Hopkins-Pascal / Dawson-Diaconu

[GorDoom]

Early Results from Montreal
From Fight News
By Dave Spencer at ringside

In a clash of former light heavyweight champions, Chad Dawson (30-1, 18 KOs) won a twelve round unanimous decision over Adrian Diaconu (27-3, 15 KOs) by scores of 117-111, 118-110, 116-112. It was a workmanlike twelve rounds for Dawson in his first fight under Emanuel Steward.
A left hook to the body scored a knockout victory for welterweight Kevin Bizier (15-0 11KO) at the end of the 5th round against Mauro Lucero(46-14-1), stopping the Mexican for the 12th time in his career. A clash of heads earlier in the round opened a bad gash over the eye of Lucero and looked bad enough to stop the fight, but Bizier quickly took matters into his own hands by scoring his 11th stoppage.
Columbian born Eleider Alvarez (5-0 3KO) started strong and finished strong in a 40-36 (x3) decision over David Whittom (11-15-1) of Quebec City. In between there was a little frustration as Alvarez was crowded as he couldn’t get off as cleanly as he had to start the fight. Trainer Marc Ramsay demanded more of his fighter for the final round and got it as Alvarez went all out for the final stanza and finished strongly as the light-heavyweight notched his fifth victory in as many tries.
After an all assault of hooks to the body and head of opponent Ruben Galvan (17-10-4); Golden Boy Promoted local product Michael Zewski (10-6KO) threw a perfect left uppercut that brought down the Indiana fighter immediately and ended the fight at 1:44 of the 3rd round. Zewski was picture perfect in the 2nd as he punished the body of his opponent at every opportunity and was equally ferocious in going upstairs. It looked more of the same in the third until the 22 year-old brought something new out of the toolbox and scored big with the uppercut to end the fight. Galvan who is now winless in ten fights dating back to 2007 got up immediately but then went down again with as the count approached five.
Jean Pascal’s half-brother Nicholson Poulard (17-3) managed to dominate throughout a ten round light-heavyweight contest against Frankie Santos (17-10-4), scoring a clean 100-90 sweep on all three scorecards. The fight was back and forth at close quarters in the opening two rounds before Poulard started dominating against an opponent who has moved up 5 weight categories in the last four years. Santos looked ready to go at the end of the 9th and Poulard upped the tempo for the final round, looking for the perfect punch that never came.
After going down a total of three times, an outmatched Dwayne Storey (4-7) called it a day at 1:38 of the second round against a younger, stronger, faster Didier Bence (2-0 2KO) in a heavyweight bout that kicked off action at the Bell Centre in Montreal. The 41 year-old Storey who had called it quits for the past ten years before returning this past January proved awkward for about the first two minutes but that was about it. Bence scored his first knockdown at the end of the first round and didn’t waste any time in the second scoring his second stoppage in as many fights with two more knockdowns.
May 21st, 2011

[apollack]

You have to give it to Hopkins. Not too many guys have been world champions at anything at age 46. He deserved the first Pascal fight, and he deservedly earned the decision in the rematch. Unanimous decision. I had it 6-4-2.

1 - E
2 - Pascal
3 - Hopkins
4 - P
5 - H
6 -H
7 - H
8 - H
9 - E
10 - H
11 - P
12 - P

It amazes me how Pascal fights even more cautiously than Hopkins is known for. The guy fights in very short spurts and does nothing for lengthy periods of time. Why the heck he wouldn't want to keep a fast pace with a 46-year old guy bewilders me. His punches were powerful and clearly affected Bernard, but he chose to fight very cautiously for most of the fight. B Hop didn't have as much power, and yet, when he hit Pascal even with just decent punches, Jean would grab very tightly and refuse to break.

Kudos for Bernard for showing more overall spirit than the 28-year-old. True, a typical tactical Bernard fight, but interesting nevertheless.

[Every Mother's Fear]

I found the first one surprisingly entertaining. Was this as good as that one?

EMF

[GorDoom]

Hopkins does it!!!
Beats Pascal for WBC belt at age 46
By Dave Spencer at ringside

46-year-old Bernard Hopkins (52-5-2, 32 KOs) schooled WBC light heavyweight Jean Pascal (26-2-1, 16 KOs) winning a twelve round unanimous decision on Saturday night at the Bell Centre in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. Pascal staggered Hopkins in rounds four and twelve, but Hopkins used all his veteran tricks to keep Pascal off-balance and out of his rhythm for a majority of the fight. Scores were 115-113, 116-112, 115-114.

