming instead the receiving end of his ways in the past ? he could be the one to end up brutally executed by the hungry young lion from London, England.
To secure the preservation of his well being after boxing, it is fairly a better idea for Hopkins to swallow his pride and hang up his gloves for good, to say the least. In addition, bidding goodbye to the life of fighting is the best thing to do by now for aside from his health being at risk, he is now running out of people who are interested and willing to watch him doing his significantly deteriorated thing. In life there will always be people who are better than us and we simply cannot achieve everything we wish to acquire and accomplish because there?s simply no human being who is not bound to lose his race against time. It is an age-old and undemanding of a truth in order for Hopkins not put into serious deliberation and abide by for his own greater good.
