Bernard Hopkins vs. Beibut Shumenov
This Saturday night on Showtime the ageless wonder that is Bernard Hopkins will once again enter the ring. At 49 years old it is amazing that Hopkins is not only still fighting but is one of the best light heavyweights in the sport. Hopkins will be challenged by Beibut Shumenov, a man 19 years his junior. While Shumenov may not be well know he has a good record and hasn't lost since 2009. Not to mention that whenever he steps into the ring Hopkins not only fights his opponent but also father time. This will be a big fight for both men as they will square off in a 12 round IBF/WBA light heavyweight unification battle.
At 49 years old it should come as no surprise that Hopkins knows every veteran trick in the book. While he isn't exactly a dirty fighter he certainly isn't mr. clean. Hopkins has always been a very good defensive fighter and uses the philly shell to perfection. Perhaps what frustrates his opponents even more than his questionable tactics is the fact that he constantly makes them swing and miss. Hopkins is not as good offensively as he is on defense but he isn't a pushover. He has a good long jab that he uses often and also a check left hook that he sneaks in from time to time. A Hopkins fight isn't always pretty to watch. Typically he will flash the jab a ton, clinch, and then land short body shots on the inside. Still what has made Hopkins so successful at such an advanced age is his elite defense that is still tough to figure out.
As far as a fight resume goes it's tough to beat what Hopkins has put together. He has been fighting for what seems like forever and has always fought the best competition available. When a fighter has names like Roy Jones Jr., Felix Trinidad, Oscar De La Hoya, and Kelly Pavlik you know he has never taken the easy route. Back in 2011 & 2012 it looked like Hopkins career might be winding down. He fought to a sloppy no contest with Chad Dawson and then lost to Dawson the following year in a fight that he did not look good in. Things changed in 2013 though when Hopkins dominated Tavoris Cloud and Karo Murat and got things back on track. Hopkins has a career record of 54-6-2 with 32 knockouts which is not an easy record to compile when constantly fighting the best. While Shumenov isn't the best he is a good underrated fighter who should be able to give Hopkins a good fight.
Shumenov doesn't have the same skill level that Hopkins does. It isn't that Shumenov isn't a skilled fighter it just that he is good at everything but great at nothing. He has a very good jab but sometimes the punches he follows that jab up with can get sloppy. However Shumenov does flash a pretty good straight right hand from time to time. Staying calm in the ring is something Shumenov does very well and he also moves around the ring with purpose and doesn't just move for the sake of movement. Unfortunately Shumenov has never faced anywhere even close to the fighter that Hopkins is.
It wouldn't be fair to compare the resume of Shumenov to that of Hopkins. While Hopkins has been fighting at the highest level for a long time, Shumenov is just now reaching those heights. Hopkins will be by far the toughest challenge of his career and a win would do huge things for his career. Shumenov's professional record stands at 14-1 with 9 knockouts. He toughest opponent was Gabriel Campillo who he fought twice, in 2009 and 2010, losing a majority decision and then winning a split decision. Shumenov will need to be at the top of his game and not get frustrated if he wants to get past Hopkins.
Like most Hopkins fights this could be very ugly. If Hopkins is too much for Shumenov fans will see a lot of clinching and showmanship but not much sustained action. Shumenov will need to be aggressive and try to bum rush Hopkins but that is easier said than done against Hopkins elite defense. If Shumenov can have some early success and puts a few rounds in the bank it will be interesting to see if Hopkins will open up more offensively or just stick to his guns. At this point in his career if doesn't really matter if Hopkins makes exciting fights because it is so exciting to see a 49 year old man not only beat opponents but also father time.
PREDICTION: Bernard Hopkins is better than anyone Beibut Shumenov has fought and it will show in this fight. The defensive brilliance of Hopkins will shine in this fight and he will win in fairly easily by the way of unanimous decision.