With the win, Hopkins becomes the oldest man to win a world title, breaking the record of George Foreman.

In a clash of former light heavyweight champions, Chad Dawson (30-1, 18 KOs) won a twelve round unanimous decision over Adrian Diaconu (27-3, 15 KOs) by scores of 117-111, 118-110, 116-112. It was a workmanlike twelve rounds for Dawson in his first fight under Emanuel Steward.

A left hook to the body scored a knockout victory for welterweight Kevin Bizier (15-0 11KO) at the end of the 5th round against Mauro Lucero(46-14-1), stopping the Mexican for the 12th time in his career. A clash of heads earlier in the round opened a bad gash over the eye of Lucero and looked bad enough to stop the fight, but Bizier quickly took matters into his own hands by scoring his 11th stoppage.

Columbian born Eleider Alvarez (5-0 3KO) started strong and finished strong in a 40-36 (x3) decision over David Whittom (11-15-1) of Quebec City. In between there was a little frustration as Alvarez was crowded as he couldn’t get off as cleanly as he had to start the fight. Trainer Marc Ramsay demanded more of his fighter for the final round and got it as Alvarez went all out for the final stanza and finished strongly as the light-heavyweight notched his fifth victory in as many tries.

After an all assault of hooks to the body and head of opponent Ruben Galvan (17-10-4); Golden Boy Promoted local product Michael Zewski (10-6KO) threw a perfect left uppercut that brought down the Indiana fighter immediately and ended the fight at 1:44 of the 3rd round. Zewski was picture perfect in the 2nd as he punished the body of his opponent at every opportunity and was equally ferocious in going upstairs. It looked more of the same in the third until the 22 year-old brought something new out of the toolbox and scored big with the uppercut to end the fight. Galvan who is now winless in ten fights dating back to 2007 got up immediately but then went down again with as the count approached five.

Jean Pascal’s half-brother Nicholson Poulard (17-3) managed to dominate throughout a ten round light-heavyweight contest against Frankie Santos (17-10-4), scoring a clean 100-90 sweep on all three scorecards. The fight was back and forth at close quarters in the opening two rounds before Poulard started dominating against an opponent who has moved up 5 weight categories in the last four years. Santos looked ready to go at the end of the 9th and Poulard upped the tempo for the final round, looking for the perfect punch that never came.

After going down a total of three times, an outmatched Dwayne Storey (4-7) called it a day at 1:38 of the second round against a younger, stronger, faster Didier Bence (2-0 2KO) in a heavyweight bout that kicked off action at the Bell Centre in Montreal. The 41 year-old Storey who had called it quits for the past ten years before returning this past January proved awkward for about the first two minutes but that was about it. Bence scored his first knockdown at the end of the first round and didn’t waste any time in the second scoring his second stoppage in as many fights with two more knockdowns.

[apollack]

No Hopkins fight is what I would call "entertaining." But if you like generalship and skill to outsmart a younger guy, this one is worth seeing. Interesting tactical fight, and tension in the air because both of them threw some really hard and fast punches at times. Both trying to win in their own way. Somewhat similar to the first fight. Pascal did a tad better early, just like the first fight, but then B Hop took over as he did in the first fight. Pascal probably won more total rounds than he did last time, but he didn't have the knockdowns this time. I thought Hopkins pretty much won every round in the first fight except for the two rounds he got dropped. Pascal did hurt B Hop a few times, but Bernard is such a vet that he knows how to duck, smother, grab, move, etc.

One moment of hilarity - when the bell rang to start a middle round, B Hop was ready to start fighting, but Pascal remained on his stool. Probably should have been penalized. Anyhow, B Hop got down and did several pushups. Showed Pascal up big time with that. Jean should have been ashamed.

For a Hopkins fight, it was good to watch. I enjoy watching his veteran generalship outsmart younger guys. I'll admit that if he fought that way and was age 20, I'd be angry, but at 46, I just marvel at him.

Actually, the undercard Dawson-Diaconu fight was a snoozer, and made the main event seem exciting by comparison.

