Hopkins still packs a punch

Leroy Brown, Gleaner Writer

The question asked from time to time as to the age at which a professional boxer should retire was thrown into further turmoil recently.

This is so, because in Montreal, Canada, Bernard 'The Executioner' Hopkins at age 46 years, four months and six days, became the oldest world champion, when he scored a unanimous decision over World Boxing Council light heavyweight champion Jean Pascal. T

he scores of the judges were 116-112,115-113 and 115-114. He took the designation from former heavyweight champion George Foreman, who was 45 years old in 1995, when he knocked out James Moorer to become champion.

On the other hand, Roy Jones Jr who is 42, and has held world titles in numerous weight classes, was knocked out cold in a 10-round non-title fight against Denis Lebedev in Moscow, Russia. There were some anxious moments in this fight, as Jones, who was out on his feet, fell slowly to the canvas, face down and it took some time to revive him. This knockout follows other stoppages at the hands of Anthony Tarver, Glen Johnson and Danny Green.

Jones said after the fight that he will assess his situation and decide what to do in a short time. The "writing on the wall" is clear for him to see, however, and there is no doubt that he should pack his bags now and go into retirement, before he gets hurt badly. There is nothing for him to assess. He just does not have it anymore.

Hopkins, however, is defying the odds and making younger opponents look bad. He has been doing this now for several years. He had made a promise to his mother many years ago that he would retire from boxing at age 40. The lure of the sport and his ability to defeat talented younger boxers have caused him to continue, however, and no one at this time, can fault his decision to stay in the sport.

Comfortable win

When he first agreed to fight Pascal last December, most people believed that he was making a mistake. After two early knockdowns in that fight, it seemed as if he was on the road to retirement, but he came back strong, took over the later rounds in the fight, and ended up with a draw decision, in a fight that most people believed that he had won.

There was such an outcry that the World Boxing Council ordered a return fight. Hopkins, who was methodical throughout the fight, took charge in the middle rounds and won comfortably. He used the tricks he learnt over the years to pose problems for Pascal that he could not answer, and at the end his opponent had to grudgingly admit that he had been "outfoxed".

Hopkins is not sitting on his laurels, however, and already talks are taking place for him to fight Chad Dawson, the man from whom Pascal won the title. Dawson at 28, is a formidable opponent and is now being trained by Emanuel Steward who has a string of world champions. Hopkins has, however, never avoided a challenge and sees this as an opportunity to take down another young rival. In the 11 fights he has had since he passed his 40th birthday, he is 7-3-1. Not bad for a man pushing 50 years of age.