Beibut Shumenov

By Paul “Paparazzi“ Jones & Justin Jones

Published: April 19, 2014

Eastsideboxing.com surveyed fighters, media members, and fans to get their opinions on the winner of Hopkins vs. Shumenov:

“I always say Bernard [Hopkins], a master technician in the ring. A guy that looks like he can do it for 50 more years because he hasn’t had any big wars. He takes care of himself. He takes care of his body. So, I think he can do it again….Most importantly, he can [box] for the next 5 or 10 years because he’s not a guy that started his career like a lot of people at age 5, 10, and 11. His career started at a late time so, for him boxing, he’s a 20 year-old kid now.”

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By Justin Jones & Paul “Paparazzi” Jones — Washington, DC — Official weigh-ins for the “History At The Capitol: Bernard Hopkins vs. Beibut Shumenov” tripleheader (SHOWTIME^® Championship Boxing; 9:00 PM ET/PT) were held at the Marriott Renaissance hotel (Washington, DC) this afternoon in front of an energetic crowd.

The 49-year-old Bernard “The Alien” Hopkins (54-6-2, 2 NC, 32 KOs) and his adversary Beibut Shumenov (14-1, 9 KOs) both weighed in below the Light Heavyweight limit for their unification bout (IBF/WBA/IBA). Hopkins tipped the scales at 172.5 lbs, while Shumenov weighed in at 174.5 lbs.

Co-main event headliners Shawn “Showtime” Porter (23-0-1, 14 KOs) and Paulie “Magic Man” Malignaggi (33-5, 7 KOs) made the Welterweight limit without incidence. Porter weighed in at 146.8 lbs, while Malignaggi weighed 146.2 lbs.

Comprehensive weigh-in results for the televised portion of the card appear below:

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The legend of longevity Bernard Hopkins returns to a familiar place of Washington D.C. to once again add more depth to an already legendary career.

Standing in his way of becoming the oldest unified champion is Beibut Shumenov, a fighter with one loss facing his first huge test. Will it be another day at the office for Hopkins? Or will power and youth be the deciding factor?

In the illustrious career of a living legend one can’t help to wonder how much longer Hopkins can stay on top of his game. Every current athlete is on a Hunger Games list of nature eventually taking course.

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By Paul “Paparazzi“ Jones & Justin Jones — Washington, DC —There is a longstanding debate as to whether experience is the best teacher or whether youth trumps experience. Given the age gap between Bernard Hopkins (IBF) and Beibut Shumenov (WBA/IBA), it stands to reason that the outcome of Saturday’s Light Heavyweight Unification bout may help to explain this question.

In the sections that follow, we breakdown the Hopkins-Shumenov match-up, consider their respective strengths and weaknesses, and offer keys to victory for each fighter.¹

BERNARD “THE ALIEN” HOPKINS

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On March 9, 2013, Bernard Hopkins (54-6-2 with 32 KOs), then 48 years old, broke the world record for the oldest boxer to win a world title. Whose record did he break? His own.

On April 19, 2014, the self-proclaimed Alien will step into the ring to set yet another world record. Bernard Hopkins will fight to become the oldest boxer in history to unify two major world titles. His opponent is Kazakh lawyer-turned-pugilist Beibut Shumenov. In a sport filled with unique and inspiring backstories, Shumenov’s stands head and shoulders above the rest.

ABOUT THE FIGHTERS

As a child, Shumenov was inadvertently poisoned by his aunt. As his parents took their blue, shriveling child to the hospital, they were informed that their boy would not survive. Doctors managed to save the boy after running an IV through his skull. Subsequent to these life-saving measures, doctors told Shumenov’s parents that he would always be small and that he should avoid physically taxing activities. The 6’2” WBA Light Heavyweight Champion has spent a lifetime proving that those doctors were dead wrong. In his 30 years on this planet, Shumenov has gone from begging relatives for food to becoming a millionaire attorney and a champion fighter.

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