Bernard Hopkins says he's ready for Jean Pascal
by Scott Christ on Aug 24, 2010 1:48 AM EDT
in Boxing News Analysis
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Lem Satterfield of FanHouse reports that Bernard Hopkins has told Richard Schaefer he's ready to accept a challenge from light heavyweight champion Jean Pascal.
I have had a couple of conversations with Don Majewski, the agent for Jean Pascal and so I said, 'Look Bernard is ready, willing and able,'" said Richard Schaefer, CEO of Golden Boy Promotions. "It's a matter of just packing the bags, and we're ready to travel and go to Canada. Bernard is ready to show it to a young guy again."
Of course, it's not just a matter of packing the bags and heading to Montreal. Pascal's promoter Yvon Michel said that a major showdown with Lucian Bute is higher on their list of desired fights, and that he's not sure if "financially speaking it's feasible."
Hopkins has been known to quibble over money in the past, but if he's smart, he'll realize there are not many big money fights out there for him as he nears his 46th birthday. He looked rusty last December against Enrique Ornelas, which was understandable, but then he didn't look much better in April against Roy Jones Jr., a pitiful rematch that was 17 years in the making and came at least five years after its expiration date.
Pascal, 27, is in a position to call the shots to a large degree. A fight with Bute would be a huge draw in Montreal, where Bute is the recognized king of the fighters and Pascal has now made a major name for himself, too. Neither are natives (Pascal is Haitian, Bute is Romanian), but they've been adopted by arguably the most loyal single-city fanbase in all of boxing. But if a fight with Bute can't be made, Hopkins definitely becomes a player. Pascal and GYM don't seem keen on giving Chad Dawson an immediate rematch, which is their contractual right. They have the opportunity to take a money-making interim fight, and overall I guess you can say it's at least nice that they don't seem to be looking to give Pascal a creampuff first title defense to pull in easy money in Montreal, which they could easily do.
The aged and faded Hopkins may be easy pickings when it gets right down to it, but he also might not be. The last time people doubted Bernard, he beat the hell out of Kelly Pavlik for 12 rounds. At his age, it could be a matter of fighting up and down to his opponent, and even if his physical gifts are going, going, and nearly gone, he is without question the smartest, craftiest fighter there is at 175 pounds. Hopkins, like many greats before him, has long done well feeding on the aggression of his opponent. And though Pascal is riding high, no one is going to confuse him with a professor of the squared circle any time soon. He's a great athlete and a really good fighter with a lot of heart, but he is flawed to be sure. Hopkins and trainer Naazim Richardson pick flaws apart perhaps better than anyone in boxing.
Personally, I'm not crazy about the fight, but when you get right down to it, there is some intrigue. Hopkins is perceived to have fallen from the top spot at 175, but he surely feels that until someone knocks him off, he deserves to be there. If it does turn out that Pascal and Hopkins will meet in the ring, all we can then hope for is that it doesn't wind up on pay-per-view, and that HBO can afford to put the fight on World Championship Boxing.
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Just when you thought boxing was in need of fresh faces
You were right!
Exactly
If Hopkins was just a relative unknown and was not “Hopkins the celebrity”, nobody would give a stuff. Pascal should beat him easily.
Pascal should beat him easily......
Hmmmmm, that sounds like what people were saying before the Trinidad and Pavlik fights.
Im gonna find out what the odds are and how much of an underdog Hopkins is, and I will be placing a wager on Hopkins
Mark my words, Hopkins will win.
Dominant fashion.
Hopkins seems to always get up for these kinds of fights. You know, the fights that hes not suppose to have a chance to win.
Maybe he should fight Wladimir Klitschko then. He wouldn’t be supposed to have any chance to win that fight. That must mean he’d be guaranteed to win!
You're right
He should fight Klitscho. I predict a 2nd round KO for Hopkins.
Then after that he should call out Brock Lesnar for a match in the octagon, yeah you’re right.
by The Floorer on Aug 24, 2010 12:34 PM EDT up reply actions
Fair comment,
Except for the fact that Hops has looked pretty poor of late, plus he’s tired after a few rds now, Pascal? nope.
If you put a bet on, good luck, but I wouldn’t.
True, but remember what I said about fighters that hes "supposed" to lose to
Hopkins was the favorite over Roy Jones. He knew Jones was shot. He just wanted to get even with Roy. Nobody was constantly telling Hopkins how badly he was going to KO’d. So he fought to the level of his competition that night.
The other guy Ornelas, nobody was picking him to beat Hopkins. So Hopkins fought his usual lackluster, going through the motions type of fight.
But when you stack the deck against Hopkins thats when he seems to show another side of him, ala Pavlik, Trinidad.
Both of these guys were “supposed” to beat Hopkins into retirement, instead Hopkins has pretty much ended any relevance to their careers.
by The Floorer on Aug 24, 2010 12:44 PM EDT up reply actions
Ahhaaa, but....
Nobody thought he’d beat Calzaghe, and apart from when Joe tripped over in the first round, Hops was pretty negative then too!!
by Phill on Aug 24, 2010 2:34 PM EDT via mobile up reply actions
The Calzaghe odds compared to the Trinidad and Pavlik odds weren’t even on the same planet. And then a percentage of people (not me) but there were some people who thought Hopkins should’ve got the nod over Calzaghe.
