Hopkins-Kovalev signed for November?

Well, it appears as if Hopkins has sided with Golden Boy over Haymon and has apparently signed for a showdown with Krusher later this year. Quite a lot of us doubted whether or not Hopkins would be willing to step up from the Clouds, Murats and Shumenovs of this world to take on one of the Kovalev / Stevenson pair but it appears that we're going to get our wish.

Very large Dan has tweeted that the fight is a done deal to be announced tomorrow night after Kovalev's defence of his WBO belt against Blake Caparello, providing Kovalev wins of course. Dan usually doesn't jump the gun with regards to this stuff.

Early impressions - are you surprised Hopkins, who had previously hinted that for him it wasn't really about fighting the very best names out there at this stage of his career, has (seemingly) signed up for this? How risky is it for Kovalev, and is he potentially in a no-win situation? And of course, who wins and how?

Kovalev should win. Though a puncher, he isn't reliant on one shot. The guys he lays waste to attest to having been hurt with every shot thrown and it's usually an accumulation of bombs that gets rid of them. I don't think he psyches out either.

The sheer balls shown here by Hopkins is what separates him from many of his peers - he has sought to test himself repeatedly. Doug Fischer tweeted that he rates him a greater fighter than Roy and Floyd for that very reason.

Any word on testing protocol? For all of the stink kicked up around contemporary fighters who manage unusual feats, I don't remember much mud being thrown at Hopkins (despite Pascal's "take the test" outburst before their fight).

Whatever you may think of bhop's spoiling style, you have to take your hat off to him for taking this fight. It might not be pgreat to watch, but it will be fascinating to see if he can use his Wiley old skills to nullify crusher. My guess is he feels kovalev fades later in fights and that if he can keep out of trouble he can start to pick him off later on.

Be some achievement if he can do it.

Wily old skills... he doesn't bend the rules. he flat out breaks them, and gets away with them because "it's wily".

Fighters have always bent the rules - punching to the hip, throwing elbows, shoulders etc. His faking is annoying (to bide time etc.) and he's dull but the man takes risks.

You've got it all wrong raf. It's not cheating, its 'mastery of the dark arts'

A fight for me to look forward to, I'll be one of about 50 viewers.

Full credit to Bhop for this if it is true;

People seem to completely dismiss the earlier part of his career whenever any topic comes up about Hopkins; instantly bringing up the dirty/wily part of his game. I hope that isn't the case when he retired and we look back on his career.

Here is a man who took apart an unbeaten Glen Johnson, knocked out the much fancied and unbeaten Felix Trinidad after outboxing him for much of the contest and stopped Oscar De La Hoya in emphatic fashion; hell even as recently as 2008 he put on a clinic to thoroughly school Pavlik

Yes he holds and spoils and generally tries to get away with every trick in the playbook; but lest we forget much of this has been during the last years; of which he has been going in with contemporaries 10-15 years younger than him.

Johnson (has wins over RJJ & Tarver)
Trinidad
De La Hoya
Joppy
Winky Wright (had beaten Quartey, arguably beat Taylor & beat Mosely twice & Trindad..all in the 28 months prior to facing Hopkins)
Eastman
Pascal
Tarver
Cloud

Still fighting at World level at the age of 50, in his forties he has been pushing the likes of Calzaghe, Taylor & Dawson close...arguably winning a couple of the decision which went against him.

Is he the prettiest fighter to watch these days, by god no. However if the so called pound for pound Top 3 showed the kind of commitment to proving themselves as this man does then boxing would be in a much better state than it is currently.

Brave move by Hopkins, you'd have to think he has bitten off more than he can chew with Kovalev.

It's a fight that should get an audience and you can never write off Hopkins, he's not in the business of taking beatings and has emphasised this many times. He must think Kovalev isn't all that. Kovalev carrying an equaliser in each hand is the intrigue though.

Kovalev threw a lot of punches against Cleverly because everything was landing but fighting with such gusto had Kovalev blowing a bit by the third from what I could see.  Hopkins is the very man that can drag Kovalev into deep water and drown him. Late on Hopkins could be whispering into Kovalev's ear, like another fighter once said,  "is that all you've got?"

Hopkins to get his wrinkly old a$$ knocked out hopefully

He's still fighting at world level at the age of 50 because he doesn't have to actually earn his shots. Let's be honest, even if he fails against Kovalev, they'll wheel him out again for another title shot just because he's Bernard Hopkins. The talent pool is so shallow these days he'd probably become champion again.

