By Sean McDaniel: 47-year-old Bernard Hopkins (52-5-2, 32 KO’s) can’t afford another performance like his last one against Chad Dawson (30-1, 17 KO’s) where Hopkins looked bad in the two rounds of the fight and then was hurt when he was dumped on the canvas by Dawson.

Sure, injuries happen but in consecutive fights? He’s got to hold together for the full 12 rounds this time in their fight on April 28th next month or he could give some boxing fans the impression that he’s brittle. To be sure, Dawson was wrong to dump Hopkins on the canvas that way but I don’t think Hopkins is going to come off looking good if he comes down with another injury that ends the fight in another no contest. He’s got to be able to hold together without breaking down again.

Hopkins has got some big fights ahead of him if he can find a way to get past the younger 29-year-old Dawson. There’s a big money unification bout with WBO light heavyweight champion Nathan Cleverly that awaits Hopkins this year in the summer, as well as possible fights against Mikkel Kessler, Tavoris Cloud and Lucian Bute. It seems like the more Hopkins ages and starts to look vulnerable for the first time in his career, the more fighters that are now interested in facing him. He’s got the name, he’s got a title and he’s still got some of his skills still intact.

What Hopkins needs, though, is to stay in one piece in the Dawson rematch and win the fight whatever way he can. I suspect Hopkins won’t be able to beat Dawson the same way Hopkins beat Jean Pascal last year, because Dawson is a much different type of and will be looking to box Hopkins instead of slugging it out. Dawson won’t gas out after three rounds like Pascal did in his two fights against Hopkins.