Never Wise To Bet Against Hopkins..But Maybe This Time It Makes Sense BORGES

Published

14 years ago

October 15, 2011

Ron Borges

It is always unwise to bet against Bernard Hopkins but if you must this might be the time.

The 46-year-old reincarnation of “The Old Mongoose,’’ Archie Moore, tonight puts himself on stage, although hardly at risk against former light heavyweight champion Chad “Not Really All That Bad’’ Dawson at the Staples Center in an HBO pay-per-view show there is no real reason to buy, but three.

If you are a fan of Hopkins, geriatrics or history it might be worth the investment to see if the oldest boxing champion in history can outpoint someone like Dawson, a 29-year-old southpaw in the prime of his career who is difficult to hit and seems to have only minimal interest in engaging in all-out combat.

To say Dawson (30-1, 17 KO) is boring to watch is like saying Rick Perry is an idiot – pretty much impossible to deny. Although he once held portions of the light heavyweight title you couldn’t give tickets away to his fights even in his hometown and to watch him on television is to do so only if the other choice is solitary confinement in San Quentin. You accept the lighter sentence.

Having said that, Dawson is two things that could be difficult for Hopkins (52-5-2, 32 KO) at this stage of his career. He can move and is willing to hit and run all night long. In fact, he seems to prefer it.

Some say the fact that he’s a southpaw is an added problem but not for a fighter as well-schooled as Hopkins. He knows how to beat southpaws from a technical standpoint and is in fact 12-1 against them, so the question becomes, can he deal with Dawson’s movement?

Now there’s no question he tore apart Winky Wright, who for some reason is now a technical advisor to Dawson (which is like asking Mike Tyson to be a technical advisor to an opponent of Lennox Lewis’), but Wright was more of a defensive genius than a mover and he was past his prime when he met Hopkins.

The fact of the matter is Hopkins is no longer what he was, nor, at his age, should he be. He is 6-3-1 in his last 10 fights and hasn’t had a knockout since he stopped Oscar De La Hoya in 2004. He was exceedingly impressive in wins over Kelly Pavlik and Jean Pascal (which happened twice even though the judges mistakenly called the first fight a draw) and became the latest in a growing line of men who gave aged Roy Jones, Jr. a beating but he was non-competitive against Joe Calzaghe once Calzaghe decided to bide his time and wear him down. And he has really not faced anyone with Dawson’s legs and long jab in years.

Might Hopkins still find ways to undress Dawson? Yes, yet that doesn’t mean this fight comes without risk. The question will be can Hopkins successfully fight in spurts – as he now does – and still lure Dawson into enough exchanges to beat him down mentally and then physically? That, really, is the only issue because when it comes to technical boxing skill Bernard Hopkins has forgotten more about prize-fighting than Chad Dawson will ever know.

“I understand that for now I’m the Mongoose (Moore),’’ Hopkins said. “As long as I have the desire to continue to win and not embarrass myself and embarrass the sport, I think at the end when it’s time to go, it’s time to go. I can’t think about winning and think about retiring at the same time. That’s very counterproductive. So I figure that instead of worrying about what if’s, worry about where I’m at now.

“And I think…as a matter of fact I know…I’m in a good place right now. I’d rather be defending a title than trying to win a title. So I’m enjoying the moment while I’m here and I’m going to continue to stack the pages as the pages become interesting, they become meaningful. And I think everybody should just enjoy me while I’m here, because nothing lasts forever and I think we all know that.

“Watch the performance. Watch the ageless warrior systematically break (down) a young, strong, tall light heavyweight that everybody had high hopes for two years ago and now they’re reserving that because they’re not sure because Bernard Hopkins is fighting him. They don’t understand and they don’t want to risk Bernard Hopkins making them look like a bad, what they call a predictor. So, I understand that. That’s part of respect when they act like that.’’

