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Bernard Hopkins: For Whom Does the Axe Fall Next?
FOR WHOM DOES THE AXE FALL NEXT?
Bernard "the Ex-Executioner" Hopkins...or more so...whom the Executioner wishes to axe next.
Before we all kick back & get set to read through this long winded diatribe, I'd like to encourage you all, on this fine Sunday afternoon, to kick back with a brewskey or your favorite cocktail of choice all just face a few facts regarding argueabley one of the greatest champions of our time.
Bernard "the Executioner" Hopkins.
Long before Hopkins reached his legendary status, he was already proving to be much more than most boxing pundits ever expected him to be. Over the last two decades Hopkins has been written off so many times by most boxing scribes that "Bic's Wite-Out" has seen it's stock shoot through the roof. He's proven to be more than just a "Philly gym rat" with a mean streak running through his veins.
Honestly, the man's an inspiration to many and a bit of an integral conversation piece, shared over cocktails in this fan's household on fight night...and much to the wife's dismay...he's often spoken of around the dinner table. One might call it an unhealthy obssession.
What does one do? Once a fan...always a fanatic. Heh heh heh.
Anyways, let's get back on track, shall we.
In the late eighties Bernard Hopkins was sentenced to eighteen years in the Graterford State Penitentiary of Pennsylvania for "strong-arm robbery", in other words...someone took a strong beating for a fistful of dollars.
Pardon the pun...for that was a poor one...but it woulda made ole' Clint Eastwood proud.
In the first six or seven years of Bernard's imprisonment at Graterford State he earned his high school diploma, along with mastering the fine art of pugilism. It's old news and lore that Hopkins became as much of a legend inside those walls as he would become outside of them to the world of professional boxing, once unleashed. He won the National Penitentiary Middleweight Championship three times...and that my fellow boxing enthusiast is no small feat.
Hopkins was released from Graterford in 1988 with a purpose and new outlook on life.
That new outlook would take a bit of a hit as he would fail to win his professional debut as a light heavyweight. His first pro bout would be a majority decision loss in Atlantic City, New Jersey to the hands of a lightly regarded fighter named Clinton Mitchell. Sixteen months later, a down trodden, Bernard Hopkins would be approached by the then little known but well respected trainer Bouie Fisher and the middleweight division would never be the same.
Historically, Hopkins was to become the bookmark in the ever turning pages of the bible of boxing. All chapters of the middleweight division stop at his name. His less than rags to incalculable riches story is as legendary as he has become, and rightly so. Back in the early 90's Hopkins was known as "fill in fighter". In the start of his career he was thought of as cannon fodder by most promoters, called in at the last moment if a fighter fell ill or missed a plane flight out. Often fighting on less than a days notice he became known as Bernard "the Terror" Hopkins...and rightly so. He began carving a path through the ranks of middleweight contenders as if he were swinging an axe.
Hopkins came into his second pro fight some five to six pounds lighter winning a four round unanimous decision and then ran his career as the up and coming kingpin of the division full steam ahead. The start of his career, excluding the loss, would have Hopkins bulldozing through every man that stepped in his line of sight. As a prospect...he was raw and he was phenomenal.
Hopkins would later go on to alter his style and remold his image. He dropped the moniker of "the Terror" to become judge, jury, and finally "the Executioner" over his fellow middleweight combatants. Now, all would truly fall under the axe. Unbelievably he scored 20 wins without a bit of trouble, 15 of those fights he won by knockout, 11 of those knockouts came brutally in the first round...thus Bernard "Executioner" Hopkins was up to the task.
In the 1993 "the Executioner" would finally swing the axe only to have it miss the mark. Hopkins would meet his match at the hands of another budding middleweight superstar by the name of Roy Jones Jr. The two faced each other over the vacant IBF Middleweight title and Jones would be the victor by a four point margin. Jones was running twenty one fights undefeated to Hopkins's twenty two...if you exclude his first loss at light heavy it was a worthy end to his undefeated streak. Argueably one can credit the loss to Jones as the means that would define Hopkins as the tactical defensive marvel that he grew into.
