Bernard Hopkins: Is Time Forcing “The Executioner’s” Hand?

You might assume that a boxing enthusiast would find nothing more desirable than to listen to the words of an undisputed middleweight champion, and you would be wrong, especially when that champion was Bernard Hopkins. He would meander through a myriad of topics from prison to corruption, politics and history; spiraling off into esoteric tangents in search of some distant conclusion. You could not argue with his achievements, and that made avoidance of such rants impossible and evermore amazing the fact that the middleweight champion could talk forever but only fight for a minute. Now in defeat, denial and no longer a champion, Hopkins is talking again, except now his words are more absorbing. He says that the cut on top of Jermain Taylor’s head (caused by an inadvertent clash of heads) is a clear indication of Taylor’s defeat; champions should apparently appear unscathed after a fight as token evidence of their dominance. Tell that to Diego Corrales. He says that Nevada State must reverse the apparently heinous decision he received in losing his titles to Taylor. Hopkins fought through prison and professional anonymity to the top of the boxing game in twelve undefeated years. A self-made man suddenly asking executives to give him his titles back? So much for his proposed Hopkins-Taylor trilogy. By virtue of this latest maneuver, Hopkins is really saying, “Give me back the championships I do not have the time left to earn.”

Hopkins’ four-year stint in the limelight was an exercise in preservation. In his mind, he saved face by indulging meaningless mandatory fights, refusing to give ground to bigger name fighters. He preserved an incomparable payday through his part in selling the boxing world the lie that Oscar de la Hoya stood a chance with him. He maintained an undefeated record and an historic achievement with a style negative enough to be passive aggressive. Perhaps the plan was self-preservation against Taylor, to do just enough to win while the big career finale waited. Is there any other way to justify his invisibility for the first eight rounds of the fight?

Antonio Tarver was a perfect foil for Hopkins after Taylor, bringing money to the table not to mention being the man, or at least one of the men that beat Roy Jones; no small amount of vicarious incentive. Overall, Tarver is all mouth and no action until the rematch, but Hopkins would not be around that long. All of that went sideways last weekend, and not only does Taylor have the gall to ruin Hopkins’ legacy, but he does not even have the decency to get back into the ring in a timeframe amenable for Hopkins to gain revenge and fight Tarver in time to be retired by the middle of next year. As my favorite catchphrase this week so eloquently states, “Ain’t that a bitch?”

I wonder if Hopkins’ fellow Golden Boy Promoter Oscar de la Hoya will offer him a sympathetic ear having controlled Shane Mosley in their rematch only to find that the judges thought otherwise. Ironically, that too was a fight in which De La Hoya appeared as if hit by a truck but had clearly dominated the overall numbers. De La Hoya is an interesting dichotomy of the fighter’s passion and the promoter’s resourcefulness. He has the image, the power and the money to do so much good for boxing and yet, there are early signs that his empathic sensibilities towards fighters will diminish further as his ring days draw to a close. Looking back on those naïve statements about cleaning up the boxing cesspool, one wonders whether De La Hoya will use his influence to change the sport, or whether he will perpetuate its morally dubious patterns. For now, he holds court to boxing’s latest high drama out of the ring, and in it, opportunities come and go, losing hurts for a while, but he is still the Golden Boy.

Meanwhile, we have a new undisputed middleweight champion of the world, a fact that no amount of conspiracy theories can undo. The final nagging chapter of an era came to an end when Hopkins’ dethronement became reality. Now they have all fallen: Jones, Tszyu and Hopkins, undisputed champions all; removed for the greater good of boxing, which must transcend the stubborn grip of the old guard to survive. A lack of time and inclination might keep Jones and Tszyu from returning to the ring. Hopkins has even less time, and having managed only three solid rounds against our new middleweight champion, perhaps his legal gesturing is another sign that his inclination is dissipating faster than his work-rate.

The Nevada State Athletic Commission will not entertain Hopkins’ demands for reinstatement as the champion, leaving him no choice but to attempt to take them back by force. Sometimes when you win, you lose, and while Taylor did not give us the performance we desired, he is as good a fighter as any to take up the sword. Nevertheless, the debates will rage and the insinuations will fly until they fight again. My feeling is that it is in Taylor that the balance of power weighs heaviest. Hopkins must overcome the odds when Time itself is eyeing him evermore closely, and against Time, he stands no chance of victory.

Contact Jim Cawkwell at jimcawkwell@yahoo.co.uk