True that. Hopkins has earned the respect of anyone who has been paying attention to him for what seems like the last 50 years. Although he at times could be a difficult personality, is that not the case with most geniuses? And Hopkins inside a boxing ring is certainly that. In the end he walked his own path and it has led him to become one of boxing’s biggest figures and a Hall of Fame fighter with a depth of knowledge that is unrivaled among today’s practitioners of the dark art of fisticuffs.
Hopkins wins these days because he refuses to give in physically to the temptations of life and because he is mentally stronger than 10 miles of garlic fields. He has obviously learned all the intricacies of a difficult trade and he learned them in the best incubator there is – the hard-knock gyms around Philadelphia.

He deserves the highest compliment there is, which is to say he is a “professional.’’ That is what Dawson will be dealing with Saturday night. He will be dealing with a highly-educated professional. He may be 46 but it would be unwise for Dawson to give that one ounce of consideration because age is unlikely to determine who wins.

The winner will be the best tradesman and the man who trades most effectively, most efficiently and most often.

“So, Chad Dawson said I’m dirty,’’ Hopkins said with the menacing voice of a paid assassin. “All fights are dirty to me. Some are dirtier than others. So whatever he thinks I can do, he has the capabilities, if he wants to do it back. But the referee’s in the ring, the third man they call him, that will oversee anything that he does or I do. I’m coming to win a fight and I don’t have to be dirty to win a fight. But I’m in a fight.’’

“When you’re in the fight, things happen he might say is an accident. Things happen I might say is an accident. It’s up to the referee. The public will believe and see what they see and I leave it like that. I don’t complain.’’

In other words, Chad, how about you?

“I just want to go ahead and win this fight, and I’ll win this fight big,’’ Hopkins boasted. “I want to embarrass another so-called young gun of the boxing world, and prove that Bernard Hopkins is not better, but just different.

“It takes me a round or two until I know exactly what I have to do in a fight. You can’t over study (for) a test, so your natural instincts have to be your guide. The great athletes always adjust. I don’t care what sport it is, only an elite athlete can do that.

“The difference in this fight is that I am fighting Chad Dawson who has plenty of credentials. He believes he is the guy to beat me. I have to win to prove him wrong. The problem is whether or not he means what he believes. He has to come out in character and not be the Dawson that he has been for many of his fights.

“His name doesn’t match the last three or four outcomes. When you have the name ‘Bad’ and you’re not Michael Jackson, you have to be able to own that. They call me ‘The Executioner’ for a reason.

“I am knocking on the door of being the oldest ‘Fighter of the Year’ ever. I always have a motivation, something to push me to win and that motivation is to become the oldest ‘Fighter of the Year.’

“I’m not surprised I’m the underdog. Am I the underdog because of my age or because of my resume? It must be my age because I know can’t be the resume. I’m 12-1 against southpaws, arguably 13-0 with the Calzaghe fight (a split decision loss). I’m a right handed fighter which is death to a southpaw.’’

More significantly, he’s a well-schooled professional, which these days is death to nearly all the young boxers he faces. If it is to be different for Chad Dawson he’s going to have to prove he’s more than just another graduate student in the class of a pugilistic professor emeritus, and I wouldn’t bet on that.

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Ron Borges

Jorge Garcia is the TSS Fighter of the Month for April

Published

1 day ago

April 28, 2025

Arne K. Lang

Jorge-Garcia-is-the-TSS-Fighter-of-the-Month-for-April

Jorge Garcia has a lot in common with Mexican countrymen Emanuel Navarrete and Rafael Espinoza. In common with those two, both reigning world title-holders, Garcia is big for his weight class and bubbled out of obscurity with a triumph forged as a heavy underdog in a match contested on American soil.

Garcia had his “coming of age party” on April 19 in the first boxing event at the new Frontwave Arena in Oceanside, California (roughly 35 miles north of San Diego), a 7,500-seat facility whose primary tenant is an indoor soccer team. It was a Golden Boy Promotions event and in the opposite corner was a Golden Boy fighter, Charles Conwell.