Today, Hopkins is argueably regarded as one of the greatest middleweight champions of all time. He is looked upon by his fellow contenders as one of the most gifted tacticians to ever grace the square circle, his skills are top shelf and he ages like fine wine. He has held all four of the alphabet titles and also garnered the coveted Ring Belt by besting then great Felix "Tito" Trinidad. Hopkins would then go on to humiliate and destroy the likes of William Joppy, Howard Eastman, and then become the only man to knockout the great Oscar De La Hoya.
The sky seemed to be the limit until Hopkins would take on HBO's replacement for their previous "Golden Boy". That replacement is the current Undisputed Middleweight Champion of the World : Jermain "Bad Intentions" Taylor. Hopkins would suffer two losses at the hands of Taylor, one controversial...the other...a rather lacklustre performance that can be blamed on no one other than Hopkins himself.
Disgusted, Hopkins would announce his retirement, only to return on June 10, 2006 almost fifteen pounds heavier. Bernard challenged and utterly humiliated The Ring's light heavyweight champion of the world, Antonio Tarver, two time conqueror of Roy Jones Jr. The fight would turn out to be a complete wash with Hopkins winning all but two rounds, thus becoming one of three undisputed middleweight champions to win the light heavy championship.
Think of it like this. Against Tarver, Hopkins wanted redemption so badly, due to the Taylor losses, that he put on one of his greatest performances since the dismantling of Felix Trinidad back in 2001. Now, whether you love Hopkins or you hate him...you had to appreciate the skill and will that he brought into the ring at the Boardwalk Hall in Atlantic City, New Jersey against Tarver last June. As far as the majority of the boxing public was concerned...general consensus was that Hopkins was outweighed and over matched against the champion...this writer is not ashamed to admit that I was a part of that majority. Hopkins put on a show, a masterclass, and it was beautiful...especia lly if you were a Jones fan. One might go so far as to say...not only did Hopkins restore his own honor...but he redeemed Roy Jones Jr.'s as well.
With one career defining match he had righted two wrongs...and in grand fashion and unsurprisingly...Be rnard retired...once again. Couple that fact with his record (53 fights, 47 wins, 4 losses, 1 draw, 1 no contest, and 32 knockouts) of defenses, and Bernard Hopkins is a shoe in for the Hall of Fame. The fan and the media went into "ape S***" mode and Hopkins finally had the love, admiration, and respect that he had so longed for his entire career.
So, it came as no shock to the die hard fan, that the Executioner has begun to sharpen the axe once again...and this time for the one neck that legitimately dodged the cut.
Lately, Hopkins has been tossing around names like dirty underwear. One stands out the most above all the rest...but, we'll get to it later. Let's just all relax, take a deep breath, and respectfully push the other victims aside first.
To honor his predecessors, Bernard wanted a shot at the current WBC Heavyweight Champion Oleg Maskaev...for history's sake.
After taking harsh criticism for picking the weakest link of the heavyweight bunch, he would turn his sights in a different direction. The heavyweight division being as unstable as it is, Oleg balked at the idea and now Maskaev's name is being tossed in the direction of Valuev or Klitschko, two of the biggest of the big men. The three of those opponents being to far out of his reach. So...once again frustration sets in and the Hopkins ego rears it's ugly head...once again.
With the match against Maskaev seemingly no longer in the cards, thank God above...Hopkins would reach for another neck to chop.
Dramatcially, Hopkins would answer the call of Joe Calzaghe. Calzaghe began tossing around Jermain Taylor's name as a possible closing opponent for his next "tour de force" performance and also as a closer on his run of title defenses, but after a lack lustre performance agianst Kassim Ouma...Calzaghe turned away from Taylor. The fact that Calzaghe is close to breaking Hopkins's record alongside the fact that Calzaghe had even thought of fighting Taylor, well...that struck a sour note with Hopkins. For Calzaghe to break Hopkins' record of title defenses with the defeat of the man who handed Bernard his defeats, this just would not do. Although Calzaghe is about to break Bernard's record of title defenses and that would be a huge insult to an ego such as Bernard's, no one's really acknowledging Joe's accomplishments.