Owen, Hopkins fought Johnson at middleweight a fair few years before he'd fought Jones and Tarver.

Don't try to out Boxrec a Boxrec'er.

Was supposed to be went on to record wins; changed, cheers Hammersmith..

Atila - Perhaps in his last couple of outings he has been given a title shot, however on very few occasions has he been handed them..in fact would be interested to know when you think he has been gifted a title shot?

It is odd that Hopkins has chosen Kovalev a fight which will probably earn him less money than Stevenson and is probably more dangerous. Facing a two handed fighter will be trickier than a one handed predictable fighter but I get the impression it's a statement of intent from both Golden Boy and De La Hoya.

Hammersmith harrier wrote:It is odd that Hopkins has chosen Kovalev a fight which will probably earn him less money than Stevenson and is probably more dangerous. Facing a two handed fighter will be trickier than a one handed predictable fighter but I get the impression it's a statement of intent from both Golden Boy and De La Hoya.

Hopkins is more one dimensional than Stephenson I reckon. Stephenson is a bit more slippery and a very good athlete.

There's also that Hopkins and Kovalev are on HBO with Adonis moving over to Haymon and Showtime.

You'd have to expect Hopkins has done his homework and does not see Kovalev as having enough skills to win the fight.

Stevenson is involved in a legal wrangle over his jumping ship from HBO so its more difficult to get a fight sorted with him at the moment.

Hopkins needs a decent name now to get any interest going in his fights and has run out of 2nd rate alternatives. Kovalev needs a decent name at this stage also.

Is Bhop the greatest of this era?He is far from exciting but the man has done everything and then some. Near 50 and still taking the dangerous challenges. A real ATG for me.

were do you guys rate him?

Hammersmith harrier wrote:It is odd that Hopkins has chosen Kovalev a fight which will probably earn him less money than Stevenson and is probably more dangerous. Facing a two handed fighter will be trickier than a one handed predictable fighter but I get the impression it's a statement of intent from both Golden Boy and De La Hoya.

Statement of intent?

Stevenson's team claim Hopkins wanted 75% of the purse money so they walked (he'll now face Pascal in Montreal).

A real shame we lost Stevenson vs Kovalev.

Strongy, Hopkins isn't signed to any one network or at least he isn't now and his last fight was on Showtime which makes it an interesting move to fight Kovalev on HBO.

It's a statement from De La Hoya that GBP are willing to work with HBO and will do whatever they can to bridge the apparent cold war in boxing, who better to use than his right hand man.

The only person to blame for that Haz is Al Haymon and possibly Stevenson, Kovalev would have fought him anywhere anytime.

No statement of intent. Hopkins had to face one of the other champions or else he would have to defend his belt against against another Cleverly victim in a fight nobody would give a crap about.

They went to Stevenson first, could not sort a deal. Legal issues, money issues, politics. Then they turned to Kovalev who doesn't seem to as picky as Stevenson when it comes to money.

Hopkins is a legend. Old school master. Exciting? Not really but a master pugilist. Mayweather is a superior boxer but still have Hopkins ahead of him.

He has had some career. Maybe top Ten and easily top fifteen for me. Fantastic boxer.

AdamT wrote:Hopkins is a legend. Old school master. Exciting? Not really but a master pugilist. Mayweather is a superior boxer but still have Hopkins ahead of him.

He has had some career. Maybe top Ten and easily top fifteen for me. Fantastic boxer.

Defiantly has a place in boxing folklaw for his longevity. But for his actual ability, he doesn't make top 20 for me, maybe top 25.

Roy Jones Jr victory over him when they both were considered the top 2 middleweights in the world confirms that for me.

Think he may be found wanting against Sergi, interesting matchup.

Would rather have seen Hoppo school Stevenson (am not a fan, of the person or the boxer) but this'll more than do.

Be interesting to see how Kov stamina lasts, but I see him as much more than just a banger or a guy with 'one shot' power. If his lungs last the distance I expect Hoppo won't.....

After Hopkins beats Kovalev by controversial SD, I believe they will look to sign a fight between B-Hop and Old Father Time himself.

I think b-hop is well ahead on points already against old Father Time, dave.

Anyone else feel kind of uneasy about the oldest fella out there going in against one of the biggest punchers?

That said, I'll be tuning in like the rest of us. It's intruiging if nothing else.

If it retires the old man then I've no issue with it whatsoever!!

TopHat24/7 wrote:Would rather have seen Hoppo school Stevenson (am not a fan, of the person or the boxer) but this'll more than do.