A former U.S. Olympian, Conwell was undefeated (21-0, 16 KOs) and had won three straight inside the distance since hooking up with Golden Boy whose PR department ballyhooed him as the most avoided fighter in the super welterweight division. At prominent betting sites, Conwell was as high as a 12/1 favorite.

The lanky Garcia was 32-4 (26 KOs) heading in, but it was easy to underestimate him as he had fought extensively in Tijuana where the boxing commission is notoriously docile and in his home state of Sinaloa. This would be only his second fight in the U.S. However, it was noteworthy in hindsight that three of his four losses were by split decision.

Garcia vs. Conwell was a robust affair. He and Conwell were credited with throwing 1451 punches combined. In terms of punches landed, there was little to choose between them but the CompuBox operator saw Garcia landing more power punches in eight of the 12 rounds. At the end, the verdict was split but there was no controversy.

An interested observer was Sebastian Fundora who was there to see his sister Gabriela defend her world flyweight titles. Sebastian owns two pieces of the 154-pound world title where the #1 contender per the WBO is Xander Zayas who keeps winning, but not with the verve of his earlier triumphs.

With his upset of Charles Conwell, Jorge Garcia has been bumped into the WBO’s #2 slot. Regardless of who he fights next, Garcia will earn the biggest payday of his career.

Honorable mention: Aaron McKenna

McKenna was favored to beat veteran campaigner Liam Smith in the co-feature to the Eubank-Benn battle this past Saturday in London, but he was stepping up in class against a former world title-holder who had competed against some of the top dogs in the middleweight division and who had famously stopped Chris Eubank Jr in the first of their two encounters. Moreover, the venue, Tottenham Hotspur, the third-largest soccer stadium in England, favored the 36-year-old Liverpudlian who was accustomed to a big fight atmosphere having fought Canelo Alvarez before 50,000-plus at Arlington Stadium in Texas.

McKenna, from the small town of Monaghan, Ireland, wasn’t overwhelmed by the occasion. With his dad Feargal in his corner and his fighting brother Stephen McKenna cheering him on from ringside, Aaron won a wide decision in his first 12-round fight, punctuating his victory by knocking Smith to his knees with a body punch in the 12^th round. In fact, if he hadn’t had a point deducted for using his elbow, the Irishman would have pitched a shutout on one of the scorecards.

“There might not be a more impressive example of a fighter moving up in class,” wrote Tris Dixon of the 25-year-old “Silencer” who improved his ledger to 20-0 (10).

Photo credits: Garcia/Conwell photo compliments of Cris Esqueda/Golden Boy; McKenna-Smith provided by Mark Robinson/Matchroom

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Chris Eubank Jr Outlasts Conor Benn at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium

Published

3 days ago

April 27, 2025

David A. Avila

Chris-Eubank-Jr-Outlasts-Conor-Benn-at-Tottenham-Hotsour-Stadium

Feudal bragging rights belong to Chris Eubank Jr. who out-lasted Conor Benn to
emerge victorious by unanimous decision in a non-title middleweight match held in
London on Saturday.

Fighting for their family heritage Eubank (35-3, 26 KOs) and Benn (23-1, 14 KOs)
continued the battle between families started 35 years ago by their fathers at Tottenham
Hotspur Stadium.

More than 65,000 fans attended.

Though Eubank Jr. had a weight and height advantage and a record of smashing his
way to victory via knockout, he had problems hurting the quicker and more agile Benn.
And though Benn had the advantage of moving up two weight divisions and forcing
Eubank to fight under a catch weight, the move did not weaken him much.

Instead, British fans and boxing fans across the world saw the two family rivals pummel
each other for all 12 rounds. Neither was able to gain separation.

Eubank looked physically bigger and used a ramming left jab to connect early in the
fight. Benn immediately showed off his speed advantage and surprised many with his
ability to absorb a big blow.Chris Eubank Jr Outlasts Conor Benn at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium

Benn scrambled around with his quickness and agility and scored often with bigcounters.

It took him a few rounds to stop overextending himself while delivering power shots.

