Bernard Hopkins
A HARD LOOK AT BERNARD HOPKINS
San Francisco, CA– At the age of 46, WBC light heavyweight (175 lbs) champion Bernard Hopkins is beyond that of an exceptional athlete. Having beaten the smaller superstars in Oscar De La Hoya and Felix Trinidad, those are the fights that stand out on his resume. Like Marvin Hagler fighting Thomas Hearns, Roberto Duran, this before losing to Ray Leonard and retiring, ‘Nard made his rep fighting little guys. After losing twice at middleweight (160 lbs) to the new champion Jermain Taylor, he beats then unbeaten Kelly Pavlik, whom he destroyed psychologically, lost to Joe Calzaghe, and then bested the “shot” Roy Jones, this came after besting Roy’s first conqueror Antonio Tarver.
HOPKINS FIGHTS ABOUT AS OFTEN AS TSUNAMIS!
Having had only eight fights since losing to Taylor in 2005, that’s six years, Hopkins has been extremely “selective” in whom he squares off with. The only loss in that run was to the aforementioned Calzaghe, who then retired unbeaten at 46-0 after busting up Roy Jones. Bernard, although he’s not the most entertaining fighter on the planet, Hopkins makes you fight his type of fight, which is usually at a slow and boring pace.
BEAT LIMITED PASCAL WHO BESTED DAWSON
The two fights with WBC light heavyweight champion Jean Pascal, from whom he took the title from on points, this after a controversial draw in 2010, in May of this year differed from recent Hopkins fights. The “old man” threw punches in punches, which had Pascal screaming for Drug Testing. To be honest, Hopkins never looked better in the last almost seven years than he did in the rematch with the Canadian based fighter from Haiti. It was a metamorphosis of sorts, a stark contrast to most of the fights on Bernard’s ledger.
I THINK IT’S GREED THAT DRIVES HOPKINS
So what motivates Bernard Hopkins, history or money? Sans any doubt in my mind, it is his insatiable thirst for money. Having once had dinner with him in Las Vegas, it was this writer who had to leave a tip for the waitress, this in December 2000 when Hopkins was the ruling middleweight champion of the world and set to fight Antwon Echols the next night. That being said, Bernard is both cheap and greedy in my mind.
GREED USUALLY GETS OLD FIGHTERS HURT
That being said, Bernard is so hard to beat up, that I don’t see him getting seriously hurt in the ring, even at 46. The Philly fighter has a style that is as frustrating as dating a fine girl for six months and never getting past first base! The big question is when will his age catch up with him? At 52-5-2, 32 KOs, Hopkins will give up 17 years to Chad Dawson (30-1, 17 KOs) this Saturday night on HBO. People have coined the term that a fighter can get old overnight. Bernard has been old for a decade, and yet he continues to apply his trade. Can you seriously tell me that greed is not the motivating factor?
Pedro Fernandez