I think it’s silly to attribute the quality of Hopkins’ performances to his subjective motivation level, when the differences in his opponents’ styles provide a much more objective and plausible explanation for why he did so well in some fights and not in others. Basically, Hopkins beats guys who come after him and try to knock him out and don’t move all around the ring. When guys move around and just try to score points off of him, he can stay in the fight and make it ugly but he loses. Simple as that.
Im pretty sure that you’ve heard of the phrase"playing to the level of your competition". What I was saying is that it seems like the fights that’ll boost his career and legacy, he seems to come in more motivated for, then him just fighting his mandatory. Maybe thats the case, maybe its not.
Your point makes sense too. Maybe Hopkins just had the perfect style for Tito and Pavlik, since both of those guys do like to come forward and take the fight to their opposition looking for the KO and not necessarily being good boxers.
Odds mean nothing to me mate.
They’re for the gamblers!!
It’s not about what the bookies say, it’s just about the two fighters that interests me. I respect where you’re coming from though and it was a tough fight to call, especially if you strongly support either of them.
by Phill on Aug 24, 2010 4:47 PM EDT via mobile up reply actions
What I meant by the odds were the “fans watching the fight opinions”, not the Bookies betting odds. That was my fault though, I should’ve used another word besides odds, like fan opinion maybe.
The fan opinoin of Pavlik and Trinidad beating Hopkins was much greater than what it was for Calzaghe beating Hopkins.
OK Bad Left Hook...here are the rumours from Canada...
Bute will try to unify with Steiglitz or Sartisan in Montreal after he beats Brinkley.Second Pascal with fight Andrade at Light Heavy in Montreal for his first defence.Thirdly that Diaconu will fight Tavoris Cloud possibly on the same card.There’s an interview on Canadian fightnews with Bedard in Montreal.Bute’s people feel that they will leave too much money on the table should he move up to fight Pascal (although they also feel that he would win easy) and that some big money fights await Bute in the spring with either Froch,Kessler,and or AA (whoever falls out of the final).The Bute vs Pascal fight is in their opinion not gonna happen until 2012.That what I’m hearing folks !!!
It's not a matter of "IF" the North will break you.It's a matter of "WHEN" the North will break you.For up here every year counts as two on the outside.
by Ghostman (Son of the Wolf) on Aug 24, 2010 7:08 AM EDT reply actions
Bute-Stieglitz isn't happening
Stieglitz wants no part of anyone who could beat him.
Bad Left Hook - The SB Nation boxing blog
"Baseball is played on the field, not on a calculator."
AND
didn’t I post a few months ago that the Ward vs Dirrel fight wouldn’t happen and one of either Brickhaus or SC told me that they would fight because there was money at stake !!! Anyways I’m not sold on the whole format of the Super Six as basically the top four fighters will just fight an elimination fight with the winners heading to the final.Should Ward and Dirrel meet there then they will fight but not before.It’s bullshit BUT that’s how it’s gonna go down IMO !!! I also predicted that Froch would quit after a bad decision loss and should he lose to AA I’ll back hat up as MO he call out JP t Light Heavyweight and go for the money and title there !!!
It's not a matter of "IF" the North will break you.It's a matter of "WHEN" the North will break you.For up here every year counts as two on the outside.
by Ghostman (Son of the Wolf) on Aug 24, 2010 7:12 AM EDT reply actions
some typos above...sorry...
It's not a matter of "IF" the North will break you.It's a matter of "WHEN" the North will break you.For up here every year counts as two on the outside.
by Ghostman (Son of the Wolf) on Aug 24, 2010 7:13 AM EDT reply actions
Don't do it, Bernard!
Montreal is the most dangerous corner of Europe!
by El Destruyo on Aug 24, 2010 8:25 AM EDT reply actions 1 recs
I don’t think it’s possible to beat Hopkins “easily,” not even at age 46.
That said, I think Pascal can win this fight. The question is: can Pascal execute the same game plan that Jermain Taylor executed twice? If he can, then he wins. Pavlik didn’t win because he couldn’t. That just wasn’t Pavlik’s skill set.
I know some people think Hopkins beat Taylor twice (I do not agree), but even if you think Hopkins won both fights, there is simply no possible way to claim that Hopkins won by more than 7-5. There were just too many rounds when Hopkins stood around and didn’t do s**t. And that was a much younger Hopkins.
Ted, that's a tad unfair..
I actually think he’s a well balanced dude, (he’s got a chip on both shoulders). ;-)
by Phill on Aug 24, 2010 2:36 PM EDT via mobile up reply actions
I really like Bernard on this one
Pascal will get beat down like Pavelik imo. How well does Pascal fight on the back foot? my guess is not very well!