While this is the fight that has been on the wagging tongues of salivating fans since late 2002, not many have their hopes up. The fact is...this fight has started and stalled more times than a Yugo. Hopkins negotiated his way out of fights with Calzaghe, Roy Jones Jr. , and James Toney over the fiscal bottom line. It appears now, with Hopkins not getting any younger and his legacy on the line, that Calzaghe is the most logical choice...but is this more talk...or will Hopkins finally walk the walk?
With Hopkins now being, not only a multi-million dollar paid prize fighter, but also a world class operator and promoter...is it further away than it seems?
Realistically...it's a tuff sale but word is that Hopkins has an open date in July and at this stage in his career...not just any ole' name will do. With an ego this big and a mouth just as big to go right along with it...it must be someone of the highest caliber, a journeyman or fall guy just will not do. The ever plaguing problem of Joe Calzaghe's brittle hands is almost a stop sign for this mega match to be made.
If not Calzaghe...if not Maskaev...then whom? There's no one at 160lbs that merits losing the weight and dropping down to other than Ronald "Winky" Wright, and as accomplished and respected as Wright is...would this be a step backwards? At this point...this writer and fan has to say yes...even though Wright is one of the more technically sound middlemen currently in the game.
Who knows...being a fan of Hopkins through and through, this writer can say this with the utmost sincerity...if the axe is going to fall...it better be sharp and it better fall soon. Every man is mortal and age and ego catches up with boxing's most tactical masters sooner or later...which in turn brings me to the next name on the Executioner's List: the formerly great former Middleweight, Super Middleweight, Light Heavyweight, and for Heavyweight Champion Roy Jones Jr.
From a Hopkins fan's point of view this is the fight that Bernard has needed to complete his career, the only thing is...the fight should have happened years ago...but this is boxing and beggars can't be choosers.
There are rumblings around the ring that the fight is almost signed, that the two are in deep negotiations, that finally Hopkins has a chance to right that wrong of so many years gone by and that Jones Jr. has one more shot at reinventing himself as one of the greatest fighters of the past decade.
Jones is currently a fleeting reflection of his former self. His former personae and unfathomable skills have fallen by the wayside, in their place resides an older, lethargic, and humbled Jones. Constantly forced to deal with criticism and scorn from his legion of fans, all of whom have long since deserted the dethroned pound for pound king, Jones has become less of a super star and more of an easy target.
There comes a time in a fighter's life when he has to wake up and face reality. It came a lot sooner for Roy than he might have led us all believe. The same could happen to Hopkins on any given day, but he has been there and done that one more than one occasion...oddly enough, somehow he continues to defy nature and logic and age and anything else that comes his way. Hence his legendary status.
If egos were to miraculously fall by the wayside and this fight were to materialize...it could actually be something to marvel at. Both fighters are still fighting for redemption and while they are both older and in the twilights of their careers, is it such a stretch to believe...to hope...to wish that the two could pull out all the stops just one more time?
Should ego's align...should Hopkins make it happen...should Jones rise to the challenge...well my friends...July 14th, 2007, could be make or break for two of boxing's greatest ex-Pound for Pounders. Losing a fight like this could ruin the legacy of our generation's greatest fighters...or quite possibly...it could turn out to be a blessing in disguise. A masterful performance would easily redeem Jones...but a win could go along way
In this fan's opinion...a draw would be the best thing for both men, the fans, and boxing. A draw coupled with a master class of a boxing clinic would do marvels for reinstating Jones as one of the greatest boxers on the face of the earth. As roles are now reversed...Jones would be just one step behind the man that he defeated in Washington, D.C. all those years ago for the lightly regarded vacant IBF middleweight strap...Bernard "the Executioner" Hopkins.
My how times have changed.
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Originally Posted by boozeboxer
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