By Chris Williams: With aging fighters, they’re physical skills go before their mind registers that they’re gone. It usually takes a couple of really bad beatings before a fighter figures out that they’re not the same fighter they were3000 yesterdays ago. In the case of former middleweight and light heavyweight champion Bernard Hopkins (51-5-1, 32 KO’s), I think he’s going to get a real big hint about how badly his physical skills have deteriorated when he faces World Boxing Council light heavyweight champion Jean Pascal (26-1, 16 KO’s) in December.

It’s amusing to read some of the comments made by Hopkins fans, who kid themselves by thinking that Hopkins can pull out some of that old magic and get a win against the much younger Pascal. I hate to be the one to break this to them, but the 45-year-old Hopkins doesn’t have a chance in this fight. Pascal is too young, too fast and too damn good for Hopkins at this point. As good as Pascal looked in beating two-time light heavyweight champion Chad Dawson last month in his 12 round decision win in Montreal, Canada, I see Hopkins losing every round of the fight.

This is like taking the 45-year-old Hopkins and putting him in a time machine back into his fight with Roy Jones Jr. from 1993, except in this case, Hopkins would be fighting the young Jones at 45, and not in early 30s. Hopkins just wouldn’t stand a chance. Heck, I think Dawson would have dominated Hopkins if it had been him in there with Dawson instead of Pascal. There’s too much youth and speed involved for a fighter like Hopkins to win.

I know Hopkins has picked up a couple of techniques he likes to use against faster and more active fighters to slow them down and cut off their work rate. I’m talking about his punch and grab technique. That works for guys that are slower and more limited but against a guy that moves a lot, throws with a lot of power and speed, it’s hopeless. Hopkins is lose and lose badly to Pascal. He will get a good payday out of it, but that’s the extent of it. Hopkins isn’t going to be able to punch and grab his way to victory against a guy like Pascal, not with his power and hand speed.

He’s bad news for Hopkins. Kelly Pavlik was a slow fighter that couldn’t handle the little bit of movement that Hopkins used two years ago in Hopkins 12 round decision win over Kelly. However, Pascal is a lot faster than not only Pavlik but Hopkins. Bernard won’t be able to come in and throw faster shots and immediately grab Pascal, because it will be Pascal that’s landing those shots, not Hopkins.

If anything, I see Hopkins maybe ramming Pascal every now and then, grabbing a lot, falling down and complaining to the referee. In other words, I see Hopkins spoiling and hoping to squeak out rounds. That’s not going to happen, and especially not in Canada where the fight will likely take place. I just hope Hopkins doesn’t complain afterwards and say that he won the fight, but I don’t see how he’ll be able to win one round in this fight.