Hopkins, known as "The Executioner" in the ring, faced both Jones Jr. and De La Hoya during his storied career. He holds the record as the oldest world champion in boxing history, winning a title at the age of 49.
Hopkins and Jones Jr. first met in the ring in 1993 for the IBF Middleweight World Title. Jones Jr. won that bout by unanimous decision. They faced off again in 2010, with Hopkins getting his revenge on all three judges' scorecards.
When asked about the hardest punch he ever took, Hopkins didn't hesitate to name Jones Jr. He described a left hook to the body in the fourth or fifth round of their first fight.
"He hit me with a left hook to the body, to the ribcage, it got underneath my elbow. I knew I better not get hit with that no more tonight. My strength and determination is one of the reasons I didn't go down, but it felt like a knife, that I was getting stuck with a knife."
That punch changed Hopkins' approach to the fight. It made him hesitant but ultimately turned him into a better fighter.
In contrast, Hopkins knocked out Oscar De La Hoya in the ninth round of their 2004 middleweight unification bout. It was the first time "The Golden Boy" had been stopped in his career.
Today, Hopkins and De La Hoya work together as part of Golden Boy Promotions. Meanwhile, Jones Jr. keeps busy training up-and-coming fighters.