Weights: Deontay 224, Firtha 252.5; Hopkins 172.5, Murat 174

wilder64By Scott Gilfoid: Heavyweight contender Deontay Wilder (29-0, 29 KO’s) weighed in at a slim and muscular looking 224 lbs. on Friday’s weigh-in. Deontay, 28, is looking to score his 30th consecutive knockout and he’s got an excellent chance of accomplishing that goal. His opponent Nicolai Firtha (21-10-1, 8 KO’s) looked pretty good in coming in at 252.5 lbs. The 6’6″ Firtha looks like he’s in football shape, and he appears ready to give it all he can on Saturday night to try and avoid becoming Deontay’s 30th KO victim.

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48-year-old Bernard Hopkins (53-6-2, 32 KO’s) looked good as always in weighing in at 172.5 lbs. His opponent Karo Murat (25-1-1, 15 KO’s) weighed in a little heavier at 174 lbs. despite being three inches shorter than the 6’1′ Hopkins.

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Hopkins: I need a knockout

HopkinsMuratPC_Hoganphotos1(Photo credit: Hogan Photos) By Dan Ambrose: IBF light heavyweight champion Bernard Hopkins (53-6-2, 32 KO’s) badly wants to score a knockout this Saturday night against Karo Murat (25-1-1, 15 KO’s). It’s as if the 48-year-old Hopkins realizes that it’s no longer enough just winning his fights by decisions in dominating his opponents. For him to win over fans and create any kind of interest in what he’s talking about in wanting to fight Floyd Mayweather Jr., then he’s going to need a knockout over Murat. Not only for that reason though.

Murat is the type of opponent that the top light heavyweights like Adonis Stevenson and Sergey Kovalev would demolish in 2 or 3 rounds tops and that’s why Hopkins needs to make quick work of him. If Hopkins wants to be seen in the same class as Kovalev and Stevenson, both of which are winning over new fans at rapid pace, Hopkins absolutely needs to KO Murat.

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Hopkins hoping for Mayweather bout if he gets past Murat

003 Hopkins and Murat IMG_0124(Photo credit: Tom Casino/Showtime) By Allan Fox: 48-year-old IBF light heavyweight champion Bernard Hopkins (53-6-2, 32 KO’s) he was approached by some “powerful people” about him facing 36-year-old Floyd Mayweather Jr. in 2014. The fight would involve Hopkins coming down two divisions in weight to face Mayweather at middleweight.

Nothing was said from Hopkins about whose these powerful people are, and whether there would be a rehydration clause in the contract to keep Hopkins from ballooning up to the 190s after he makes the 160 lb. weight limit, if he even could make the weight.

Hopkins said in a press release “It was a conversation said to me, and that’s why I responded…when I realized that there is a fight that they owe him in May of next year, and whether I’m willing or can I make 160, and I said, well, if I have that much time…They didn’t act like they were joking, and we’re talking powerful people. So I’m sitting back saying, ‘Okay.'”

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Hopkins wants KO win over Murat

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By Dan Ambrose: IBF light heavyweight champion Bernard Hopkins (53-6-2, 32 KO’s) is hoping to end his nine-year knockout drought this Saturday night by knocking out German-based challenger Karo Murat (25-1-1, 15 KO’s) on Showtime at the Boardwalk Hall, in Atlantic City, New Jersey, USA. The 48-year-old Hopkins hasn’t recorded a knockout since his 9th round KO win over Oscar De La Hoya in September 2004.

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Hopkins-Murat, Deontay-Firtha & Quillin-Rosado this Saturday on Showtime

deontay1By Scott Gilfoid: Heavyweight Deontay Wilder (29-0, 29 KO’s) will be in the ring this Saturday night in what could be an excellent showcase fight on Showtime against the towering 6’6″ Nicolai Firtha (21-10-1, 8 KO’s) in what could be the best fight of the card head-lined by Bernard Hopkins (53-6-2, 32 KO’s) defending his IBF 175 lb. trap against Karo Murat (25-1-1, 15 KO’s) at the Boardwalk Hall, Atlantic City, New Jersey, USA.

The Deontay-Firtha fight will be most interesting bout on the card because it matched two huge heavyweights that will be trading bombs from the get go. Firtha may not be a top world class heavyweight right now, but he’s got class power. There’s definitely nothing wrong with the kind of power that Firtha’s packing.

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Deontay Wilder could land on Hopkins-Murat card on October 26th

wilder33By Scott Gilfoid: In order to help spruce up the October 26th Bernard Hopkins vs. Karo Murat card, Golden Boy Promotions CEO Richard Schaefer is looking to add unbeaten heavyweight talent Deontay Wilder (29-0, 29 KO’s) to the card to beef it up. The fight card will be televised by Showtime and it’ll be taking place at the Boardwalk Hall, in Atlantic City, New Jersey, USA.

Unfortunately, there’s no real interesting fights on the card as of now because Hopkins-Murat is a terrible mismatch, as is the co-feature between WBO middleweight champion Peter Quillin and junior middleweight Gabriel Rosado. At least by adding Wilder, there might be one interesting fight on the card as long as they find a quality opponent for the 6’7″ Deontay.

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Hopkins vs. Murat on October 26th; Anthony Dirrell vs. Sakio Bika possible for undercard

dirrell23134By Scott Gilfoid: IBF light heavyweight champion Bernard Hopkins (53-6-2, 32 KO’s) will be making his first defense of his title against #2 IBF Karo Murat (25-1-1, 15 KO’s) on October 26th at the Boardwalk Hall in Atlantic City, New Jersey.

The undercard could have Anthony Dirrell (26-0, 22 KO’s) facing WBC super middleweight champion Sakio Bika (32-5-2, 21 KO’s). In addition to that, WBO middleweight champion Peter Quillin (29-0, 21 KO’s) will be making his 2nd title defense against an opponent still to be determined. The card will be televised by Showtime.

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Hopkins-Murat fight now off; Karo can’t get visa

By Allan Fox: The scheduled July 13th fight between IBF light heavyweight champion Bernard Hopkins and challenger Karo Murat is off for the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York due to Murat having visa problems that will prevent him from traveling to the United States for the fight. In addition to the Hopkins vs. Murat fight being off, the entire July 13th fight card has been cancelled as well.

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Hopkins wants Froch and Bute after Murat

hopkins452By Scott Gilfoid: After IBF light heavyweight champion Bernard Hopkins (53-6-2, 32 KO’s) gets through taking care of his mandatory challenger Karo Murat )25-1-1, 15 KO’s) on July 27th, Hopkins wants to take on either IBF super middleweight champion Carl Froch or former IBF super middleweight champion Lucian Bute. It sounds like Hopkins wants to face them back to back.

Hopkins said to RingTV “I’m biased, so I’m going to tell you who I want to win. I want Froch and Bute to win. To fight either one of them, I would go to their countries, and, you know, they love me in Canada.”

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