By Cliff Rold - As reported today at BoxingScene and Maxboxing, it appears discussions are taking place for a showdown between 26-year old World Middleweight champion Kelly Pavlik (34-0, 30 KO) and 43-year old former World Middleweight champions Bernard Hopkins (48-5-1, 32 KO) on October 18th. Rather than the confines of 160 lbs. where each made their name, this one looks to be headed for a catchweight of 170 lbs., just underneath the Light Heavyweight limit where Hopkins has plied his trade for the last couple years.
The names involved will certainly pique curiosity amongst the hardcore faithful.
It’s too bad that once those names are Michael Buffer-ed at mid ring this fall, the fight could head quickly towards the peak of disaster.
The disaster would come in the form of putting the game’s most promising American draw into an almost no-win situation. It’s only almost because in the best-case scenario, the younger Pavlik storms Hopkins, stopping him in spectacular fashion and moving Boxing past at least one of its too many old names.
Best-case, in this case, is not necessarily plausible.
No, what is plausible is the following: a decision win or loss in a fight that gets Hopkinized. What is ‘Hopkinized’ loyal readers might ask? Well, go back and watch almost every Bernard Hopkins fight since he beat Felix Trinidad in 2001 and there’s the answer. Win or lose, Hopkins specialty as he has aged is taking the fighting out of his fights. His keen defensive intellect allows him to muddy fights. It always has. But unlike his peak years which featured solid punch output, Hopkins now throws in rare spurts while taking the ability away from his foes to land big shots. What results is too often tedious and rarely fun to observe.
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The names involved will certainly pique curiosity amongst the hardcore faithful.
It’s too bad that once those names are Michael Buffer-ed at mid ring this fall, the fight could head quickly towards the peak of disaster.
The disaster would come in the form of putting the game’s most promising American draw into an almost no-win situation. It’s only almost because in the best-case scenario, the younger Pavlik storms Hopkins, stopping him in spectacular fashion and moving Boxing past at least one of its too many old names.
Best-case, in this case, is not necessarily plausible.
No, what is plausible is the following: a decision win or loss in a fight that gets Hopkinized. What is ‘Hopkinized’ loyal readers might ask? Well, go back and watch almost every Bernard Hopkins fight since he beat Felix Trinidad in 2001 and there’s the answer. Win or lose, Hopkins specialty as he has aged is taking the fighting out of his fights. His keen defensive intellect allows him to muddy fights. It always has. But unlike his peak years which featured solid punch output, Hopkins now throws in rare spurts while taking the ability away from his foes to land big shots. What results is too often tedious and rarely fun to observe.
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