Hopkins not only brought the belts back home to the USA, but he did it in Ali-esque, “Louisville Lip” fashion.  He talked trash.  He talked trash in the beginning, and he talked trash in the end.  During the head-to-head HBO promotional interview with Max Kellerman, Hopkins rattled the emotions of the young former champion by insisting he was a “four round fighter”.  A suggestion, that with many agree, that Bernard Hopkins swept the last 8 rounds of their previous bout.

 Last night, May 21st, 2011, Bernard Hopkins accomplished what no man in the history of boxing has ever done.  He won a legitimate World Championship title (WBC, WBC Diamond, and IBO Light Heavyweight titles) at the age of 46 years old.  This record, formerly held by “Big” George Foreman who grilled Michael Moorer in 1994 at the age of 45, has now been broken.

The crafty veteran again exposed the flaws that many saw in the Canadian champ on Saturday night.  Pascal appears to be a supremely gifted, but raw athlete, with limited boxing skill sets.  By the middle of the fight, the younger man all but abandoned his jab and relied on the “hope” punch.  A telegraphed looping right hook that he would throw in spots, in the hopes of landing, hurting, and finishing the gray-bearded  master.  To his dismay, he was outfought, outthought, and outclassed by “The Executioner”.

Bernard Hopkins was in rare form on Saturday night.  The usually calculated defensive counter puncher, took risks, pressed the action, and landed a series of right hand lead assaults on the strong and young, but unpolished Haitian native.  He gave us glimpses of the “Old Bernard”.  The Bernard who knocked out Felix Trinidad.  The Bernard that knocked out Oscar DelaHoya.  The Bernard who from 1990 to 1992 scored 21 wins without a loss, with 16 coming by way of knockout. 

The “Boxing Gods” shined on old gray-beard Saturday night, and reminded us of the proverb coined by Julius Caesar—“Experience is the best teacher.”  Bernard Hopkins taught us, and Jean Pascal, to believe in him again at the age of 46—ancient for prize-fighting.  He is our version of Kung-Fu’s Master Po.  Who taught lesson after lesson, round after round to the tiring youth.

It is only fitting that the entire sports world pay tribute to the Philadelphia counter-puncher who has given us 23 years of boxing entertainment.  Take a bow gray beard; you have made history and believers out of all of us.  Congratulations, you are a legend.

I had the opportunity to see Margarito vs. Cotto live in Las Vegas.  At the time I had been following the careers of both fighters very closely, and although Cotto’s boxing skills were superior, I always had doubts about his chin.  So as a man who generally defies conventional wisdom, my “Benjamins” had been securely bet on the Tijuana Tornado, who was an 8-to-5 underdog in that fight.  Similarly, “The Pride of the Philippines” comes into this fight as the better boxer, and faster opponent.  But Cotto has a mechanism that Pacquiao doesn’t—flight.  Pacquiao enjoys a good fight which is why he is so beloved by boxing fans around the world.  It appears his sympathetic nervous system is wired as the polar opposite of Floyd Mayweather, Jr. who generally relies on speed, flight, and efficacy of attack when dealing with dangerous opponents.Speaking of which, who was Pacquiao’s last dangerous opponent?  The defensive minded Joshua Clottey?  The emotionally battered and bruised Miguel Cotto?  The technically unsound Ricky Hatton?  An over-the-hill Oscar De La Hoya?  In my opinion, his last sound opponent was his controversial win against Juan Manuel Marquez, by which many boxing pundits believe he lost.The recent losses that Margarito have incurred have come by the way of Paul “The Punisher” Williams and “Sugar” Shane Mosley, both of whom were avoided by Manny Pacquiao’s handlers.  Both of whom, in my opinion, would beat the dangerous southpaw.As unpopular as it may be, I am still a Margarito fan.  He paid his debt to the sport with his 1-year suspension, and he was forgiven by the man who matters most, Shane Mosley.  Margarito’s path to redemption could not be laid out more perfectly.  He is preparing for the fight of his life.  Conversely, I believe that this will be Pacquiao’s fight of his life.  It will be a war of epic proportions against a bigger and stronger, albeit less skilled, version of Juan Manuel Marquez.   If Pacquiao refuses to use the Floyd-esque method of “score-and-retreat”, he will become a victim of thunderous uppercuts and violent exchanges.  I believe it will be Pacquiao’s inherent desire to mix-it-up that will lead to his demise in this fight.  This fight is going to look like a construction site; hard hats and bricks.  As soon as one is thrown, there will be another on the way.  If I was Freddie Roach’s team I would make Margarito’s team wrap and unwrap those bricks twice.  Regardless, I believe Margarito’s going to build a house on November 13th.  My vote has been cast and this ain’t politics. 

