By Jim Dower: With the latest trend in boxing, WBC/WBO middleweight champion Kelly Pavlik (34-0, 30 KOs) has decided on facing a faded star of yesterday, in this case former middleweight champion Bernard Hopkins (48-5, 32 KOs), who is nearing his 44th birthday. The fight might have been supremely interesting eight to ten years ago when Hopkins was in his prime but as of now it’s hard to get excited about it other than the spectacle of it. In one corner you have Pavlik, 26, who is currently in his prime and by far the best fighter in the middleweight division, and in the other you have Hopkins, a fighter who is coming off of a narrow defeat to Joe Calzaghe but who has lost three out of his last five fights.
All things being equal, this would be a fight that Hopkins would be lucky to win even in his prime. However, he’s left his best years behind in the rear mirror years ago and is now sticking around the sport more like a spoiler, making fighters like Calzaghe struggle while at the same time beating pretenders. Pavlik, though, is anything but a pretender, and will be bringing huge power with him in the ring when the two meet on October 18th in Atlantic City, New Jersey.
By Michael Lieberman: With Joe Calzaghe now showing little interest in getting in the ring with undefeated WBC/WBO middleweight champion Kelly Pavlik (34-0, 30 KOs) after his total destruction of Calzaghe’s fellow countryman Gary Lockett in a 3rd round TKO in June, Pavlik has now turned his attention to recent Calzaghe opponent Bernard Hopkins (48-5-1, 32 KOs), who he hopes to take out in an impressive fashion taking Hopkins out so that there’s no question in people’s minds who the better fighter is between them. This is especially important after Calzaghe failed to prove that he is better than Hopkins, and had to struggle to get a 12-round split decision victory in April. 
By Aaron Klein: Usually what a fighter says is tuned out by boxing fans and the larger public the moment that they lose relevance, like for instance when they’re no longer successful in the ring. In the case of former middleweight champion Bernard Hopkins (48-5-1, 32 KOs), who has lost three out of his last five fights, we may be seeing a shining example of just that taking place. At 43, the old skills, speed and power are on the decline, and the energy and vitality that made Hopkins so good in the early of his boxing career now seem to be on the wane, gone perhaps forever. 
By David Lahr: Looking for another big payday, undefeated WBO/WBC middleweight champion Kelly Pavlik (34-0, 30 KOs) will be fighting former middleweight champion Bernard Hopkins (48-5, 32 KOs) on October 18th at Atlantic City, in New Jersey. Having recently defended his title with an impressive 3rd round stoppage of Gary Lockett in June, Pavlik is now ready for some really big money against the 43 year-old Hopkins. 
By Tony Krebs: Just looking at the current state of boxing now with fighters like Kelly Pavlik facing 43 year-old former champion Bernard Hopkins rather than other more deserving middleweights, undefeated Joe Calzaghe avoiding his top super middleweight opponents to fight a 39 year-old Roy Jones Jr, and then for the kicker of them all, Oscar De La Hoya taking on Manny Pacquiao, a fighter that he outweighs by 25 lbs. There is certainly a great deal of ridicule that has occurred due to these bouts, as it seems to have made a mockery of the different weight classes, removing established weight boundaries, turning things into a state of chaos in which only what brings about the most money seems to count. 
By Chris Williams: It’s a fight that former middleweight champion Bernard Hopkins (48-5-1, 32 KOs) would have been at a clear disadvantage even in the prime of his boxing career, but now at 43 years-old, it’s a fight that he has almost zero chance of winning even under the best case scenario. The age, the numerous fights, the lack of work rate and his entire style – that of a counter puncher – all seem to work against Hopkins in winning this fight. Although he’ll never admit it, even if he does lose and lose badly, he just doesn’t have the skills to beat a young power puncher like Pavlik. 
By Sean McDaniel: I must admit first off, when I initially heard about unbeaten WBC/WBO middleweight champion fighting 43 year-old Bernard Hopkins (48-5, 32 KOs) in a non-title bout held at the catch weight of 170 lbs, I thought it was a bad decision for Pavlik because he’d easily win a dull 12-round fight. But now that I’ve had time to think it over, I’m starting to come to the belief that Hopkins may actually be able to win this fight quite handily in fact. 
By Jim Dower: If there was ever a fight that will likely end with a disqualification, it’s the upcoming non-title fight between unbeaten Kelly Pavlik (34-0, 30 KOs) and 44 year-old Bernard Hopkins (48-5-1, 32 KOs) on October 18th, in Atlantic City, New Jersey. In his prime, Hopkins, a champion whole held the middleweight title for 10 years, was nearly unbeatable against the mostly limited opposition he faced during that time. That, however, is over with, and he’s been on the serious decline in the past three years, losing three out of his last five fights during that stretch of time. 
By Matt McGrain: Matchmaking as it was understood in the 40’s and 50’s is something of a forgotten art. Fighters were often brought along much more quickly in those days, matched against tough contenders and prospects with similar records as a matter of course. Steadily increasing quality of competition led to a strict learning curve for prospects and sharp test for established stars or those attempting to rebuild careers. The difference was very simple; the 0. “Undefeated” is the word at this time, the fewer defeats a fighter has on his record, the “more elite” that fighter is said to be. A loss can turn a contender with TV support to a gatekeeper all but overnight, and later in a fighter’s career a loss can de-rail title aspirations entirely – just look at what has happened to the prospects of Junior Witter in recent weeks.
By Jim Dower: In a bit of disappointing news, undefeated middleweight champion Kelly Pavlik (34-0, 30 KOs) will be moving up to 170 lbs to face 43 year-old Bernard Hopkins on October 18th, in Atlantic City, New Jersey. Pavlik, 26. had been hoping to land fights against a variety of opponents, such as Joe Calzaghe, Sergio Mora, Winky Wright and Paul Williams. However, Pavlik’s promoter, Bob Arum, was unable to work out deals with any of them, leaving only Hopkins as the best option for a big money fight for Pavlik. Unfortunately for boxing fans, this is a fight that will likely be a less than thrilling match up given Hopkins’ advanced age, which by the time the fight occurs in October, Hopkins will be almost 44 years-old.