Hopkins to Make 16th Defense of His Title

By Walter Donovan

27.03 - In the wake of his bitter courtroom battle with former advisor Lou DiBella, undisputed middleweight champion Bernard "The Executioner" Hopkins (41-2-1, 30 kos) will make the 16th defense of his middleweight title in front of his hometown fans against little-known Frenchman Morrade Hakkar (29-3, 18 kos) this Saturday at the First Union Spectrum in Philadelphia.

This will be Hopkins' first fight in fourteen months, and only his second since his masterful performance against Felix Trinidad in September 2001 when he unified the title. After his conquest of Trinidad, Hopkins' career rocketed to prominence, and he had the fetching opportunity to become as popular as the superstar he vanquished.

Instead, that rocket has come crashing down, as Hopkins' image has been tarnished via inactivity, contract disputes, and the aforementioned court battle with DiBella, who sued Hopkins for libel and won. The judgment was not only a $600,000+ wacking to Hopkins' wallet, but a wacking to his integrity and reputation. And he certainly isn't helping his own case by fighting an obscure Frenchman like Hakkar, whose record has been compiled against deplorable European competition.

In fact, ten of Hakkar's wins have come against opponents with losing records. The only recognizable name on his ledger is Christian Sanavia. In December 2001, Hakkar lost a split decision to Sanavia in a bout for the vacant European middleweight title, then later avenged the defeat by stopping Sanavia in seven rounds in May of last year to become European champ, a title Hakkar has relinquished to concentrate on world honors. Based on his credentials, Hakkar appears to be an inferior opponent who will hardly test Bernard Hopkins.

But in all fairness, Hopkins is an aging fighter at thirty-eight. Though he remains in impeccable physical condition, his recent inactivity will only hinder him. Against someone like Hakkar, he may get away with it. But against the likes of Oscar De La Hoya, Winky Wright, and even William Joppy, Howard Eastman, Harry Simon, a revitalized Robert Allen, and young turks Jermain Taylor and Jeff Lacy, Hopkins may not be so lucky. For the sake of using a worn out boxing cliche, Hopkins could somberly climb up the steps, through the ropes, and just get old in front of our eyes on any given night. And it could happen sooner than we think.