Bernard Hopkins Un-Retires
By Uncategorized November 28th, 2006It’s official: Bernard “The Executioner� Hopkins is back
Bernard “The Executioner� Hopkins, 41, to the surprise of no one, has decided to cut short his retirement (he promised his now deceased mother that he wouldn’t box beyond the age of 40) and return to active duty in the ring. Ex says the boxing needs him, America needs him, and the heavyweight division needs him.
Hopkins retired after his destruction of then-light heavyweight champion Antonio Tarver in June, but first began spreading rumors of his imminent return, this time as a heavyweight, after watching WBC heavyweight champion Oleg Maskaev wrest the title from Hasim Rahman. If Big O can get by Peter Okhello in Moscow next week, maybe he’ll be able to find time for the hall of fame middleweight with 20 successful title defenses to his credit.
With big Nicolay Valuev the WBA champ, Wladimir Klitschko holding the IBF title, and Shannon Briggs, fresh off his victory over Sergei Liakhovich, in possession of the WBO strap, not to mention the Sam Peter-James Toney rematch looming on the horizon, there are lots of heavyweights out there for Hopkins to choose from, and none of the aforementioned behemoths have ever been in the ring with anyone as skilled, or anyone as small, as Bernard Hopkins.
But Hopkins is Hopkins, a tough hombre by anyone’s standards, and is likely to give almost any heavyweight champ fits with his skills. But does the wily Ex really have a chance against the biggest and baddest the sport has to offer? Can Bernard take a big man’s punch and keep on coming, assuming of course, that one of the big men can land a punch on the elusive Executioner? Or does this strike you as a folly, hubris, a case of too much too late to make a dent in the heavyweight division?
November 28th, 2006 at 10:34 am
As much as I like the idea of a 40+ Hopkins dismantling punks half his age I don’t see a future for him as a heavyweight.
Hopkins is without question one of the smartest and most skilled boxers of the last 10 or 15 years, but knowledge and ring savvy only takes you so far while you’re inside the ropes. He’s been driven out of the middleweight division by a younger, stronger Jermain Taylor not because of Taylor’s skill but by his brute force. You need to put in some work to walk out of the ring a winner. Hopkins’ slow, deliberate style has become a detriment to his success. Putting on 20 or 30 pounds will only decrease Hopkins’ ability to translate his knowledge into physicality.
Aside from this, can you imagine throwing down $49.95 to watch a plodding, defensive-oriented Hopkins against any of these heavyweights who don’t–at least for my dollar–bring any excitement to the table? Okay, Peter can punch and it might be amusing to see Valuev towering over a natural middleweight, but here’s how I see any of these fights: Hopkins’ fear of getting too physical and his opponents’ fear of Hopkin’s skill will keep each fighter at the end of each other’s jab for 12 scintillating rounds, or Hopkins will taste the canvas thanks to his stronger heavyweight opponent. I’m not particularly interested in seeing either scenario. (Of course, this is assuming that the fight is on PPV, but I would think B-Hop is too smart to risk this comeback for chump change)
November 28th, 2006 at 10:36 am
It sounds like he has Michael-Jordan-itis. I have a lot of respect for B-Hop and what he has accomplished. In my opinion, he should stay retired and totally focus on promoting fights. Stay out on top.
November 28th, 2006 at 11:45 am
I think that B-Hop can beat smaller heavyweights like samuel peter, james toney and even Oleg Maskaev. The smaller heavyeights even though they still have a weight advantage over hopkins there about equal in height to hopkins. But bigger heavyweights like Nicolay Valuev and Wladimir Klitschko pose a problem because of their height and weight advantage. For example Valuev is 300 plus pounds and for hopkins to fight a opponent that outweighs him by 100 pounds if would be extremely tough for him to win accept if he used a hit and run style the entire fight. Also Hopkins is past his prime and will be in his mid forties in a few years.
November 28th, 2006 at 12:10 pm
I’m conflicted. Ex went out on top. It was a great performance that made up for his lackluster showings against Taylor. I’d like to see him retire fat and happy while he still has all his marbles. But the fan in me would love to see him mix it up with the heavyweights. He’d be the most exciting thing in the division. Heretofore unseen skills (excepting Toney) would be unleashed in a squared circle filled with lumbering giants and men who never met a buffet they coudn’t pass up.
November 28th, 2006 at 2:05 pm
i hope not too much too late. espescially if he fights maskeav. b-hop will pick him apart and the russian wont land. we all kno that. id rather see him fight TONEY, who is the most skilled heavyweight, but not the best heavyweight. the best heavyweight is klitschko, but toney is the most skilled. hopkins toney would be a great teknikal fight. not to mention, theyre both x-middleweights. thats the fight i want to see. but that wont happen, with the toney peter winner getting a title shot. anyway, my man b-hop disects oleg and bloddies him up in to a late round TKO.
youre right…. none of the heavies have ener been in the ring with sum1 like hopkins….. hes like a cat. no matter which heavyweight he fights…. if he stays away from the power of some of these guys hell b alright. but i think its oleg then goodbye for one of the best boxers of our generation.
i just wish hopkins could make 147 pounds to mangle mayweather ; )
November 28th, 2006 at 2:07 pm
NOT to say he cant take a punch….. but if he gets licked with a 250 pound plus punch…….. i dont kno how hell be able to withstand and do damage..
thanks…… good article!!