[prototypeofamodernmadman]

Hopkins has Pascals number, Pascal was even more cautious this time around after what Hopkins put him through the first time, Pascal could really benefit from using some of the bodybuilder bulk to improve his stamina,

Hopkins not only out thought and out fought Pascal but he also got under the man's skin and had Pascal angry and doubting himself by the middle rounds,

Hopkins doing pushups at ring center was hilarious, I have never seen that before,

Pascal should have been deducted for rabbit punching, he fought increasingly dirtier as the rounds wore on holding and pushing and hitting Hopkins with dirty shots,

with Chad Dawson next in line I have no doubt that Bernard can take Dawsons heart and befuddle the tall rangy man, shit maybe we can have a Hopkins vs Andre Ward fight in the future if B-hop sticks around for a couple more years,

[Julian Jackson]

I'm sorry, but although I agree with the decision, I was not remotely entertained. In fact, I was disgusted. Not with Bernard per se. Bernard fought the same type of boring, tactical, slow paced fight he always does. But Pascal should absolutely be ashamed of himself. Such a lack of ring smarts, such poor ring generalship, and such a lack of guts and proper conditioning. He may be muscular, but, he is no fighter. Luckily the horrendous performance by Chad Dawson before this main event put into perspective just how meaningless Pascal's title win was. I can't explain it, but Chad Dawson has very little left in the tank anymore. He has quick hands, and a few skills, but his power, heart, and killer instinct have all but vanished. I used to look forward to Chad Dawson teaching Bernard a lesson. I have changed my mind. Not, mind you, because I believe Bernard has improved. I have changed my mind because Chad Dawson, appears to be 2 or 3 fights away from being done. Mark my words, the next fighter with power who fights Dawson will lay him out for the count.

Although Archie Moore was before my time I have watched fights on youtube and read countless articles discussing the "ageless one". Because I wasn't alive to watch him live, I may be swayed by the views of the journalists of his day. But, although I am impressed at how well Bernard Hopkins fights for a 46 year old (i agree it is very impressive for someone his age), I am not impressed by the actual package that is Bernard Hopkins. He has certainly earned a spot in the Hall Of Fame, but, he is just not an all-time-great in my view. His discipline and ring smarts are to be admired. But, this era of boxing is so bad, it is actually causing me physical pain. I love boxing. And I love the people on this board. But, when I am trying to explain to my friends why the garbage that has been called title fights in the last year is good, I am left with only one option.... To Lie. Boxing has reached it's nadir. Timid, china-chinned 250 pounders rule the heavyweight division, 46 year olds who throw less than 40 punches a round have amateurish looking, muscle-bound pussies like Pascal running scared, and the two best fighters in the world refuse to fight each other.

I am tires of lying anymore. Boxing is finished.

[The Welterweight Epitome]

BHOP won this easily. Pretty boring fight IMO and I generally love tactical matches, but this wasn't one really. A lot of caution and hugging by a poorly schooled Pascal.

Boxing isn't finished, most of the talent is just down in the lower weights now. Ward is the best below heavy, hands down IMO.

[jim glen]

I AGREE with everything you said Julian, I am disgusted and embarrassed for being a fan, it is so out of the mainstream, lacking in talent and Full of SHIT it's no wonder no one cares about it, even good sport fans!

I didn't see the fight, but the last time I saw Paschel fight I felt the same frustration and BHop is not a great in my book neither. the GREAT ARCHIE MOORE would clobber these mugs and the Author, can't think of his name at the moment who wrote the Arc of Boxing, is right...

most of these baboons would be lucky to be fringe contenders during Boxings glory days of the mid 30s to late 50s and from WW - L-HW especially!!!

[Theo Netherland]

It pisses me off that Foreman has lost his record.

[Kid Dynamite]

Didn't see the fight but glad that Bhop got the victory and he deserved it the first time around.

[mrbig1]

Pascal should be ashamed of himself. He was fighting the right fight at first. He let Hopkins get in his head. I picked Pascal to win. He had to work Hopkins keeping a busy pace. Joe Calzaghe kept a glove in Benard face all night. So did Roy Jones. Hopkins doesn't like that kind of fight. This is taking nothing away from a great champion like Hopkins. Youth worked against Pascal last night.

[hagler04]

No Hopkins fight is what I would call "entertaining." But if you like generalship and skill to outsmart a younger guy, this one is worth seeing. Interesting tactical fight, and tension in the air because both of them threw some really hard and fast punches at times. Both trying to win in their own way. Somewhat similar to the first fight. Pascal did a tad better early, just like the first fight, but then B Hop took over as he did in the first fight. Pascal probably won more total rounds than he did last time, but he didn't have the knockdowns this time. I thought Hopkins pretty much won every round in the first fight except for the two rounds he got dropped. Pascal did hurt B Hop a few times, but Bernard is such a vet that he knows how to duck, smother, grab, move, etc.