That isn’t necessarily the key to beating Hopkins. Jermain Taylor isn’t exactly a master at fighting off of his back foot either.
it's not the key to beating Hopkins
it’s more the key to beating Pascal. maybe I should have worded it better. Pavelik didn’t really know what to do when he couldn’t land punches on him and Hopkins backed him up. I just don’t think Pascal is all that great and Hopkins and Nazim will suss him out and produce an ugly win
by Sweet science on Aug 24, 2010 6:21 PM EDT up reply actions
I agree
I have Hopkins winning also. Pascal showed me that he can move around the ring a lot and then charge in wrecklessly, swinging wildly and then repeating the process again and again.
Hopkins has been around long enough to not let something so simple work for 12rds and beat him, like Dawson did.
it’s the jumping in that will kill him in this fight! Hopkins will most probably catch him
by Sweet science on Aug 24, 2010 6:52 PM EDT up reply actions
I take it, from this, that the Dawson fight is the only Pascal fight you’ve ever seen. You should know that he does not fight that way in every fight. He is actually a fairly versatile fighter, and employed different strategies vs. Froch, Diaconu, and Dawson. Whether he beats Hopkins depends entirely on whether he follows a good game plan.
No your wrong
He impressed me against Froch, but then Froch ain’t excatly the smartest fighter or has the greatest defence in the world. He’s very one dimensional
As you say, if he follows the right game plan, he has the tools to beat him. But again if your going to fight Froch in his hometown, you don’t wanna stand in front of him and slug, and what happened? he did that and lost the fight.
Can he impose the correct game plan? Will Bernard let him?
by Sweet science on Aug 25, 2010 6:04 PM EDT up reply actions
Hopkins beats Pascal but loses to Dawson
"You should never underestimate the predictability of stupidity."
Can't see how Hopkins
Will deal with a heavy handed livewire. Pavlik is a plodding type of fighter. Didn’t exactly put ’Nard under any pressure did he.
by Phill on Aug 24, 2010 5:04 PM EDT via mobile reply actions
Call be dumb
And I might be, but I just don’t think Hopkins has the endurance anymore to go 12 hard rounds with just about anyone. Then again, I thought that after the Taylor fights as well, and we saw what happened after that. But from what I saw his past two fights, there’s nothing that leads me to believe he could go all out for the seven rounds he would need to win.
Bad Left Hook - The SB Nation boxing blog
"Baseball is played on the field, not on a calculator."
It won't be pretty either way
With both fighters picking their spots and stepping in sporadically, I think regardless of who wins it will be ‘winning ugly’. Moreover, both men tire…..and both will be looking to score enough early to hold on for the last rounds.
Question:
If Hopkins were to beat Pascal, what happens to Dawson’s rematch clause?
He could still rematch Pascal, I think. Not sure, though. But a Pascal rematch at that point might still be his best option.
Bad Left Hook
"To the town of Agua Fria rode a stranger one fine day..."
by Scott Christ on Aug 25, 2010 12:10 AM EDT up reply actions
I doubt Dawson ACTUALLY has a rematch clause
It would be illegal under WBC rules for the challenger to have a rematch clause in a title fight. But they break their own rules all the time, so who knows.
Bad Left Hook - The SB Nation boxing blog
"Baseball is played on the field, not on a calculator."
Regardless of who wins, I just really don’t want to see yet another Hopkins stinker. When was the last time (Pavlik excluded) he was in a decent fight? By that, I mean the type that makes you think “I can’t wait to see him fight again”? Put it another way, would anyone want to fork out their hard earned cash to go and watch him??
by Phill on Aug 25, 2010 1:21 AM EDT via mobile reply actions
I’ve always felt that from an excitement standpoint, there are few good Hopkins fights. There are, however, many good Hopkins performances. Watching him dismantle guys without overwhelming physical ability or power or speed is kind of a treat. Or used to be.
Bad Left Hook
"To the town of Agua Fria rode a stranger one fine day..."
by Scott Christ on Aug 25, 2010 2:31 AM EDT up reply actions
Yes, I agree.
As you say though, that’s in the past. But, fair play, the guy is almost a freak of nature, but for me he will become Holyfield II if he goes on too long.
I just feel there are more interesting fighters and fights to be made. Bernard should quit while still respected and not turn into a figure of ridicule, he could offer so much to the sport, training young fighters with his vast knowledge. Just don’t let him teach geography or orienteering .
Well said Phil
I’m Bernards biggest fan but he’s a shell of what he was in his prime now . His stamina is suspect , his power is average and against Jones his timing was off . Roy was there to be taken and Hops couldn’t land a decent right hand on Roy’s now glass like chin as he charged in with Roy on the ropes . Hopkins rolling around the floor from that rabbit tap wasn’t a good look . Bernards always been his own man but someone has to whisper in his ear that he is starting to embarrass himself . I knew he was done after the Orneals fight. He looked terrible in that fight and worse against Roy . He’s 46 . At 46 your body isnt meant to and is incabable of doing the training necessary and as I said Nards reflexes are shot . Still , like most fighters its going to take a bad beating to make Hops realise he is shot and like Ali back in the day Im not going to watch his fights anymore. No godd can come from them . Cheers Blokes .
"I hate to advocate drugs, alcohol, violence, or insanity to anyone, but they've always worked for me. " Hunter S Thompson.
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