There is little doubt that the Light-Heavyweight unification
bout between IBF/WBA Light-Heavyweight champion Bernard Hopkins and undefeated
WBO champion Sergey Kovalev has become one of the most anticipated fights in
recent years. Of course one might be tempted to say that the term “one of the
most anticipated fights” is one that can at times be overused when it comes to
the sport of Boxing and combat sports overall.
This fight however, the “Anticipation” is certainly
warranted. A fight that is not only the next chapter in the Hall of Fame career
of Bernard Hopkins, but also the continuation of Hopkins’ quest to duplicate
history. Many will remember that as a Middleweight Hopkins not only dominated
the division, but would become the first fighter in Boxing history to
completely unify the world championships of the WBC, WBA, IBF, and WBO. An
impressive feat that was part of what became a historical reign for Hopkins,
who set the all-time record for most successful world title defenses in the
Middleweight division defending his title an incredible twenty times. Hopkins
would also go on to win two separate world titles in the Light-Heavyweight
division.
What has made Hopkins’ accomplishments even more incredible
is the fact that he has accomplished these feats as he has gotten older. At
forty-nine years old, Hopkins is not only still active as a fighter, but he
sits atop his division at an age where most fighters are retired. Hopkins has
made a career of beating the odds.
The political landscape of the sport in of itself makes the
concept of attempting to completely unify a world championship a difficult
task. Hopkins however, has never been one to shy away from odds that most would
probably consider steep. Hopkins accomplished the first part of his goal in
attempting to becoming an undisputed champion in a second weight class after
his IBF world championship win over Tavoris Cloud in March of last year and a
mandatory title defense over Karo Murat in October of last year, by defeating
WBA champion Beibut Shumenov in April of this year.
The next step on Hopkins’ quest comes on Saturday night
against the undefeated WBO champion Sergey Kovalev in Atlantic City, New
Jersey. Kovalev, who has quickly emerged on the scene as one of the
Light-Heavyweight division’s major players has displayed the kind of punching
power that is quite similar to that of unified WBA/IBO Middleweight world
champion Gennady Golovkin who has also become one of the sport’s hottest rising
stars.
Much like Golovkin, Kovalev has compiled an impressive
string of knockouts stopping ten of his last eleven opponents inside the
distance having only his fight with Grover Young declared a tactical draw in
August 2011 due to an accidental foul. Much like Golovkin, Kovalev has
registered a high career knockout percentage of nearly 89% scoring knockouts in
twenty-three of his twenty-six professional fights.
Kovalev won his world title by scoring a fourth round
knockout over Nathan Cleverly in August of last year. Following his victory
over Cleverly, Kovalev would score knockouts in title defenses over Ismayl
Sillah, Cedric Agnew, and in August of this year against Blake Caparello. As is
the case with Gennady Golovkin, Sergey Kovalev has a seek and destroy style
that poses an interesting challenge for any would be opponent.
An argument can be made that like Golovkin, Kovalev has not
been tested in his career thus far due to his ability to score so many quick
knockouts. Some critics might also say that neither Golovkin nor Kovalev have
faced fighters that most would consider to be on the elite level of their
respective divisions.
When it comes to the elite fighters of the sport, Bernard
Hopkins is as elite as they come. Although this observer has said on many occasions
“Anything can happen at any given time in the sport of Boxing and that is what
makes our sport great” it is logical to assume especially if one were to use
history as a basis that some questions about Sergey Kovalev are likely to be
answered in this fight.
One should remember after all that Kovalev is facing a
fighter in Bernard Hopkins who has beaten fighters throughout his career who
established the reputations as knockout artists, most notably Felix Trinidad
and Kelly Pavlik. Hopkins has also never been stopped in sixty-five
professional fights. As devastating as Kovalev has been in his career thus far
and as intimidating as his record appears to be, Hopkins has been in this
position before and is likely not intimidated by Kovalev’s statistics.
One should also remember however, that each time Bernard
Hopkins enters the ring to do battle, he does so not only against the opponent
standing across the ring from him, but also against an opponent few fighters
have been able to defeat named “Father Time”. Although Hopkins has continued to
amaze both Boxing fans and experts alike by continuing to defy father time, one
does have to wonder if Hopkins’ age will begin to have an effect on his ability
to use his reflexes as well as his ability to take a punch.
The key to this fight in my eyes will be whether Sergey
Kovalev can accomplish the task that virtually all Bernard Hopkins opponents
are charged with. Can Kovalev make Hopkins uncomfortable and unable to dictate
the pace of this fight from the outset? There have been some who have been able
to have success against Hopkins early in fights, most notably Jermain Taylor
and Jean Pascal.
Both Taylor and Pascal however, were unable to sustain the
quick pace that they were able to put forth early in their fights with Hopkins
and thus allowed Hopkins to work his way into those fights as they progressed.
It will also be interesting to see how Kovalev will approach Hopkins if he is
able to score a knockdown early on in this fight. Hopkins has shown throughout
his career that he can get up from the knockdown and turn a fight around in his
favor, most notably in his first fight with Jean Pascal where despite suffering
knockdowns in the first and third rounds, Hopkins turned the fight in his favor
and had won the remainder of the contest in the eyes of many fans and observers
in a fight that was ultimately scored a majority draw.
The question that will face Bernard Hopkins in this fight is
whether he can neutralize Kovalev’s power and whether or not he can set the
pace that the fight will be fought. If Kovalev does come out looking to impose
his will on Hopkins from the outset, it will be interesting to see whether or
not at nearly fifty years of age Hopkins can deal with a fighter of Kovalev’s
strength and power.
It will be of equal interest however, to see if Kovalev will
be able to adapt as this fight progresses. It is worth noting that Kovalev has
only been stretched as far as eight rounds only once in his career in his first
fight with Darnell Boone in 2010. As devastating as Kovalev has been, he has
never faced a fighter with the craft and skill that Bernard Hopkins possesses.
If Kovalev is not prepared for a long fight and is going into this fight with
the mindset of ending it quickly and is not prepared to combat Hopkins’ veteran
tactics, it could play right into Hopkins’ hands. Simply put, unless Sergey
Kovalev can end this fight early, he is likely to be tested by one of the
masters of the craft that is Boxing and if Kovalev does not have an answer for
what Hopkins has in his arsenal, it could be a long evening for him.
The fight between Bernard Hopkins and Sergey Kovalev has all
the ingredients of what could be a great fight. A living legend and future Hall
of Famer looking to add another historical feat to an already historic career
going up against an unbeaten knockout artist who is looking to prove that he is
the best fighter in the Light-Heavyweight division. Can Kovalev derail Hopkins
quest for history or will Hopkins continue to defy the odds?
We will find out on Saturday night.
“And That’s The Boxing Truth.”
The Boxing Truth® is a registered trademark of Beau Denison
All Rights Reserved.
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