One moment of hilarity - when the bell rang to start a middle round, B Hop was ready to start fighting, but Pascal remained on his stool. Probably should have been penalized. Anyhow, B Hop got down and did several pushups. Showed Pascal up big time with that. Jean should have been ashamed.

For a Hopkins fight, it was good to watch. I enjoy watching his veteran generalship outsmart younger guys. I'll admit that if he fought that way and was age 20, I'd be angry, but at 46, I just marvel at him.

Actually, the undercard Dawson-Diaconu fight was a snoozer, and made the main event seem exciting by comparison.

I pretty much agree with everything said above. It wasn't a great fight in and of itself but it had its moments and I think watching a 46 year old man school a 28 year old increases the entertainment value big-time.

Pascal is made to order for this Hopkins b/c he strictly fights in flurries and has NO left jab to speak of, so Hopkins can play defense during the flurries, and then come on with his own shots when Pascal is catching his breath and not throwing anything. I'm surprised Pascal pretty much decided to fight the EXACT same fight this time around and tried nothing new . . just a few jabs to give Hop something to think about would have been smart, but Pascal clearly is not a very smart fighter. Shame b/c his countering ability can be very impressive at times, and it's in the counters where he was able to hurt Hopkins.

I don't like how Hopkins said he'll fight till' he's 50 . . I was hoping he'd retire after this but I guess should've known better. Both Dawson and Bute would've been easy scalps for him 5-10 years ago but their styles aren't as accomodating as Pascal's (although I do think he could beat the over-rated Bute).

[hagler04]

It pisses me off that Foreman has lost his record.

I always considerd the record to be "the oldest heavyweight champion' in history anyway, I think talk of the record was simply to boost marketability, just like in Germany they were trying to get Darius M to beat Marciano's "record" even though I don't think that would have been possible.

[Crold1]

I always considerd the record to be "the oldest heavyweight champion' in history anyway, I think talk of the record was simply to boost marketability, just like in Germany they were trying to get Darius M to beat Marciano's "record" even though I don't think that would have been possible.

They meant oldest legit world champ and in that sense, it was the real deal (unlike DM v. Rock for the reasons you stated). I agree with claim of Pascal given that he and Dawson were a clear 1-2 when they fought last year and Erdei vacated his only tangible link to the lineage before opting to return a year-plus later.

As to the fight, I enjoyed it. Pace was slow but there were some good shots, some real drama in 3, 4 and 12, and some history made. Good night for the game.

[Ron Lipton]

Much respect goes out to Hopkins for hanging in there, taking body and head shots at age 46 and finding a way to prevail. While the commentators talked among themselves throughout the fight things were being missed constantly as to the action in unfolding right in front of them.

Rabbit punches and damaging ones wereallowed by the referee despite the constant Ali v Wepner amount of them.

There is a big difference in a referee loudly giving commands to the boxers and the hysterical maniacal timbre in the voice of this referee as he rushed at the boxers all night long in his desperate but unsuccessful attempts to break them. This was all he was interested in as he missed low blows, not wiping off Pascal's glove after it touched the canvas, and screaming unclear and confusing commands at them while they were into it.

Not one word by the commentators as they just kept talking about other things besides the fight in front of them. Hello, wake up a boxer is being hit with HARD rabbit punches in front of you, Hello, wake up, the referee just got in the way of Hopkins trying to move, Hello wake up, the referee's hysterical and unclear commands are not working, Hello wake up, when the glove touched the canvas and is full of resin, the ref did not wipe it off, Hello wake up stop talking, watch the fight, the boxer just got punched in the upper thigh.

I wish these referees chosen by the alphabet groups who really dictate to the commissions or in the case of NY, NJ and Nevada just appoint friends would calm the fuck down in there. Watch this fight again and actually listen to how hysterical this ref is behaving.

It is either Bayliss stabbing and gesticulating wildly with his hands at the boxers, making wild emotional faces at them that are caught in photos that are so up in the trees I cannot imagine what is in his mind.

Smoger coming in so out of shape that his pants have to be worn up by his pecs that he cannot even move to save Roy Jones Jr from another punch, or a insane asylum clown show in the Cotto v Foreman bout which should be put into a time capsule of what not to do for future referees.

The reward, give them more assignments in big fights. LOL

B-hop was a boxing clinic, I agree the fight was not exciting but he did the job. Just amazing to me and I laughed my ass off seeing him do the pushups. Loved it.