Be interesting to see how Kov stamina lasts, but I see him as much more than just a banger or a guy with 'one shot' power.  If his lungs last the distance I expect Hoppo won't.....

The dreaded words that Hopkins can't last the distance. Like you I think that Hopkins would have the beating of Stevenson and that's a fight I'd like to see as Stevenson is a massive plank and losing to Hopkins would end him. I do fear Hopkins will beat Kovalev as well though.

Tell you what, I'll be eternally grateful to anyone that convinces Hopkins to retire. I don't even care anymore. Hope it happens sooner than later, as the longer this goes on, the greater the risks of this ending in tears for all involved.

I rate Hopkins very highly but considering him top 10/15 of all time is far too high, he has almost unrivalled longevity but the person who trumps him Archie Moore scrapes inside the top 20.

There's been a lot of revisionism when it comes to his fight against Jones, it was only his 24th fight and he had no amateur background to speak of. Jones was an up and comer with a super amateur pedigree but to suggest it was a fight between the highest ranked middleweights of the time would be wide of the mark by a country mile. It wasn't until a few years later when Hopkins knocked Lipsey out that he started to get any sort of recognition.

kingraf wrote:Tell you what, I'll be eternally grateful to anyone that convinces Hopkins to retire. I don't even care anymore. Hope it happens sooner than later, as the longer this goes on, the greater the risks of this ending in tears for all involved.

Based on what though, the guy has barely taken a flush shot in his career, has never received a beating but because he's older he's more at risk than somebody like Rios who's a walking punchbag?

Based on the simple reality that the body slowly deteriorates over time. Bones lose density, reflexes fade, overall strength falls, sharply. So yes. because he's older, it's not ageism, it's the reality. 50 year olds aren't supposed to be taking shots.

None of that affects the brain Raf, any face first boxer like Rios or Angulo is more at risk regardless of age.

Maybe top 10 is too high. Could certainly make a case for top 20.

Can make a case for top 30 as things stand. Some decent names in the top twenty, top twenty five, so not sure who you could chuck out to make way, but a win over both the murderous punching Kovalev and Canadian Stevenson and who knows maybe he can niggle his way into a twenty five? For sure a fighter's true worth is easier to evaluate long after they have retired, that's why pundits tend to reserve a cautionary placing for the stars of today. It should never be forgotten though just how feared Kovalev is today should Hopkins pull off the unexpected. This is one of that type that will generate a high level of electricity among the fans all over who always know a quality fight. You can complain about the lack of excitement in the ring, but with the right opponent (Calzaghe , Pascal , and now Kovalev,) a Hopkins fight can readily become compulsive viewing. No one loves a stage like Hopkins and he's got one here. The Hopkins psyche is always a thing to behold, no more so than on the big occasion and he'll understand the magnitude of this one. For sure this was by no means his favoured opponent. For sure it's a fight he's not certain he can win. For sure it would rank as one of his greatest wins. Kovalev has opened a firm favourite at 4/11 but being the underdog is nothing new to Hopkins as we all know- Pavlik(-350) Pascal(-150) and Cloud(-165) are all odds on favourites to have fallen by the wayside in a Hopkins fight.

Herman Jaggery wrote:Can make a case for top 30 as things stand.  Some decent names in the top twenty, top twenty five, so not sure who you could chuck out to make way, but a win over both the murderous punching Kovalev and Canadian Stevenson and who knows maybe he can niggle his way into a twenty five?  For sure a fighter's true worth is easier to evaluate long after they have retired, that's why pundits tend to reserve a cautionary placing for the stars of today. It should never be forgotten though  just how feared Kovalev is today should Hopkins pull off the unexpected. This is one of that type that will generate a high level of electricity among the fans all over who always know a quality fight. You can complain about the lack of excitement in the ring, but with the right opponent (Calzaghe , Pascal , and now Kovalev,) a Hopkins fight can readily become compulsive viewing.  No one loves a stage like Hopkins and he's got one here. The Hopkins psyche is always a thing to behold, no more so than on the big occasion and he'll understand the magnitude of this one.  For sure this was by no means his favoured opponent. For sure it's a fight he's not certain he can win. For sure it would rank as one of his greatest wins. Kovalev has opened a firm favourite at 4/11 but being the underdog is nothing new to Hopkins as we all know-  Pavlik(-350) Pascal(-150) and Cloud(-165) are all odds on favourites to have fallen by the wayside in a Hopkins fight.

Was Cloud really a favourite? Missed a trick there as I'd pick Hopkins to win that one at 90 years old.