In the third round Benn staggered Eubank with a left hook but was unable to follow up
against the dangerous middleweight who roared back with flurries of blows.

Eubank was methodic in his approach always moving forward, always using his weight
advantage via the shoulder to force Benn backward. The smaller Benn rocketed
overhand rights and was partly successful but not enough to force Eubank to retreat.
In the seventh round a right uppercut snapped Benn’s head violently but he was
undeterred from firing back. Benn’s chin stood firm despite Eubank’s vaunted power and
size advantage.

“I didn’t know he had that in him,” Eubank said.

Benn opened strong in the eighth round with furious blows. And though he connected
he was unable to seriously hurt Eubank. And despite being drained by the weight loss,
the middleweight fighter remained strong all 12 rounds.

There were surprises from both fighters.

Benn was effective targeting the body. Perhaps if he had worked the body earlier he
would have found a better result.

With only two rounds remaining Eubank snapped off a right uppercut again and followed
up with body shots. In the final stanza Eubank pressed forward and exchanged with the
smaller Benn until the final bell. He simply out-landed the fighter and impressed all three
judges who scored it 116-112 for Eubank.

Eubank admitted he expected a knockout win but was satisfied with the victory.
“I under-estimated him,” Eubank said.

Benn was upset by the loss but recognized the reasons.

“He worked harder toward the end,” said Benn.

McKenna Wins

In his first test in the elite level Aaron McKenna (20-0, 10 KOs) showed his ability to fight
inside or out in soundly defeating former world champion Liam Smith (33-5-1, 20 KOs)
by unanimous decision to win a regional WBA middleweight title.

Smith has made a career out of upsetting young upstarts but discovered the Irish fighter
more than capable of mixing it up with the veteran. It was a rough fight throughout the
12 rounds but McKenna showed off his abilities to fight as a southpaw or right-hander
with nary a hiccup.

McKenna had trained in Southern California early in his career and since that time he’s
accrued a variety of ways to fight. He was smooth and relentless in using his longer
arms and agility against Smith on the outside or in close.

In the 12 th round, McKenna landed a perfectly timed left hook to the ribs and down went
Smith. The former champion got up and attempted to knock out the tall
Irish fighter but could not.

All three judges scored in favor of McKenna 119-108, 117-109, 118-108.

Other Bouts
Anthony Yarde (27-3) defeated Lyndon Arthur (24-3) by unanimous decision after 12 rounds. in a light heavyweight match. It was the third time they met. Yarde won the last two fights.

Chris Billam-Smith (21-2) defeated Brandon Glanton (20-3) by decision. It was his first
fight since losing the WBO cruiserweight world title to Gilberto Ramirez last November.

Viddal Riley (13-0) out-worked Cheavon Clarke (10-2) in a 12-round back-and-forth-contest to win a unanimous decision.

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Avila Perspective, Chap. 323: Benn vs Eubank Family Feud and More

Published

5 days ago

April 24, 2025

David A. Avila

Avila-Perspective,-Chap.-323:-Benn-vs-Eubank-Family-Feud-and-More.jpg

Next generation rivals Conor Benn and Chris Eubank Jr. carry on the family legacy of feudal warring in the prize ring on Saturday.

This is huge in British boxing.

Eubank (34-3, 25 KOs) holds the fringe IBO middleweight title but won’t be defending it against the smaller welterweight Benn (23-0, 14 KOs) on Saturday, April 26, at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in London. DAZN will stream the Matchroom Boxing card.

This is about family pride.

The parents of Eubank and Benn actually began the feud in the 1990s.

Papa Nigel Benn fought Papa Chris Eubank twice. Losing as a middleweight in November 1990 at Birmingham, England, then fighting to a draw as a super middleweight in October 1993 in Manchester. Both were world title fights.

Eubank was undefeated and won the WBO middleweight world title in 1990 against Nigel Benn by knockout. He defended it three times before moving up and winning the vacant WBO super middleweight title in September 1991. He defended the super middleweight title 14 times before suffering his first pro defeat in March 1995 against Steve Collins.