[Wladimir Klitschko Sucks]

That ref was a real piece of shit, BHOP as always a pleasure to watch. Pascal will be ruined from this the same way BHOP ruined Pavlik,

WKS

[wolgast]

BHOP a pleasure to watch, as always? Stay off the booze, please! BHOP is one of the most boring fighters in history and he beat one of the most pathetic excuses for a world champion of all-time, even in today's era of watered-down champions on every street corner. A promoter would have been arrested for putting Pascal in with Bob Foster or Harold Johnson or Archie Moore or Michael Spinks. That wasn't Harry Greb in there with Hopkins; it was Jean Pasacal, a tad better, perhaps, than Jean Paul Belmondo, the French actor. Perhaps!

[TDKO]

Foster would have left Pascal "Breathless"......

[doomeddisciple]

Foster would have left any fighter today in the 175 neighbourhood with a Dick Tiger sized headache.

[diggity]

Glad they got it right this time.

BHop is certainly more watchable than he ever was but I think it is more because he feels stronger and is is much more comfortable at timing the speed of the bigger guys at this weight, not that he is simply trying to make for exciting fights.
He still may not have the best style to watch but he certainly exposed Pascal for being all athleticism and not much more.
I don't think Pascal would beat someone like Bute, JC and seriously doubt he would take Froch in a rematch at this point as it seems Froch continues to improve.
He may have out-hustled Dawson that one time but Pascal benefited most from Dawson's lazy pace.
And from the looks of how Dawson slept walked through Diaconu on the undercard, I'm still left questioning how a rematch would go.
Dawson has all of the tools to KO both Diaconu and Pascal but I can't understand why a young guy like him will not step up the pace and deliver.
I thought Pascal dominated Diaconu more in their 2 fights, one of which was with 1 arm.

Unless BHop finally hits the wall with father time before then, I think Dawson is in for some real problems.
And if somehow Dawson's jab is enough to tame BHop when they fight (and remembers to use it with regularity), we are in for the early snorefest of the decade.

I am not crazy about Pascal's style but I think he could still make for some good fights with the Super 6 contestants like AA, Kessler, Johnson and maybe even Dirrell and a rematch with Froch, but I'd keep him away from Ward and Bute for that matter.


Aside from all of that, wtf was up with that ref?!
He concentrated more on screaming his head off and pulling the fighters apart than just about every aspect of a fight that matters.
Did he wipe gloves after any of those botched KD calls?
Did he even realize that Pascal's gloves touched the canvas???
The first was more slip than KD but should have been called a KD regardless.
The second was more KD than slip & should have certainly been called as well.
It was odd to watch another fighter be dirtier than BHop in the clinches (he pulled the same shit in the Froch fight if I remember correctly).
Regardless of how blatant the rabbit punches were, was there ever even an official warning?
It seemed the ref was more concerned about where the heads were in the clinches than the damn gloves.
Even without these missed points, there winner was pretty clear in my mind.
Thankfully it didn't change the outcome whatsoever.

[don1234]

Hopkins is very good at what he does.

Is he a brilliant throwback or a more attractive version of John Ruiz may be in the eye of the beholder.

[Michael Frank]

I'm sorry, but although I agree with the decision, I was not remotely entertained. In fact, I was disgusted. Not with Bernard per se. Bernard fought the same type of boring, tactical, slow paced fight he always does. But Pascal should absolutely be ashamed of himself. Such a lack of ring smarts, such poor ring generalship, and such a lack of guts and proper conditioning. He may be muscular, but, he is no fighter. Luckily the horrendous performance by Chad Dawson before this main event put into perspective just how meaningless Pascal's title win was. I can't explain it, but Chad Dawson has very little left in the tank anymore. He has quick hands, and a few skills, but his power, heart, and killer instinct have all but vanished. I used to look forward to Chad Dawson teaching Bernard a lesson. I have changed my mind. Not, mind you, because I believe Bernard has improved. I have changed my mind because Chad Dawson, appears to be 2 or 3 fights away from being done. Mark my words, the next fighter with power who fights Dawson will lay him out for the count.

