[Previous entry: "Hurricane warning for Foxwoods"] [Main Index] [Next entry: "Oliveira is gatekeeper of welterweight division"]
03/06/2004 Archived Entry: "Hopkins: His Time Has Arrived"
Hopkins: His Time Has Arrived
By Tom Donelson
Bernard Hopkins has spent most of his career in the shadows, a fighter who never seemed to garner much publicity or notoriety. Until Hopkins defeated Felix Trinidad in 2001, no one really seemed to care or notice the long reigning middleweight champion. Hopkins' problem was that he fought in an era in which the middleweights were not deep and his only signature fights was a loss to Roy Jones, Jr. and his victory over Trinidad. The one thing that he does is beat whoever is in front of him and like Jones, he has dominated his division.
Hopkins is an excellent technician with good power, a fighter who can go from plan A to Plan B. He can adjust to the fighter in front of him and one example was his fight with Trinidad. This was a classic performance in which Hopkins out boxed the younger Puerto Rican fighter and in the early rounds and ultimately broke Trinidad down. As the rounds progressed, Hopkins turned aggressive and pushed the issue as he took advantage of his early work to finish the job. Hopkins took all or most of the early rounds, then in the eighth, took over the fight. Boxing, moving and mostly frustrating Trinidad up to this point, Hopkins sat down on his punches. He hit with more authority and in the beginning of the round, Hopkins crashed a right hand cross to Trinidad’s face. Trinidad kept throwing punches and couldn't land. He was looking for the one punch to end the fight but with Hopkins, he was not going to get it. In the 12th round, Hopkins ended all suspense as he knocked Tito Trinidad down. Trinidad’s dad who doubles as Trinidad’s trainer, threw in the towel and Hopkins' vindication finally arrived.
Hopkins is a consistent warrior, always in shape and ready to fight. Which is why at 39, he's still one of the world's best. His most recent fight with Joppy was an example of Hopkins' style. He busted Joppy in the body and with combinations to the head. As the fight progressed, Hopkins' superior conditioning and techniques proved decisive as Joppy was barely hanging on at the end. And the Joppy fight showed Hopkins' utter confidence, as he bet Joppy that he would not just win the fight but knock Joppy out. He won easilly, but Joppy was still standing at the end, though just barely. Joppy won $100,000 from Hopkins, just for finishing on his feet. Who else would do just a bet? And in the Trinidad fight, he carried an ad on his back for an extra six-figure fee. The man was not just tattooing Trinidad but he was a walking billboard.
Some of Hopkins' own problems have been self-inflicted. Hopkins was always fighting promoters and basically managing his own career, not always successfully. Hopkins has earned a good deal of money but there are some who say that he should be making more. The problem with Hopkins is that he is not a man with charisma and has basically wiped out his division. Like Roy Jones, Jr.'s light heavyweight, there are no big names or fights left for Hopkins in his division.
Hopkins' choices now means challenging super middleweights, but would mean going to Europe where there is not much money. The only real money is in the junior middleweights and he has been calling Oscar De La Hoya out for the past year, knowing full well this is the fight that is worth millions. Now he has his wish. He will make millions should they finally meet in September as planned. After years of fighting and throwing away opportunities, he now is on the crest of the gargantuan payday. Not only that, he will cement his legacy as one of the great fighters of his era and any era. He has defended his title 17 times and his accomplishments are ranked with the great middleweights including Carlos Monzon and Marvin Hagler. This fight is the icing on the cake, especially if he wins.
Many are contrasting this fight with Hagler-Leonard but there are some differences. Oscar is a good fighter and maybe a great fighter but he is not quite Sugar Ray Leonard whereas Hopkins' skills are on par with Hagler. The real question is Hopkins age for at 39, age can suddenly become a factor as a fighter becomes old over night.
Hopkins is the favorite in what will be this year's big fight. First, Hopkins must get past Robert Allen for the third time and De La Hoya must beat Felix Strum in a double header scheduled for June. Then the big match will happen and this will be one of boxing big events. For Hopkins, this is the fight that will forever define his rightful place in boxing history in boxing fans’ mind.