Benn won the WBO middleweight title in April 1990 against Doug DeWitt and defended it once before losing to Eubank in November 1990. He moved up in weight and took the WBC super middleweight title from Mauro Galvano in Italy by technical knockout in October 1992. He defended the title nine times until losing in March 1996. His last fight was in November 1996, a loss to Steve Collins.

Animosity between the two families continues this weekend in the boxing ring.

Conor Benn, the son of Nigel, has fought mostly as a welterweight but lately has participated in the super welterweight division. He is several inches shorter in height than Eubank but has power and speed. Kind of a British version of Gervonta “Tank” Davis.

“It’s always personal, every opponent I fight is personal. People want to say it’s strictly business, but it’s never business. If someone is trying to put their hands on me, trying to render me unconscious, it’s never business,” said Benn.

This fight was scheduled twice before and cut short twice due to failed PED tests by Benn. The weight limit agreed upon is 160 pounds.

Eubank, a natural middleweight, has exchanged taunts with Benn for years. He recently avenged a loss to Liam Smith with a knockout victory in September 2023.

“This fight isn’t about size or weight. It’s about skill. It’s about dedication. It’s about expertise and all those areas in which I excel in,” said Eubank. “I have many, many more years of experience over Conor Benn, and that will be the deciding factor of the night.”

Because this fight was postponed twice, the animosity between the two feuding fighters has increased the attention of their fans. Both fighters are anxious to flatten each other.

“He’s another opponent in my way trying to crush my dreams. trying to take food off my plate and trying to render me unconscious. That’s how I look at him,” said Benn.

Eubank smiles.

“Whether it’s boxing, whether it’s a gun fight. Defense, offense, foot movement, speed, power. I am the superior boxer in each of those departments and so many more – which is why I’m so confident,” he said.

Supporting Bout

Former world champion Liam Smith (33-4-1, 20 KOs) tangles with Ireland’s Aaron McKenna (19-0, 10 KOs) in a middleweight fight set for 12 rounds on the Benn-Eubank undercard in London.

“Beefy” Smith has long been known as one of the fighting Smith brothers and recently lost to Eubank a year and a half ago. It was only the second time in 38 bouts he had been stopped. Saul “Canelo” Alvarez did it several years ago.

McKenna is a familiar name in Southern California. The Irish fighter fought numerous times on Golden Boy Promotion cards between 2017 and 2019 before returning to the United Kingdom and his assault on continuing the middleweight division. This is a big step for the tall Irish fighter.

It’s youth versus experience.

“I’ve been calling for big fights like this for the last two or three years, and it’s a fight I’m really excited for. I plan to make the most of it and make a statement win on Saturday night,” said McKenna, one of two fighting brothers.

Monster in L.A.

Japan’s super star Naoya “Monster” Inoue arrived in Los Angeles for last day workouts before his Las Vegas showdown against Ramon Cardenas on Sunday May 4, at T-Mobile Arena. ESPN will televise and stream the Top Rank card.

It’s been four years since the super bantamweight world champion performed in the US and during that time Naoya (29-0, 26 KOs) gathered world titles in different weight divisions. The Japanese slugger has also gained fame as perhaps the best fighter on the planet. Cardenas is 26-1 with 14 KOs.

Pomona Fights

Super featherweights Mathias Radcliffe (9-0-1) and Ezequiel Flores (6-4) lead a boxing card called “DMG Night of Champions” on Saturday April 26, at the historic Fox Theater in downtown Pomona, Calif.

Michaela Bracamontes (11-2-1) and Jesus Torres Beltran (8-4-1) will be fighting for a regional WBC super featherweight title. More than eight bouts are scheduled.

Doors open at 6 p.m. For ticket information go to: www.tix.com/dmgnightofchampions

Fights to Watch

Sat. DAZN 9 a.m. Conor Benn (23-0) vs Chris Eubank Jr. (34-3); Liam Smith (33-4-1) vs Aaron McKenna (19-0).

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