Although Archie Moore was before my time I have watched fights on youtube and read countless articles discussing the "ageless one". Because I wasn't alive to watch him live, I may be swayed by the views of the journalists of his day. But, although I am impressed at how well Bernard Hopkins fights for a 46 year old (i agree it is very impressive for someone his age), I am not impressed by the actual package that is Bernard Hopkins. He has certainly earned a spot in the Hall Of Fame, but, he is just not an all-time-great in my view. His discipline and ring smarts are to be admired. But, this era of boxing is so bad, it is actually causing me physical pain. I love boxing. And I love the people on this board. But, when I am trying to explain to my friends why the garbage that has been called title fights in the last year is good, I am left with only one option.... To Lie. Boxing has reached it's nadir. Timid, china-chinned 250 pounders rule the heavyweight division, 46 year olds who throw less than 40 punches a round have amateurish looking, muscle-bound pussies like Pascal running scared, and the two best fighters in the world refuse to fight each other.

I am tires of lying anymore. Boxing is finished.

Julian, brother, I am with you.

Nothing about this fight "entertained" me. Hopkins won the same way he always does, boringly, ultra-carefully, and lazily, and Pascal threw home runs from God-knows-where and then missed by miles, looking like a poor man's amateur . . . not exactly a skilled fighter. What a joke. He also looked a bit scared or intimidated after 3-4 rounds. Not like a "champion."

Give Hopkins credit for winning at 46, but also give me a break, neither looked like even a good fighter.

[Michael Frank]

As to Ronnie's post and a couple of others, the ref certainly was a joke. A wining, yelling, BUT TOTALLY INEFFECTIVE ref in every sense. He had no control, and dirty tactics abounded in this fight.

And after Hopkins did his push-ups, why weren't his gloves wiped??

[don1234]

As to Ronnie's post and a couple of others, the ref certainly was a joke. A wining, yelling, BUT TOTALLY INEFFECTIVE ref in every sense. He had no control, and dirty tactics abounded in this fight.

And after Hopkins did his push-ups, why weren't his gloves wiped??

He wiped them himself!

[diggity]

I'm sorry, but although I agree with the decision, I was not remotely entertained. In fact, I was disgusted. Not with Bernard per se. Bernard fought the same type of boring, tactical, slow paced fight he always does. But Pascal should absolutely be ashamed of himself. Such a lack of ring smarts, such poor ring generalship, and such a lack of guts and proper conditioning. He may be muscular, but, he is no fighter. Luckily the horrendous performance by Chad Dawson before this main event put into perspective just how meaningless Pascal's title win was. I can't explain it, but Chad Dawson has very little left in the tank anymore. He has quick hands, and a few skills, but his power, heart, and killer instinct have all but vanished. I used to look forward to Chad Dawson teaching Bernard a lesson. I have changed my mind. Not, mind you, because I believe Bernard has improved. I have changed my mind because Chad Dawson, appears to be 2 or 3 fights away from being done. Mark my words, the next fighter with power who fights Dawson will lay him out for the count.

Interesting take on Dawson.

Maybe that first fight with Johnson took more out of him than what we know & most are all overly fond of someone who in the end just easily schooled a refined brawler in Adamek and an old Tarver.
Cloud showed why coming at Johnson full force wasn't necessarily the smartest thing to do, but at least he went for it and showed some guts instead of just peppering him and waiting around for him to get tired with age.
Both guys were lucky to face Johnson at that point in his career and I'm starting to question how well Dawson would have done against a fresher & hungrier Tarver.

No slight against Diaconu, who is as tough as they come, but Dawson (at least the one I imagine) should have had much easier and shorter night.
I really expected a night from him that was going to put him back on the map & Diaconu was a perfect opponent for him for many reasons.
Maybe this is just who Dawson is when he fights the top level guys - just good enough, but nothing great.
The pattern of his fights are starting to spell this out pretty clearly for us now.


Moore is probably my favorite fighter that I was not around for to enjoy live.
The contenders of today from light heavy straight up to heavy are lucky that someone even like the 40+ version of Moore isn't around.

[walshb]

Watched the scrap, all credit to Bernard, but Pascal, a world beater? No way. He would be lucky to get a top 20 rating back in the day. Very poor for a so clalled champion.

Anyone else think Bernard was hurt and really stunned in the last round?

[diggity]

I thought he was pretty stunned at the end but apparently not enough for Pascal to do much about it.

