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Hopkins vs Shumenov Recap and More

April 20, 2014 — Leave a comment

hopkins-shumenov (4)

By Rudy Mondragon

Hopkins vs Humenov

This fight was inspirational. Even Arsenio Hall was feeling good watching the veteran, Bernard Hopkins, do his thing on this night:

Bernard came out in the first two rounds as a student. Learning from his opponent, reading his movements, his gaps, and his mistakes. Shumenov allowed himself early to get drawn into the pace of a classic BHop fight.

As the fight progressed, Bernard Hopkins landed counter rights as Shumenov lunged forward without much of a game plan. It is a mystery to me as to why Shumenov has no head-trainer in his corner. On a night like this, it is necessary to have a head coach.

In the middle of the rounds, Hopkins began to move forward and dictate the fight. He was throwing lead jabs and disabling Shumenov’s attack. Shumenov got a couple of punches in, but never established any combinations. His one punch attack, looking for a BHop opening didn’t work. He should have known better.

Round ten was a break round for BHop. He smartly took a breather to prepare for the championship rounds. This proved to be the truth as he listen to his head trainer Naazim Richardson’s instructions to throw the over hand right. BHop was able to catch Shumenov with that punch and put him down. A successful 10-8 round for BHop entering the 12th and final round.

As predicted, BHop walked away with the split decision with the following scores from the following judges:

judge: Gustavo Padilla 113-114 | judge: Dave Moretti 116-111 | judge: Jerry Roth 116-111

Dave Moretti and Jerry Roth got it right. Gustavo Padilla was watching another fight… Or was he? Some judges like to score fights based on their bias. I want to say that Gustavo Padilla judged this fight from the lens of a judge who enjoys high action fights. High action fighters will get the rounds in their eyes. It is necessary for today’s judges to see the fight in a holistic fashion. Bernard won, in my eyes, because of his ring general-ship, mental game, accuracy, effective punches, and dictation of the pace of the fight.

Bernard Hopkins delivered on his word. He unified the IBF and WBA light heavyweight titles before age 50. His philosophy of not fearing time because he prepares for it by investing in his body with a healthy lifestyle permits him to remain relevant. Where does he go next? I want to say that Adonis Stevenson would be too much for him. But then again, Hopkins always seems to find a way to make it happen. Hopkins called him out tonight. He wants that fight and knows he can exploit Stevenson. I hope Bernard gets his visa papers in place, we might be heading to Canada soon!

Undercard Recaps 

“Kid Chocolate” Peter Quillin did easy work of Lukas Konecny with a unanimous victory. In this middleweight fight, Quillin was able to win with the following score: 120-108, 119-109 and 119-109

In the penultimate fight, Paulie Malignaggi challenged Shawn Porter for his IBF welterweight title. It was a dominant performance by Porter as he was able to earn the TKO win over Malignaggi in the 4th round. This might be the fight that sets off the transition for Paulie. He has had a good boxing career, it might be time to hang them up and commit to a full time career with ShowTime Sports.

Hopkins vs. Shumenov Prediction

April 18, 2014 — Leave a comment

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By Rudy Mondragon

Tomorrow night we have light heavyweight championship action. In an IBF and WBA unification match, Bernard Hopkins (54-6-2, 32 KOs) will take on Beibut Shumenov (14-1, 9 KOs) at the DC Armory in Washington DC. Beibut is the younger fighter who has scored 3 KO/TKO victories in his last 4 fights. Bernard is the older man who at 49 has won 2 straight fights against much younger fighters.

This fight looks very interesting on paper. Bernard will attempt to break his own record as the oldest fighter to capture and defend a boxing title. Will tomorrow night be the night where he finally shows his age? Beibut has power, 9 KOs in his 14 victory career. Will he be able to knock out the veteran? It is worth noting that Hopkins has never been knocked out in his 25 years of boxing.

Although this fight looks interesting on paper, it really is not. Beibut is the younger man who does not have the experience needed to fight an experienced veteran like Bernard. As Sergio Mora pointed out, the bright lights will either make Beibut tamed or a beast. How will the younger champion respond to this type of stage?

Additionally, Beibut’s timing is off and often times appears to be looking for single power-punches to land at a time. This will not yield him positive results, as Bernard is a master of clinching and disabling his opponents arsenal. As stated by Sergio Mora, Hopkins will have problems early on as a result of Beibut’s strength. Once Hopkins adjusts and gets his rhythm, he will be able to execute his signature collect points game plan.

It is easy to say that Hopkins will get old tomorrow. However, given the history of Bernard Hopkins’ preparation and healthy lifestyle, I do not see Hopkins getting old over night. This happens to fighters who have abused their body with alcohol, lived the party life, disregard what they put in their body when not training for a fight, and have taken beatings in the ring. Hopkins is one of the few out there who has not lived that life. Because of his lifestyle, Hopkins will not age over night but rather has been slowly declining over years. As a result of his slow decline, Bernard is highly selective on picking fighters he knows he can beat at this level. This is why he will collect points tomorrow and come away victorious.

Bernard Hopkins by split decision 

What are your thoughts BMB family? What is your prediction?