Hopkins to fight Ornelas, with eyes on Jones rematch

Bernard "The Executioner" Hopkins likens himself to a classic automobile that has been in the garage a little too long.

"I need to get out on the open road, get those pistons firing, make sure everything is running nice and smooth," Hopkins (49-5-1, 32 KOs) said of his Dec. 2 tuneup fight with Enrique Ornelas (29-5, 19 KOs) at Temple University's Liacouras Center.

The scheduled light-heavyweight 12-rounder will be televised by Versus and marks the first ring appearance for the nearly 45-year-old Hopkins (his birthday is Jan. 15) since he outpointed WBC/WBO middleweight champion Kelly Pavlik over 12 rounds in a 170-pound catchweight bout on Nov. 18 in Atlantic City's Boardwalk Hall.

He and Ornelas will appear at a news conference Wednesday at the Liacouras Center.

Last month, Hopkins' promotional company, Golden Boy, announced that he had signed for the long-delayed rematch with Roy Jones Jr., which will take place in the first quarter of 2010 at a site to be determined. In their previous meeting, Jones won the vacant IBF middleweight championship on a 12-round, unanimous decision on May 22, 1993, at RFK Stadium in Washington.

Jones-Hopkins II is contingent on both future Hall of Famers winning their Dec. 2 fight. Jones (54-5, 40 KOs), who turns 41 on Jan. 16, will be in Sydney, Australia, that night trying to wrest a minor bauble, the IBO cruiserweight title, from Danny Green (27-3, 24 KOs).

Given that the Jones fight might be the last of Hopkins' illustrious career, the North Philadelphia native was concerned that his year-plus period of inactivity would be a detriment against someone who has fought three times since Hopkins outclassed Pavlik.

Ornelas, a resident of La Habra, Calif., by way of his native Mexico, is a decent, trial-horse type of opponent, but doesn't figure to pose much of a deterrent on Hopkins' date with destiny against Jones.

This will be Hopkins' 10th fight in Philadelphia, and his first here since he retained his WBC, WBA and IBF middleweight crowns on March 29, 2003, in what was then known as the First Union Spectrum against mandatory WBC contender Morrade Hakkar, the 16th of B-Hop's division-record 20 defenses.

Hakkar, a French citizen, ran like a frightened rabbit for eight rounds, taking a beating on those occasions when he did stop and trade. He quit on his stool before the start of the ninth round, causing Hopkins to shrug and say, "I didn't make the guy the No. 1 challenger."

Ornelas, 29, although an off-the-board longshot, at least figures to engage Hopkins, which should help him scrape off some ring rust. *