[don1234]

Steve Kim Sums Up Hopkins & Jones

Way back on May 22nd, 1993, Roy Jones and Bernard Hopkins got into a boxing ring at the old home of the Washington Redskins, RFK Stadium, for the vacant IBF middleweight crown. Back then, Jones was the gifted, young, uber-talent who was destined for greatness. A sublime blend of speed, quickness and power with an Olympic pedigree, he came straight out of central casting as it related to U.S. boxing stardom. Hopkins, on the other hand, was this unknown guy out of Philly, a hardnosed, yet raw, slugger who just happened to be in line to face Jones for this title. This wasn’t supposed to be so much a prizefight but really a coronation of a new king. Jones was the marquee name; this other guy, just a bit player, someone who would be just a footnote in Jones’ history.



Hopkins fought respectably that night in D.C. in losing by the tallies of 116-112 on all three scorecards. But the story of the night was Jones, who five years after being horrifically robbed of his much-deserved gold medal in Seoul, South Korea, was able to gain a measure of redemption by picking up the first of many world titles.
As expected, Jones did go on to fulfill the prophecy of fistic greatness. On his way to collecting belts at middleweight, super middleweight, light heavyweight and heavyweight, he was the clear consensus choice as the game’s best fighter for a full decade. However, a funny thing happened to “The Executioner”; instead of fading away in obscurity, he diligently crafted his own storied career. Nearly two years after his defeat at the hands of Jones, Hopkins eventually captured the same IBF title (then vacated by Jones) by stopping Segundo Mercado in their second go-round. From there, he would embark on an often anonymous and workmanlike journey through the division that was more a testament to his professionalism and consistency than his ability to inspire awe from the masses.



While Jones was HBO’s poster boy, Hopkins still had to make title defenses on Fox Sports Net and the USA Network. When he was on HBO, Roy was part of the ringside announcing crew. It was as if Jones was the teacher, Hopkins the pugilistic pupil whose every error would be dissected for the country to hear by the professor from Pensacola.


It seemed destined that Hopkins would always be in Jones’ shadow.



As you fast-forward to May 21st, 2011, it was Jones who was playing out the string as the B-side in Moscow, Russia against Denis Lebedev. The man that we all thought would never be the sad story of the boxer who simply won’t call it a day has become “that guy.” Like Sugar Ray Robinson playing out the string of his illustrious career in locales like Tijuana and Honolulu, Jones is now just another version of Evander Holyfield, deluded in his own mindset and undaunted by a certain reality that he simply no longer has it. Graceless exits have been around since the inception of this sport but it makes it no easier to witness. Unlike other sports, where elder statesmen sit at the end of the bench with foreign uniforms on (think Shaq O’Neal in a Celtics jersey, for the most recent example) and make their infrequent appearances that harken back to their more youthful and vibrant days, boxing, unfortunately, has none of that sentimentality attached to it. These guys do it because they simply have no other options and while other sports celebrate their former greats playing out the string, this sport uses them as cannon fodder, a notch on the belt or another big name on a growing résumé.



Jones is now just a shell of the shell of himself that he was after his back-to-back knockout losses to Antonio Tarver and Glen Johnson (which forever took away his supposed cloak of invincibility) and he’s not even that guy that can stick around against the likes of Joe Calzaghe. The stark reality is that he is a guy that has lost his last three contests in lopsided fashion, one of them an unnecessary rematch against Hopkins last year, which is sandwiched around two knockouts. The scene of Jones lying prone on the canvas for a minute or two after getting brutally stopped by Lebedev is shocking and scary. What’s even scarier is that there is no guarantee this will be his last outing in the ring.



All Jones has now are his distant memories of his sublime talent, where he redefined boxing. He had a style all his own and he could break all the rules because of his extraordinary God-given skill set. He did everything wrong and yet, it turned out right because he was “RJ.” Now he’s “The Artist Formerly Known as Roy Jones,” whose gifts have left him for good, his greatness in the rearview mirror.



Now we get to Hopkins, who on the same night in Montreal, became the oldest ever fighter (at age 46) to capture a major world title by defeating the athletic, yet flawed, Jean Pascal for the WBC light heavyweight title. You can say it now; while Father Time has trampled Jones, Hopkins has been able to feint and parry his way from being overtaken. No, he’s not the same guy who he was a decade ago (then again, who is?) but where Jones never really had a need to rely on a certain fundamental grounding, Hopkins was forced to hone all the small, subtle skills that allow him to still box effectively while still losing a few inches off his fastball.