November 28th, 2006 at 3:24 pm
I guess his promise to his mother (he promised her that he’d retire by 40) is out the window. I respect Nard tremendously but I think he’ll be making a mistake if he fights on, especially at heavyweight. However, he is a consummate professional and he’ll do everything correctly in his preparation for Maskaev et al. And I think he’s smart enough that if he crashed and burned in his next outing, he’d let it go.
November 28th, 2006 at 3:24 pm
Why!!!??? Hopkins? WHY!!!!!!!!???????
Stay retired as you promised, man!!!
You don’t need this!!!!
November 28th, 2006 at 3:34 pm
I give Executioner a chance against any HW up to 6′2″. Any taller though, might cause him real problems
November 28th, 2006 at 5:03 pm
I know I’m probably in a very small minority here and will most likely be ridiculed for even saying so, but I’ve absolutely never been impressed with Hopkins whatsoever and have always regarded him as a mediocre and dirty fighter who too often relied on dirty tactics and “peripheral” methods of winning rather than solely on boxing skills.
I don’t think he’s a bad fighter - but I don’t think he’s even remotely as great as everyone (including himself) regards him.
I think part of the reason I hold him in low regard is that I hate dirty fighters and I hate fighters who make lame excuses for losses (which Hopkins constantly did).
I sincerely hope he gets his ass kicked and his ego deflated.
November 28th, 2006 at 5:46 pm
the skills are there,you can do it hopkins.
November 28th, 2006 at 7:12 pm
Out of all those heavyweight mentioned, Hopkins best shots are against Toney and Maskaev. The others are to big and to strong…..well maybe Briggs too…..since he would go along with Hopkins slow and deliberate boxing match and lose.
November 28th, 2006 at 8:35 pm
I think Hopkins has Sugar Ray Leonard syndrome (in Sugar’s late career). He will only pick fighters he believes he can beat and not take on all comers. He will say that he can only get motivated for these particular fighters. Eventually it will backfire and he will go out on his back or get beaten very badly. Hopkins has to have the right opponent - either someone who can’t hurt him (that is not going to be an option at heavyweight, everyone can hurt you) or someone who lets him dictate the fight or someone who is in awe of him thereby letting him dictate the fight.
I think him and Toney would be interesting. I think he will be good in what I call specialty fights - specially chosen fights for their appeal to the boxing public. I don’t consider him a dominate force in the heavyweight division.
November 28th, 2006 at 10:14 pm
Bernard, if you’re coming back, come back to take care of unfinished business: Roy Jones, Jr.
November 29th, 2006 at 7:02 am
bernard is a shrewd customer and what is going on here is that every once in awhile there is a champion that somehow by luck or whatever owns the mantle of a titleholder but clearly is not the best the division has to offer at all, recent examples include carlos baldomir and corey spinks at welterweight, and at heavyweight we had jon ruiz and now we have Oleg maskaev, maskaev won his title on pure heart which he has but he bascially got lucky , before his fight with rachman took place people were complaining about how bad a match up it was because oleg is basically an undeserving re-tread , that had some validity to it to be honest, i would like to see the fighyt happen and i actually do give bernard a chance at winning and it will increase his legacy but this “savior of the heavyweight division” talk is just him bragging which he is good at , him beating tarver gave him a big head or a bigger head since he has always thought highly of himself. IF he is that good than call out wladimir klitchko beat him and then defend against toney unify against valuev and take on sam peter for gravy. Maskaev presents a perfect realistic challenge to hopkins so it actually is a good matchup but i don’t want it on pay per view. It will bea one and done fight for hopkins even if he wins , like the jones-ruiz fight.
November 29th, 2006 at 9:36 am
ABSOLUTELY NOT !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! WHY!!!!!! HIS RING ACCOMPLISHMENTS IS ALMOST UNPRECEDENTED AS ANY FIGHTER OUT THERE. STAY RETIRED B-HOP AND CONTINUE YOU PROMOTIONAL VENTURES, WHICH I BELIEVE THAT YOU WILL BE MORE OF A FORCE OUTSIDE AS WELL AS INSIDE THE RING AND BE A ROLE MODEL FOR YOUNG BOXERS TRYING TO MAKE A WAY UP.
November 29th, 2006 at 3:29 pm
Hypothetically, if Bernard does somehow get Maskaev in the ring and beat him, he’ll just give Roy Jones more ammo to taunt him with.
Jones will call him a copy cat for the rest of his life (Jones also started at MIddleweight and stepped up to heavyweight).
November 30th, 2006 at 4:15 pm
“every once in awhile there is a champion that somehow by luck or whatever owns the mantle of a titleholder but clearly is not the best the division”
Mr Payback,
more like 24/7/365
December 2nd, 2006 at 12:47 am
Hopkins is right. He has the style that can enable him to avoid a slower fighter such as Olev and beat him to the punch. He also has the stamina to outlast the big guys at heavyweight. Can he take a heavyweights punch? Nobody knows that yet, but let’s face it the heavyweight division is not too dangerous for a fighter like Hopkins. He has nothing to prove but he can bolster his already unprecidented credentials. The heavyweight division needs a face lift. I hear boxing experts saying this is a good year for fighters from the former Soviet Union. That fact is purely bad for boxing. Why? All of those fighters are beatable and can be beaten at any time by anyone. What ever happened to reigning champions? Hopkins can be that, at least until a more talented heavyweight class develops.