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| Father time is losing his battle with Hopkins |
As far as a fight resume goes it's tough to beat what Hopkins has put together. He has been fighting for what seems like forever and has always fought the best competition available. When a fighter has names like Roy Jones Jr., Felix Trinidad, Oscar De La Hoya, and Kelly Pavlik you know he has never taken the easy route. Back in 2011 & 2012 it looked like Hopkins career might be winding down. He fought to a sloppy no contest with Chad Dawson and then lost to Dawson the following year in a fight that he did not look good in. Things changed in 2013 though when Hopkins dominated Tavoris Cloud and Karo Murat and got things back on track. Hopkins has a career record of 54-6-2 with 32 knockouts which is not an easy record to compile when constantly fighting the best. While Shumenov isn't the best he is a good underrated fighter who should be able to give Hopkins a good fight.
Shumenov doesn't have the same skill level that Hopkins does. It isn't that Shumenov isn't a skilled fighter it just that he is good at everything but great at nothing. He has a very good jab but sometimes the punches he follows that jab up with can get sloppy. However Shumenov does flash a pretty good straight right hand from time to time. Staying calm in the ring is something Shumenov does very well and he also moves around the ring with purpose and doesn't just move for the sake of movement. Unfortunately Shumenov has never faced anywhere even close to the fighter that Hopkins is.
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| Shumenov will look to pull off the upset |
Like most Hopkins fights this could be very ugly. If Hopkins is too much for Shumenov fans will see a lot of clinching and showmanship but not much sustained action. Shumenov will need to be aggressive and try to bum rush Hopkins but that is easier said than done against Hopkins elite defense. If Shumenov can have some early success and puts a few rounds in the bank it will be interesting to see if Hopkins will open up more offensively or just stick to his guns. At this point in his career if doesn't really matter if Hopkins makes exciting fights because it is so exciting to see a 49 year old man not only beat opponents but also father time.
PREDICTION: Bernard Hopkins is better than anyone Beibut Shumenov has fought and it will show in this fight. The defensive brilliance of Hopkins will shine in this fight and he will win in fairly easily by the way of unanimous decision.
Shawn Porter vs. Paulie Malignaggi
The co-feature of Saturday's card will see Showtime analyst Paulie Malignaggi leave his microphone and home and bring his gloves to the arena instead. Malignaggi will be facing off against Shawn Porter, a fighter coming off the biggest win of his young career. Malignaggi may be the bigger name but it will be Porter bringing the hardware into the ring as the two men battle it out for Porter's IBF welterweight title.
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| Porter surprised many by handling Alexander |
Until recently Porter wasn't thought of as a true top fighter. That changed at the end of 2013 when Porter was able to handle Devon Alexander on his way to a unanimous decision victory. Porter is an athletic fighter with good hand speed who is light on his feet. He is good defensively and usually fights behind a high guard that is tough to penetrate, although when he gets confident he will fight with his hands much lower. While Porter isn't the biggest puncher he isn't devoid of pop which is usually seen on his left hook. Besides that left hook he also has a good right hand that he will throw quickly or wider when he is going for the home run. However if Porter goes for the home run against Malignaggi he may only hit air. One thing Porter likes to do is get inside and make a tough, sloppy fight. On the inside he uses his head and shoulder a lot and is very effective when at close range, the problem is getting inside on Malignaggi is not an easy thing to do.
Porter's fight resume isn't the most impressive out there. While he has faced off against some tough fighters the only big name he has is Alexander. When you finally face off against the toughest challenge of your career it looks pretty good when you handle them so easily. As a pro Porter has a record of 23-0-1 with a solid 14 knockouts and he seems to get better with every fight. Like Alexander, Malignaggi is known as slick boxers so Porter should already be prepared for what he will bring to the ring.
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| Malignaggi was dominant in his last fight |
Malignaggi is one of the slickest boxers in the sport and for good reason. Along with being a slick boxer he has almost no power in his hands due to multiple injuries early in his career. To make up for his lack of power Malignaggi usually has a very high punch output and wins round with his accurate punching. When you always enter the ring with a power deficit it is important to always land a lot of punches and Malignaggi usually does. His jab is world class and he also has fast hands that allow him to land good combinations. Malignaggi is also very good on the defensive end and has one of the highest ring IQ's in the sport. Malignaggi likes to fight on the outside and should try to use his excellent jab in an effort to stop Porter from getting on the inside where he does some of his best work.