 

by Troy J. HInes 12/31/09A severe spike in glucose levels, or a “sugar rush”, is caused by the consumption of high glycemic foods, or foods that release high amounts of sugar into the bloodstream.  The real question is, is can this phenomenon also be caused by the consumption of a high volume of punches?  On Saturday, January 30th, the 2010 elite boxing schedule will commence with a welterweight title unification bout (WBC & WBA) between “Sugar” Shane Mosley and Andre “The Beast” Berto, at the Mandalay Bay Hotel & Casino in Las Vegas, aired only on HBO.  The potential for a classic “changing of the guard” bout is one of the alluring aspects of this match up.  Similar to when we saw Hearns defeat Benitez or DelaHoya defeat Chavez, “oldblood” is eventually replaced by new in the sport of boxing.  However, this pivotal moment in prize fighting typically takes place when the younger challenger is 100 percent ready to take his place at the “throne”.  For his sake, I hope Berto will be completely ready for the challenge, because if the same Mosley enters the ring that entered the ring against Antonio Margarito in 2008, we may be waiting in the wings for a new sentry.Tale of the TapeHeight:Mosley 5’9”/ Berto 5’8-1/2” ADVANTAGE Mosley by ½”Weight:Mosley 147lbs/ Berto 147lbs EVENReach:Mosley 74”/ Berto 72” ADVANTAGE Mosley by 2”Andre Berto of Miami, Fl fights in a style similar to the natural disaster that plagues his state of birth—a hurricane.  The current WBC Welterweight title holder’s explosive approach to pugilism makes him a fan favorite amongst boxing fans around the world.  This is due in part to his devastating right uppercut, but also to his lightning fast-- fingers?  To say the Beast is “internet-savvy” is an understatement.  Let us not omit that Andre Berto is a pioneer.  He is one of the new breed of “self-marketing” athletes who promote themselves on internet networking sites and communication mediums like Twitter.  In between training, I assume, Berto finds time to socialize with his fans on the internet, by releasing motivational content, celebrity praise, where he’s partying, or even “trash talking” his next opponent.  In short, he is a “Twitteraholic”.  My only advice for the young “Beast” would be to take an “old school” mental approach towardsthe “throw back” opponent that he’s facing in Shane Mosley.  Take a walk through a forest at night, chop fire wood, or perhaps begin taking cold showers.  Even other boxers have “tweeted” to the Haitian-American rising star, that he may want to temporarily abandon his internet pursuits to pursue a dogged mindset against a strong, fast, and fierce opponent in the well seasoned Hall of Famer-to-be.  In 2009, Shane Mosley has had a great impact as to why boxing is on the ascent with major fights on the horizon for 2010.  He not only surprised the boxing world with a devastating knockout over the “Tijuana Tornado”, but has also been instrumental as a partner with Golden Boy Promotions to bring “A Class” boxers to the public eye.  In addition, with a commitment tofitness and ring tactician Nasim Richardson now in his corner, the aging veteran may have found his fountain of youth.  Mosley’s career certainly seems to be “catching a second wind”.   When you couple this with his ring experience, it makes for a severe obstacle even for a young talented fighter.  However, even the “magically” gifted who may believe they don’t need anything, need something.  The “Urban Dictionary” defines experienceas such:                                                “If you have it, you don't need it.
                                                If you need it, you don't have it.
                                                If you have it, you need more of it.
                                                If you have more of it, you don't need less of it.
                                                You need it to get it.
                                                And you certainly need it to get more of it.
                                                But if you don't already have any of it to begin with,
                                                you can't get any of it to get started with,
                                                so you have no idea how to get any of it in the first place.
                                                Bottom line, if you've never had any of it ever. People just seem to know.”Above all else, I believe experience will prove to be the key factor as to why Sugar Shane Mosley wins this fight.    Although Berto is coming off of wins against Juan Urango, Luis Collazo, and Steve Forbes, Berto seemed to struggle at times with the latter two opponents.  To his credit, Berto has improved aspects of his “game” with each of his last three title defenses.  However, most boxing pundits would agree that “Sugar” Shane Mosley will be his most formidable, and definitely his “sweetest”, test to date.  In examining Mosley’s fight history, “Sugar” has consistently fought well against pressure fighters.  Vargas, Mayorga, and Margarito all love to press the action with controlled, and at times, wild aggression.  This style would be the best option for Berto in this fight, but unfortunately it is still a losing option.  Attempting to outbox “Sugar” is even worse.  Mosley is the better boxer, and can punish opponents by setting traps and effectively countering.