By Dan Ambrose: Bernard Hopkins (49-5-1, 32 KOs) has accomplished a lot in his career, holding the middleweight title for 11 long years before losing it to Jermain Taylor in 2005. Hopkins then, after losing another time against Taylor in a rematch December 2005, moved up to the light heavyweight division where he defeated Antonio Tarver and Winky Wright before losing once again, this time to Joe Calzaghe.
In his last fight, he defeated Kelly Pavlik by a 12-round decision at a 170 pound catch-weight in October 2008. As impressive as that win was, it was later found out that Hopkins, a natural light heavyweight, outweighed Pavlik 187 to 171, and that Pavlik came into the fight with an injured elbow and after dealing with a high fever of 111 on Tuesday of that week.
Normally, people die when they reach a temperature of 107 to 108, and for anyone to get a temperature beyond that such as 111, and to survive, is a minor miracle. Even when a person has a fever as high as 107 or 108, there’s often cell death at those temperatures and lingering problems afterwards.
Knowing that Pavlik had to face Hopkins under those difficult circumstances, no wonder Pavlik lost the fight. The fight was never fair to begin with because Pavlik had to move up 10 pounds to make the 170 pound catch0weight, whereas Hopkins only had to lose five from his normal 175 to make the weight.
In the days after the fight, Hopkins was asked why he hadn’t been interested in fighting Chad Dawson, the IBF heavyweight champion who’s considered to be the best fighter in the division, and Hopkins said that he didn’t want to take away from the future of boxing by beating another young, up and coming fighter like Dawson. Hopkins had already sunk the star of Pavlik with his defeat of him, taking a lot of air out of the career of the young middleweight champion.
However, in avoiding taking on a fight against Dawson, it has left people to wonder whether those are Hopkins true thoughts or if he’s merely afraid to fight him and lose. Getting beaten at this point by Dawson, a fighter who’s faster, stronger, and taller than Hopkins, would be a big comedown for Bernard. Right now, Hopkins is seen almost in mythical terms for his win over Pavlik and his close 12-round unanimous decision defeat to super middleweight Joe Calzaghe in April 2008.
However, in dealing with someone faster and stronger than Calzaghe, Jermain Taylor and Pavlik, Hopkins would have huge problems coping with all the advantages that the young Dawson has. If Hopkins wants to be seen as a legend, like Calzaghe, he needs to step it up against a natural light heavyweight with talent rather than fighting a sickly, blown up middleweight like Pavlik, or a blown up light middleweight in Winky Wright or tall, slender Antonio Tarver. By now taking a fight with Dawson, I think it hurts Hopkins because it seems as if he’s avoiding him.
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