Bernard Hopkins vs. Enrique Ornelas: Round By Round

The main event is coming up on Versus from the Liacouras Center in Philadelphia. Hometown hero Bernard Hopkins returns to action for the first time in 13 months to take on Enrique Ornelas.

Sporting a record of 29-5, Ornelas comes to the ring first. He was actually a sparring partner when B-Hop was training to face Winky Wright. Ornelas has won four of his last five.

Just a tad shy of his 45th birthday, Hopkins gets a long introduction from the ring announcer before he comes out. The Executioner gets a very warm reaction from the Philly faithful for his silent ring walk. He is 49-5 with 32 KOs.

The tale of the tape shows the two men are even in height, with Hopkins having a three-inch edge in reach. As always, Hopkins is much older than his opponent - 15 years in this case.

The in-ring introductions are done, and we're all set for a scheduled 12 rounds of light heavyweight action.

Round 1

Ornelas doesn't look too intimidated. He's trying to duck his way in to land shots. B-Hop showing excellent defense, as you'd expect, to fend off the occasional flurry. Both men throw jabs in the center of the ring. Hopkins grabs and punches on the inside. Bernard is trying to dig to the body but Enrique is smothering him a bit. Hopkins sneaks in an uppercut in the final exchange.

Franchise: 10-9 Ornelas
Spartan117: 10-9 Hopkins

Round 2

Ornelas is the brother of Librado Andrade, so it's not surprising he's a tough guy. He tries to get off first in the second round. Nice one-two off the jab by Hopkins. Left hook from Bernard finds the mark. The ref is busy as he cautions both men for hitting behind the head. Hopkins steps away from a combination and lands a counter, then covers up before the bell.

Franchise: 10-9 Hopkins
Spartan117: 10-9 Ornelas

Round 3

There's some swelling by Ornelas' left eye. Ornelas keeps trying to rush in, and the Executioner is landing some sneaky shots while that's happening. Nice action as both men land some punches during an extended exchange. Another charge ends in a counter right to Ornelas' face. More in-fighting with Bernard backed against the ropes. That round was probably closer than B-Hop would have liked.

Franchise: 10-9 Hopkins
Spartan117: 10-9 Hopkins

Round 4

An early clinch forces the ref to step in, and both men land right hands once the action heats up. Left to the body by Ornelas and he pivots away. Ornelas lands an uppercut but also takes a counter coming in. Big misses by both guys along the ropes, and Ornelas gets another uppercut to score from very close range. They hold and hit for the final ten seconds, and that round was very close.

Franchise: 10-9 Ornelas
Spartan117: 10-9 Hopkins

Round 5

The ref cautioned both fighters about their heads between rounds. Hopkins slips away from a combination. Ornelas lands a light one-two and grabs Bernard's head. Left hook lead by Bernard, then a right on the inside that gets the crowd to cheer a bit. Ornelas leans on Hopkins and tries to bang away to the body. Hopkins comes right back with a body shot but has to cover up to save himself from uppercuts coming back.

Franchise: 10-9 Hopkins
Spartan117: 10-9 Ornelas

Round 6

Left-right combo by Hopkins stuns Ornelas in the opening seconds. He returns fire with a right hand and they clinch. Ornelas holds his own again during the in-fighting. Pot shots by Bernard and they lean and bang away. Two right hands score for Hopkins, and the fans respond. Hopkins avoids a left and lands two to the body before the bell.

Franchise: 10-9 Hopkins
Spartan117: 10-9 Hopkins

Round 7

Neither man connects with their first punches of this round. Hopkins is coming forward more often now. B-Hop ducks and counters, which suits him fine. Right hand by Hopkins and he winds it up for some showboating. Ornelas is a bit off-balance as Hopkins looks for a big shot. They tie up with 30 to go. Bernard scores with a left hand.

Franchise: 10-9 Hopkins
Spartan117: 10-9 Hopkins

Round 8

Bernard's counter left is catching Enrique on a regular basis now. Ornelas connects with a short left but uppercuts come right back in response. Ornelas goes down along the ropes, but it's ruled a slip. The ref cautions both boxers again. Left to the body by Ornelas but not much on it. They trade in the center of the ring and a Hopkins right snaps Ornelas' head back hard.

Franchise: 10-9 Hopkins
Spartan117: 10-9 Hopkins

Round 9

Ornelas lands a right which is answered by a stiff right to the body. Several exchanges feature nice left hooks by Hopkins, but Ornelas manages a big right hand that was his best punch of the fight. B-Hop goes back to work and Ornelas has to charge in and grab. Not much flow to that round.

Franchise: 10-9 Hopkins
Spartan117: 10-9 Hopkins

Round 10

Two left hooks by Bernard and he dances a bit. Ornelas tries to keep the pressure on. More of the same with Ornelas rushing in and plenty of clinching. The announcers think Ornelas may be getting tired. Right hand upstairs by Enrique. Left hand by Ornelas but Hopkins retaliates with an uppercut. Both men score in the closing seconds.

Franchise: 10-9 Hopkins
Spartan117: 10-9 Hopkins

Round 11

Some of these rounds are quite close, but Hopkins is doing enough that he should be winning most of them. Both men jab and Hopkins counters beautifully as they trade. Left hand catches Ornelas coming forward. Right hand lead by B-Hop, but the heads and shoulders connect right after that. The ref calls time to have Hopkins' right glove fixed. One final flurry makes Ornelas wince a bit.

Franchise: 10-9 Hopkins
Spartan117: 10-9 Hopkins

Round 12

Neither man is taking it easy as the final round begins. A head butt hurts Ornelas and he's not happy. The ref is extremely busy and telling both men to watch their heads. Hopkins closes in and rocks Ornelas in close. Enrique swings wildly to no avail. Hopkins punctuates his effort with several power shots right before the final bell.

Franchise: 10-9 Hopkins
Spartan117: 10-9 Hopkins

Franchise: 118-110 Hopkins
Spartan117: 118-110 Hopkins

The judges score it 118-110, 120-109 and 119-109, all for the winner by unanimous decision, Bernard "The Executioner" Hopkins.

They show the Roy Jones-Danny Green fight footage. Roy comes out jabbing and feinting. The first big right hand by Green puts Roy down. Green closes in and makes Jones cover up. He doesn't fight back and his legs are wobbly. One last uppercut connects for Green, and the ref calls a stop to it.

Back in Philly, Hopkins says he's seeing the footage for the first time. Bernard thinks Roy deserves the benefit of the doubt because of his status and doesn't think the ref should have stopped it so soon.

Surprisingly, Hopkins says he thinks people would still be into a Hopkins-Jones rematch. He really seems to feel strongly about Jones losing by TKO and not getting knocked out cold.

The Executioner gives Ornelas a lot of credit for his effort and vows to be heavyweight champion of the world in 2010. Can't see him fighting either Klitschko, so he must have his eye on David Haye.

Posted by The Franchise