Simply put, Bernard Hopkins is a freak of nature. There is no other way to explain how a man who is 48 years old can once again dominant a man more than 15 years younger than himself. With his win on Saturday, Hopkins beat his own record of becoming the oldest man to ever win a world title. But Hopkins didn't just win, he made it look easy.
Tavoris could was the younger, stronger, more athletic fighter, but none of that meant anything. Hopkins was too smart and his gameplan too perfect. Cloud is a fighter who likes to get inside, plant his feet, and as Andre Ward said ringside "go into heavybag mode." But against Hopkins that is nearly impossible. He knew Cloud's strength is his right hand so Hopkins moved to his own right throughout the fight, which neutralized Cloud's right hand. The younger fight was able to land some power punches, but could not put any combinations together, or mount a sustained attack.
In the 6th round Hopkins opened up a deep cut over Cloud's left eye, which was ruled an accidental headbutt, but replays showed came from a punch. It was bleeding bad, and may have caused the fight to be stopped if not for Cloud's cutman Danny Milano, who stopped the bleeding, and proved yet again why he is one of the best cutmen in the sport. But Hopkins targeted the cut and went to work on making it worse, causing Cloud's eye to swell almost shut.
Hopkins fights are always tough to score, because they are usually so ugly. So after the fight everyone was holding their breath until the scores were announced. And all three judges got it right, giving Hopkins the unanimous decision he deserved. After the fight, Hopkins had something to say to everyone. He leaned over the ropes to tell Ward, who was calling the fight for HBO, that no matter how much money he was offered he would never fight him. Then Hopkins took the time to give some words of encouragment to Cloud, yell something at Don King, chat with Jean Pascal, and flirt with the always beautiful Corona girls.
How long Hopkins can keep defying father time remains a mystery, boxing is a fical beast, and father time never loses the war. Older fans will remember father time catching up to Barney Ross in the middle of one of his fights and destroying him. So far Hopkins has avoided this, but he has always said that "the ring retires you." So until he is knocked out or beaten badly he will continue to fight. We will probably see Hopkins in the ring at 50 years old, and still looking good. He may not be the most exciting fighter to watch, but every one of his fights is something to behold. Hopkins truely is a remarkable, one of a kind fighter.
Tavoris could was the younger, stronger, more athletic fighter, but none of that meant anything. Hopkins was too smart and his gameplan too perfect. Cloud is a fighter who likes to get inside, plant his feet, and as Andre Ward said ringside "go into heavybag mode." But against Hopkins that is nearly impossible. He knew Cloud's strength is his right hand so Hopkins moved to his own right throughout the fight, which neutralized Cloud's right hand. The younger fight was able to land some power punches, but could not put any combinations together, or mount a sustained attack.
In the 6th round Hopkins opened up a deep cut over Cloud's left eye, which was ruled an accidental headbutt, but replays showed came from a punch. It was bleeding bad, and may have caused the fight to be stopped if not for Cloud's cutman Danny Milano, who stopped the bleeding, and proved yet again why he is one of the best cutmen in the sport. But Hopkins targeted the cut and went to work on making it worse, causing Cloud's eye to swell almost shut.
Hopkins fights are always tough to score, because they are usually so ugly. So after the fight everyone was holding their breath until the scores were announced. And all three judges got it right, giving Hopkins the unanimous decision he deserved. After the fight, Hopkins had something to say to everyone. He leaned over the ropes to tell Ward, who was calling the fight for HBO, that no matter how much money he was offered he would never fight him. Then Hopkins took the time to give some words of encouragment to Cloud, yell something at Don King, chat with Jean Pascal, and flirt with the always beautiful Corona girls.
How long Hopkins can keep defying father time remains a mystery, boxing is a fical beast, and father time never loses the war. Older fans will remember father time catching up to Barney Ross in the middle of one of his fights and destroying him. So far Hopkins has avoided this, but he has always said that "the ring retires you." So until he is knocked out or beaten badly he will continue to fight. We will probably see Hopkins in the ring at 50 years old, and still looking good. He may not be the most exciting fighter to watch, but every one of his fights is something to behold. Hopkins truely is a remarkable, one of a kind fighter.
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