Hopkins finally goes against Roy Jones Jr.

Associated Press

LAS VEGAS

Bernard Hopkins and Roy Jones Jr. each blame the other for the delay, of course.

Nearly 17 years after two up-and-coming middleweights fought at RFK Stadium in Washington, D.C. on the undercard of a heavyweight title defense by Riddick Bowe, Hopkins and Jones finally will meet again at Mandalay Bay tonight.

They’re a combined 86 years old, and they’ve earned armloads of title belts and untold millions since Jones’ unanimous decision over Hopkins on May 22, 1993. Yet they never managed to make a deal for a rematch until this twilight moment in both remarkable fighters’ careers.

So why did it take this long? Why did Hopkins and Jones wait until well past their physical primes, until long after boxing fans’ optimum interest in what would have been a scintillating bout in 1998, 2002 or even 2007?

“He didn’t want to fight me because after 1993, I got better, but he didn’t,” the 45-year-old Hopkins said.

“I love the fact that he hates me so bad,” the 41-year-old Jones said. “He hates me so bad, but he still never chose to get back in the ring with me.”

Beyond the fighters’ entertaining bluster in the weeks leading up to the bout, Hopkins and Jones acknowledge it all came down to money and ego, as it usually does in boxing.

Haye-Ruiz

MANCHESTER, England

David Haye is already looking beyond tonight’s first defense of his WBA heavyweight title against John Ruiz to a unification bout with either of the Klitschko brothers.

Discussions have begun about a unification fight against either Vitali or Wladimir Klitschko, who between them hold the WBC, IBF and minor WBO titles.

“It’s something we have talked about,” Haye said.