A storyline
that many fans will occasionally hear in regard to the sport of Boxing is when
a contender who may not be considered to be well known particularly among
casual fans, prepares to challenge for a world championship against a champion
who is well established and considered a star of the sport, a question that some
might have could be is the champion overlooking his opponent? In the case of
the upcoming IBF Light-Heavyweight championship fight between a future Hall of
Famer Bernard Hopkins and IBF number two rated contender Karo Murat, some might
argue that a question of whether Hopkins might be overlooking Murat might be
warranted.
After all,
Bernard Hopkins is a legitimate legend the sport. A man who has fought the best
of his era, fought long and hard for the respect and recognition deserving of a
champion. One could argue that Hopkins at age forty-eight, with his place in
any Hall of Fame associated with the sport of Boxing assured would be justified
to only seek big money fights against fighters with significant marquee value
at this stage of his career.
Hopkins
however, has always been a fighter who has been willing to take on all comers.
Many will remember Hopkins for his historic Middleweight championship reign in
which he won the Middleweight title, fully unified the title becoming the only
man in Boxing history to hold the titles of the IBF, WBC, WBA, and the WBO;
considered the sport’s major sanctioning bodies at the same time to become the
undisputed champion of the Middleweight division. A title reign in which
Hopkins successfully defended his crown twenty times. After suffering two
controversial losses to Jermain Taylor, Hopkins would then go on to win two
world titles in the Light-Heavyweight division.
Following
his dominating performance in regaining a portion of the Light-Heavyweight
championship by defeating previously undefeated IBF champion Tavoris Cloud in
March of this year, breaking his own record as the oldest fighter to win a
world championship in the history of the sport, there were some who questioned
what may be next for Hopkins. One could certainly say that Hopkins really does
not have anything left to prove and at this point with his legacy etched in
stone any further accomplishments is icing on the cake.
It was no
surprise to this observer however, to hear that Hopkins would accept a
mandatory title defense of the IBF title against Karo Murat. After all part of
Hopkins legacy, is that as champion he has always been willing to take on all
comers which includes challengers mandated by the sport’s sanctioning
organizations. There were however, questions regarding whether or not this fight
would happen. A fight that was originally scheduled to take place in July was
postponed due to Murat having difficulty in obtaining a U.S. visa.
For a brief
period of time it appeared that Murat would lose his opportunity at the title
after the IBF staged an elimination bout to determine a new mandatory
challenger for Hopkins. The fighter who emerged victorious in that bout, the
undefeated Sergey Kovalev, opted instead to challenge WBO champion Nathan
Cleverly. In a move that was seen as a gamble by some, but ultimately paid off
for Kovalev who dominated Cleverly stopping the previously undefeated champion
in four rounds to win the title.
Ironically,
what seemed to be a gamble by Kovalev, turned out to greatly benefit Karo Murat
who after getting his visa problems resolved was right back in line to
challenge Hopkins. Murat the former European Super-Middleweight champion, who
is a winner of twenty-five out of twenty-seven professional fights, certainly
has a record that most would consider credible to challenge for a world title.
It should not be overlooked that Murat has only lost one fight, a tenth round
stoppage by Nathan Cleverly in 2010 and earned a draw in his second fight
with former WBA Light-Heavyweight champion Gabriel Campillo in 2011. Although
Karo Murat may not be well known to most casual observers he has earned his
chance at a world title.
A point
that some may argue however, is Murat has not fought anyone of the caliber of
Bernard Hopkins. Questions regarding how Murat will handle the atmosphere of
the event, and deal with a fighter who is a master of the craft of Boxing in Hopkins
are indeed valid.
The one
obvious thing that some will look at as a potential advantage for Murat will be
the question of whether or not Bernard Hopkins’ age will be a factor. It is
inevitable that each time Bernard Hopkins enters the ring that he not only
faces an opponent across the ring from him, but also faces father time. As
great as Bernard Hopkins has been throughout his entire career, and even though
he has continued to defy the odds, one has to wonder how many more fights
Bernard Hopkins realistically has left in him.
One could
expect that Hopkins will use to his advantage as a master of the craft of
Boxing, he not only has physical ability, but also the wit to mentally beat his
opponents. It will be interesting to see how Murat will deal with fighting a
master tactician. The key to this fight in this observer’s eyes will be whether
or not Murat can force Hopkins to fight at a high pace and whether or not he
will be able to maintain that pace for a full twelve rounds.
Fighters
such as Joe Calzaghe, Jermain Taylor, Jean Pascal, and Chad Dawson all were
able to have periods of success against Hopkins when they were able to dictate
the pace and bring the fight Hopkins. Hopkins has however, been able to be
successful when he is able to fight at a measured tactical pace. Although
Hopkins lost disputable decisions to Calzaghe, Taylor, and Dawson there were
periods in those fights where Hopkins was able to fight in his comfort zone.
The best
example of Hopkins’ ability to turn a fight around in his favor in my opinion
was in his first fight with Jean Pascal. In that fight Pascal got off to a good
start and was able to score knockdowns of Hopkins in rounds one and three. As
the fight progressed however, Hopkins was able to gradually take control and by
the end of the fight, despite suffering two knockdowns, was believed to be the
winner by a convincing margin in the opinion of most observers this one
included. Although it is crucial that Murat bring the fight Hopkins from the
outset, it is just as crucial that he establish the pace and maintain that pace
for the entire fight and not give Hopkins any room to maneuver or gain any
momentum. It goes without saying however, that accomplishing this task against
a fighter like Hopkins is far easier said than done. Whether Karo Murat can pull
off what most would consider an upset remains to be seen.
Although
Bernard Hopkins has not been one to overlook his opponents throughout his
career, an interesting subplot that some may keep in mind going into this fight
is should Hopkins be successful in his first title defense of the IBF Light-
Heavyweight championship what would be next? There are a number of options.
It would
seem obvious to most observers that a logical choice would be WBC champion
Adonis Stevenson, who has emerged as Boxing’s newest star after scoring a first
round knockout of Chad Dawson earlier this year and who most recently stopped
Tavoris Cloud in seven rounds. A fight between Stevenson and Hopkins would
certainly be considered a big money fight for Hopkins particularly in Montreal
where Stevenson has been a solid marquee draw.
There is
also the possibility of Hopkins facing WBO champion Sergey Kovalev at some
point and even some speculation of a potential fight between Hopkins and Floyd
Mayweather, possibly at the Middleweight limit of 160lbs. Although it would seem more logical for
Hopkins to pursue unification fights with either Stevenson or Kovalev,
especially given his age and the potential physical effect a drop in weight
from the Light-Heavyweight limit of 175lbs. back to the Middleweight limit of
160lbs. or potentially a catch weight could have on him. Hopkins must first
deal with the opponent who will be next to face him. Karo Murat.
The idea of
Hopkins facing Stevenson, Kovalev, or even Mayweather is certainly mouth
watering for any Boxing enthusiast. Hopkins may indeed have those options
available to him, but for Murat who is just seeking his opportunity at a world
championship, this is the only fight that he is concerned with. Although
Hopkins has never been one to overlook his opponents, a fighter with nothing to
lose and everything to gain, who most would consider to be under the radar
should still be considered very dangerous. It goes without saying that when it
comes to the sport of Boxing, one should always expect the unexpected. Hopkins
beware…
“And That’s
The Boxing Truth.”
The Boxing
Truth® is a registered trademark of Beau Denison All Rights Reserved.
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