Bernard Hopkins in a Rematch with Roy Jones after 17 years

After 17 years of waiting for an opportunity to face the man who ruined his first world title shot in 1993, Bernard Hopkins will face Roy Jones Saturday at the Mandalay Bay Events Center in Las Vegas, Nevada.

Bernard Hopkins, who was born in 1965 in Philadelphia is the oldest man to ever hold the middleweight championship in professional boxing. He is known for his ten year reign as middleweight world champion in which he successfully defended his title a record 20 times.

Hopkins has fought tough boxers in different weigh divisions since his bitter loss to Roy Jones in 1993 including Glen Johnson, Felix Trinidad, Oscar De La Hoya, Antonio Tarver, Winky Wright and Kelly Pavlik, among others. If Hopkins does send Jones into retirement Saturday night, he says his emotions will be exactly how Jones' probably were in 1993 — no remorse.

"I've been brought up kind of different," Hopkins said. "Where I come from, I don't love my enemy. When you conquer your enemy based on him trying to conquer you, I can't have love for you. If you don't like me, I don't like you."

"If you try to do something to me and your gun jams and now you're asking me for mercy, not because you changed your mind but because your tools didn't work, I got to kill you right there. I got to lay you in the ground."

Roy Jones, who hails from Pesacola Florida, and four years younger than Hopkins, has fought at least three times in 2009. First, against Omar Shieka and won via a fifth round knock out, followed by his fight with Jeff Lacy which he won via TKO in 10 rounds.

His most recent fight was with Danny Green in September where he lost via first round TKO. With rumors of bad ticket sales and limited fan interest leading up to Saturday's main event at the Mandalay Bay Events Center, it's become clear this fight possibly is more for the fighters than for the public.

For Jones (54-6, 40 KO), it's a (possibly) final chance to prove he still can compete at the highest level in the sport he once stood at the top of. For Hopkins (50-5-1, 32 KO), it's a chance to beat the guy who ruined his first world title shot 17 years ago.

(original article appeared @ Digital Journal )