Crawford faces Diaz this Saturday on HBO

Image: Crawford faces Diaz this Saturday on HBO

By Chris Williams: WBA/WBC light welterweight champion Terence “Bud” Crawford (30-0, 21 KOs) will be inside the ring defending his titles this Saturday night against 2008 Olympic gold medalist Felix Diaz (19-1, 8 KOs) on HBO World Championship Boxing at Madison Square Garden in New York. It’s nice to see Crawford fighting in a different venue than in Omaha, Nebraska, where he’s been fighting a lot lately.

read more

Joe Smith Jr: The man who retired Bernard Hopkins

Image: Joe Smith Jr: The man who retired Bernard Hopkins

By Yannis Mihanos: If history teaches us something is mistakes that people do and how to do our best to avoid them. The trick to best retirement is to retire when people still need you. Look for example Floyd Mayweather Jr, he is more than a year retired and people still cannot stop thinking about him and demanding for him to return.

When people don’t need you anymore, it means you have gone way over the hill and turned yourself to obsolete.

It ain’t pretty when you lose especially when you have just announced your retirement. Many fighters wish to finish at a high note but only a few can realize it.

read more

Joe Smith Jr’s promoter sees Adonis Stevenson as a possibility

Image: Joe Smith Jr’s promoter sees Adonis Stevenson as a possibility

By Jim Dower: #2 WBC Joe Smith Jr. (23-1, 19 KOs) has seen his boxing stock rise to the top overnight since his upset 8th round knockout win over the old warhorse Bernard Hopkins (55-8-2, 32 KOs) last Saturday night at the Forum in Inglewood, California.

With the big victory over the 51-year-old Hopkins, Smith’s promoter Joe DeGuardia sees a title shot for him against WBC light heavyweight champion Adonis “Superman” Stevenson as a possibility. The only problem is the WBC organization has already slotted the winner of the February 24th fight between Eleider Alvarez and Lucian Bute to be the one that fights the 38-year-old Stevenson next.

read more

Hopkins vs. Smith Jr. averages 934K viewers on HBO

Image: Hopkins vs. Smith Jr. averages 934K viewers on HBO

By Allan Fox: Last Saturday’s fight between 51-year-old aging star Bernard Hopkins (55-8-2, 32 KOs) and #2 WBC light heavyweight contender Joe Smith Jr. (23-1, 19 KOs) brought in good viewing numbers on HBO Boxing. The fight averaged 934,000 viewers with a peak of 1,035 viewers, according to RingTV.

This is excellent news for Golden Boy Promotions, who staged the card at the Forum in Inglewood, California. This was Hopkins’ farewell bout for his 28-year pro career. The good viewing numbers Hopkins brought in might want to make him reconsider his retirement from the sport.

read more

Richardson glad Hopkins didn’t get hurt in knockout loss

Image: Richardson glad Hopkins didn’t get hurt in knockout loss

By Eric Baldwin: Bernard Hopkins’ former trainer Naazim Richardson was happy that B-Hop didn’t get hurt last Saturday night in his 8th round TKO loss to Joe Smith Jr. (23-1, 19 KOs) in their fight on HBO from the Forum in Inglewood, California. Somehow, Hopkins slide out of the ring in round 8 after taking four hard shots to the head from Smith Jr.

Hopkins fell on his back on the floor outside of the ring. He said his ankle was hurt and couldn’t get back into the ring. Hopkins didn’t like receiving a knockout.

read more

Hopkins’ right ankle was hurting him too much to continue

Image: Hopkins’ right ankle was hurting him too much to continue

By Jeff Aranow: After getting knocked out of the ring in the 8th, Bernard Hopkins would have climbed back in the ring last night to continue fighting against Joe Smith Jr. (23-1, 19 KOs) if he hadn’t injured his right ankle during the fall.

Hopkins, 52, says his ankle hurt too much for him to be able to continue fighting. Hopkins’ ankle was throbbing. Hopkins was stopped in the 8th when he failed to get back into the ring in the 8th in his fight against Smith Jr. at the Forum in Inglewood, California.

read more

Hopkins says Smith Jr. threw him out of the ring

Image: Hopkins says Smith Jr. threw him out of the ring

By Jeff Aranow: Bernard Hopkins firmly believes that he was tossed out of the ring last Saturday night in his 8th round TKO loss to #2 WBC light heavyweight contender Joe Smith Jr. (23-1, 19 KOs) despite there being no evidence to back up what the 51-year-old boxing great was saying.

Hopkins was counted out last night after he was knocked out of the ring from what appeared to be a series of punches from the 27-year-old Smith Jr. in their fight at the Forum in Inglewood, California. This was not the best way for Hopkins to end his career with him getting stopped in the 8th, and then him seemingly in denial about what had happened to him.

read more

Joe Smith, Jr. defeats Bernard Hopkins in the “final 1”

Image: Joe Smith, Jr. defeats Bernard Hopkins in the "final 1"

Joe Smith, Jr. (23-1, 19 KOs) retained his WBC International Light Heavyweight Title with a technical knockout victory after sending Bernard “The Executioner” Hopkins (55-8-2, 32 KOs) through the ropes in the eighth round. Hopkins was unable to get back into the ring after sustaining an injury to his ankle, and the fight was stopped at 53 seconds into round eight.

“It feels great, it’s the best feeling in the world to accomplish something I set out for and wanted to do,” said Joe Smith, Jr. “I had seen him every time I threw the right hand, he was throwing the left. I had seen him fall, and I kept hitting him until I saw him go out, and I landed that left hook until he went out. I knew he had time to go out, but I hit him with four or five clean shots and they were good shots on the button. I knew he was a true champion, and if he didn’t get injured he’d be back here. I came here to do my job, and this is my coming out party too. I had to finish him, it was either my career was going to end and his was going to end, but I needed mine to continue. I’m going to get back in the gym and train hard for my next opponent. I’m up for anything. I have lots of respect for Bernard. He is a true champion. Lots of people love Bernard and still will because he’s a true champion.”

read more

Joe Smith Jr. vs. Bernard Hopkins – Results

Image: Joe Smith Jr. vs. Bernard Hopkins – Results

By Eric Baldwin: #2 WBC light heavyweight contender Joe Smith Jr. (23-1, 19 KOs) knocked out the 51-year-old Bernard Hopkins (55-8-2, 32 KOs) in the 8th round on Saturday night to end B-Hop’s long 28-year-old pro career at the Forum in Inglewood, California.

The 27-year-old Smith Jr. struggled through the first seven rounds with the boxing skills of Hopkins. However, in the 8th round, Smith caught Hopkins in the corner and landed five bone-crunching shots to the head that knocked him out of the ring. Hopkins said he was hurt and couldn’t get back in the ring.

read more

Joe Smith Jr. wants Ward-Kovalev winner after Hopkins fight

Image: Joe Smith Jr. wants Ward-Kovalev winner after Hopkins fight

By Jeff Aranow: Joe Smith Jr. (22-1, 18 KOs) says his goal for tonight’s fight is to pressure the 51-year-old Bernard Hopkins (55-7-2, 32 KOs) from the outset and look to make him look like an old man when he gets inside the ring with him in their fight at the Forum in Inglewood, California.

Smith Jr. wants to fight the winner of the Sergey Kovalev vs. Andre Ward rematch. The best way to make that happen is to beat Hopkins and beat him in style by knocking him out. Smith Jr. wants to send Hopkins into retirement off of a knockout loss.

read more