Although he normally isn’t known for the most exciting fights in the world, Bernard Hopkins definitely put on a show last night. Hopkins is normally known for his boxing ability but he actually sat down and traded with Karo Murat. I was pleasantly surprised with how well a 48 year old man could take a punch, not only that but he dished it out as well. The younger contender was hurt several times throughout the bout and was frustrated by Hopkins head tactics. As a future hall of famer, Hopkins made his mandatory challenger look like he didn’t belong in the same ring.
If it’s one thing Hopkins is known for it’s his head games and what some would consider tactics- you know the push ups, and kissing the back of his opponents head, those kind of tactics. However, Murat had some of his own dirty tactics he returned with. The two fighters got tangled up and Hopkins went down. Murat tried to hit him a couple times while on the ground but Bhop covered and blocked the attempts. Referee Steve Smoger hard warned Murat and would later take a point. At the end of the fight, when the final bell rang, Murat attempted a big headbutt and Smoger slapped Murat’s face away. Some fans are accusing Smoger of being biased. My response to that is, ok, I can see where you guys are coming from but any tactics Hopkins uses are more sneaky, while Murat’s was just plain blatant and couldn’t be ignored. With that being said, I also can’t remember seeing a referee hug a fighter after his victory like Smoger and Hopkins embraced on Saturday.
Like him or not you have to be impressed that Bernard Hopkins can still do what he does at his age. So what is next for the soon to be senior citizen of boxing? One option he is trying to explore is fighting Floyd Mayweather at 160lbs. In the post fight interview he all but said a fight between him and Adonis Stevenson would not happen. So we will have to wait to see. Considering Bhop weighed in at 172.5 I personally would expect to see a fight with Ward at either a catchweight or possibly at 168.
Who would you fans like to see Hopkins fight next? Leave your comments below. Thanks for reading and being a fan of the sweet science.
Lucas Biggers
October 27, 2013
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