As far as fight resumes goes Porter's and Malignaggi's couldn't be more different. While Porter only has one big name on his resume Malignaggi has a ton. He has fought Zab Judah, Adrien Broner, Amir Khan, Juan Diaz twice, Ricky Hatton, and Miguel Cotto and if he doesn't win those fights he losses in close, controversial fashion. His career record stands at 33-5 with only 7 knockouts, three of which came in his first three pro fights. While Porter has only faced one fighter of Malignaggi's caliber, Malignaggi has fought many fighters who are far superior to Porter which could play a big role in this fight.
Whoever controls the distance in the ring will win this fight. Porter is a rough fighter who likes to do work inside the pocket while Malignaggi is a slick boxer who likes to fight on the outside where he can land quick punches and dance out of danger. While Porter was able to get inside on another slick boxer in Alexander it may not be as easy to do so on Malignaggi who is one of the most intelligent fighters in the sport. This will be a big bout for both fighters because a win would earn them another high profile fight and possible even a September showdown with pound for pound king Floyd Mayweather.
PREDICTION: Shawn Porter had a lot of success against Devon Alexander but he won't be able to get inside as easily on Paulie Malignaggi. Malignaggi is the slicker fighter and he will be able to keep Porter at a safe distance and box his way to a unanimous decision win.
Peter Quillin vs. Lukas Konecny
The fight that will start off the night could easily end up being the most exciting. That is because whenever Peter Quillin enters the ring action isn't far behind. Quillin will be challenged by a fighter by the name of Lukas Konecny who will be making his U.S. debut. The two men will go head to head in a scheduled 12 round bout for Quillins WBO middleweight title.
Quillin is a fan friendly fighter who can definitely crack and he likes to trade punches in the center of the ring. Defensively he isn't great but he slips enough punches not to get knocked out. On offensive Quillin should improve on his jab which he doesn't throw often. What he lacks in a jab he makes up for with a solid left hook and a big time right hand. Whenever Quillin throws the right hand he does it with band intentions and it is a punch that ends fights very quickly.
As a pro Quillin has fought some good competition and has always won. His record as a pro is 30-0 with a strong 22 knockouts but he didn't look good in his last fight against Gabriel Rosado. He wasn't very active in that fight and was lucky to come away still undefeated. Quillin fights out of Brooklyn and has a large fan base there. If Quillin keeps up his winning ways he could be on his way to a very successful career. However he needs to be careful not to look past Konecny.
Konecny is a fighter who isn't very well known in the U.S. since he has never fought there. Like Quillin he is also an aggressive fighter and he throws his punches from extremely awkward angles. His left hand seems to come out of nowhere at times and he throws a very unique uppercut type punch. Along with his crafty left hand he also has a strong right but he doesn't have the same type of power Quillin does and there is a chance this stage could be too big for him. Although he moves his head a lot he doesn't move his feet very well and seems to plant himself in one spot and dig in which gets him caught a lot.
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| Konecny would make a big statement with a win |
There is a chance Konecny is fools gold because he hasn't always fought very good opponents. His record stands at 50-4 with only 23 knockouts so he needs to be careful not to try and slug it out with Quillin. Yet if the moment isn't too big for Konecny he might be able to give Quillin a run for his money and fans a very good show.
This should be a very good fight that will take place in the center of the ring and see a lot of heavy punches thrown. Quillin is the bigger puncher in this fight and he also moves around the ring better than his counterpart Konecny. Konecny does throw punches from awkward angles and could catch Quillin offguard but he will need to move his feet more so than he usually does or risk being knocked out by Quillin. No matter what happens this should be the most action packed fight of the night.
PREDICTION: Lukas Konecny may give Peter Quillin some early trouble with his awkward punching but it won't last. Konecny doesn't move around the ring well enough and because of that he will end up taking a lot of punishment from Quillin who will win this fight by the way of 10th round stoppage.
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