No, Hopkins isn’t particularly exciting, especially to the casual fan of the sport, but as it relates to all the small, scientific things that are to be appreciated: tucking your chin in tightly, having an angled stance, rolling with punches and picking your spots, he is a boxer that is to be admired and even emulated in an era when so many fighters are incomplete and one-dimensional. Hopkins is boxing’s version of the wool blanket. If you have a fire that needs to be quelled, he’ll find a way to smother it. Once again, versus Pascal, he fought a more athletic individual who was stronger, faster, quicker and younger. Once again, none of that mattered, as it was Bernard’s guile, grit, mental toughness and technical superiority that ruled the day. In many respects, it was like the tortoise and the hare.



While Jones’ flaws have been fatal as he reached the twilight of his career, Hopkins’ overall game and craftsmanship have allowed him to compete with the very best the game has to offer well past his 40th birthday. You can even make an argument that he has not clearly and definitively lost a prizefight since facing Jones back in 1993. You don’t have to like him personally. Yeah, his inner-city, penitentiary shtick got old a few years ago and he is no longer this renegade he portrayed himself to be, given his partnership with Golden Boy Promotions- now every bit the establishment he once railed against- but it’s almost impossible to not marvel at his accomplishments.



Jones is now a has-been. Hopkins is a still-is.



As one guy keeps looking back to recapture the ‘90s, the other guy keeps moving ahead into the 21st century.



DAWSON



You could just hear the frustration in the voice of noted trainer Emanuel Steward during the middle rounds of the bout between his newest client “Casual” Chad Dawson and Adrian Diaconu. While he was doing enough to win, it wasn’t enough for Steward, who like many others, wants more out of Dawson (who over-promises on potential and under-delivers on actual performance). It did seem, at times, that Dawson did try and punch with more authority and fight with a bit more assertiveness but again, while you can teach and change technique, it’s not really clear you can change a boxer’s temperament. What did Cus D’Amato once say about square pegs not dying round?



It’ll be interesting to see where this Steward-Dawson union goes. I think it was too much to ask for Dawson to suddenly become Matthew Saad Muhammad after one training camp. This could be a reclamation job like the one Steward oversaw with Lennox Lewis and Wladimir Klitschko or a failure in the mold of Jermain Taylor. Either way, I think a true evaluation of this duo can’t be made for another couple of fights.



I’ve always wondered though about Dawson; was he “Rosario’d”? Like Hector Camacho Sr. before him, we have a talented fighter who gets cracked really hard on the whiskers for the first time, survives the ordeal but is never quite the same again. The “Macho Man” wasn’t so, after getting drilled by Edwin Rosario in 1986 at Madison Square Garden. Well, Dawson, in my view, has never been quite the same after getting dented by Glen Johnson in their first hook-up in April of 2008.



HISTORY



I know there is some debate as to who will be regarded higher in the history books as it relates to Hopkins and Jones (if you care about that kind of stuff) but here’s the thing; while you can certainly make an argument for Hopkins based on his late career run, I’m not so sure it’s fair to penalize Jones for his recent fade. After all, he’s at the “Johnny Unitas in a San Diego Charger uniform” stage of his career. Most athletes are defined by what they did in their prime years, not as they were badly faded. I mean, does 1965 count against the greatness of Ray Robinson (he lost five times that year)?



I’ve never really bought into this whole opinion of Jones being the G.O.A.T. To me, he was not the greatest fighter ever but really, with the way he could handpick his foes and play HBO like a fiddle, I always thought he was the greatest manager/matchmaker ever. Regardless, I do recognize that at his best, he was a special talent and when you ask me to define Roy Jones, it won’t be off him getting stopped by Danny Green or Lebedev but his mastery against the likes of James Toney and his dominance of the light heavyweight division in the ‘90s.



What makes Hopkins special is when he was no longer at his physical prime, he found other ways to be consistently successful against world-class opposition. So the question is, do you rate Jones above Hopkins for what they were at their respective apexes or do you flip them for the overall scope of their careers?

[Ron Lipton]

BHOP a pleasure to watch, as always? Stay off the booze, please! BHOP is one of the most boring fighters in history and he beat one of the most pathetic excuses for a world champion of all-time, even in today's era of watered-down champions on every street corner. A promoter would have been arrested for putting Pascal in with Bob Foster or Harold Johnson or Archie Moore or Michael Spinks. That wasn't Harry Greb in there with Hopkins; it was Jean Pasacal, a tad better, perhaps, than Jean Paul Belmondo, the French actor. Perhaps!

R. LMAO, so true as to what Foster would do to them all. B-Hop does have my respect as a ring tactician though. Is not exciting but I have to respect his courage and puzzle solving ring craft. Truly a crafty old war dog.