Normally, boxing is not a sport that allows its legends to age gracefully. A glance at the sweet science’s mountaintop will tell numerous cautionary tales of fighters who stayed in the ring well past their expiration date. Muhammad Ali, Joe Louis, Sugar Ray Leonard, Julio Cesar Chavez, Roberto Duran, Evander Holyfield, Roy Jones Jr. and countless others have left the fight game as a shell of their former selves. Whether chasing dollars or grasping at fleeting fame, those fighters paid one heck of a toll towards the end of their careers.
Then there’s Bernard Hopkins.
The 51-year-old former middleweight and light heavyweight champion is finally set to call it quits. Hopkins (55-7-2, 32 KO) has agreed to fight Joe Smith Jr. (22-1-0, 18 KO) on Dec. 19 in what will be the final fight of his illustrious career.
I know what you’re thinking. Boxing retirements are about as reliable as political promises. However, it appears that we can etch the end of Hopkins’ career in stone. According to ESPN’s Dan Rafael, the fight contract for Hopkins’ bout “has language legally stipulating that this is his last fight.”
Why wouldn’t it be? Unlike many of the aforementioned ring legends, Hopkins appears to be of sound mind, body and bank account.
Is Hopkins the same fighter who knocked out Felix “Tito” Trinidad more than 15 years ago? Nah. But because his greatness was based on technique, timing and positioning, rather than raw speed or power, Hopkins has aged more gracefully into his 50s than most fighters have into their late 30s.
The one-sided defeat he suffered two years ago at the hands of IBF, WBA and WBO champion light heavyweight champion Sergey Kovalev showed Hopkins why Father Time remains undefeated. It was the first time in his career that Hopkins was beaten and battered decisively. Still, despite suffering a first-round knockdown, Hopkins survived 12-rounds with an elite champion who is likely the hardest pound-for-pound puncher in the sport.
It would be easy for Hopkins to shuffle through the dumpster to find a ‘Bum of the Month’ to face in his swan song. However, the man whose stubbornness is as legendary as his skills wanted to go out with a bang.
Hopkins initially desired to closeout his career with another title fight. But with all the major players at light heavyweight and super middleweight unavailable for the rest of the year, Hopkins chose to target a capable young gun.
The hard-hitting Smith worked his way onto Hopkins’ radar with an upset knockout of former title contender (and 14-to-1 favorite) Andrzej Fonfara on a PBC showin June. As a tactician, Smith will never be confused with Floyd Mayweather Jr., but the 27-year-old known as “The Irish Bomber” has legitimate power and likes to come forward to launch his heavy artillery.
That means the greatest AARP-eligible fighter in history will have to work hard to leave the ring with a victory in his 67th professional prizefight.
Win, lose or draw, old man Hopkins will walk away from the ring on his own terms. The man formerly known as “The Executioner” and currently known as “The Alien” will do it in the ring against a fighter who wasn’t even born when Hopkins began his career.
Heavyweight disappointment
The only certain thing when it comes to boxing seems to be that a continuous stream of disappointment. I was excited when the long-awaited rematch between Wladimir Klitschko and Tyson Fury was announced. I didn’t expect the fight to be a barnburner, but at least it would help sort out the mess that is the heavyweight division. Unfortunately, the fight was postponed numerous times before Fury finally pulled out for good by vacating his WBA title due to personal and health issues.
The silver lining was that Klitschko was then in line to fight against British knockout sensation and IBF titlist Anthony Joshua for the vacated crown. Now it appears that Klitschko vs Joshua is now on the ropes as the WBA has stalled on giving the thumbs up on sanctioning the matchup as a title bout. Klitschko is only interested in the bout if it gives him a chance to recapture the WBA title he lost to Fury.
Why the WBA would be hesitant to sanction a bout between a current (though untested) champion and a former champion is mind-boggling. It’s a high profile fight between two respected fighters. It would be a rare relevant fight in a division that has been irrelevant for years. I guess that’s boxing. Let’s hope the WBA can get out of its own way and make the fight happen.
