07.02.07 – By Geoffrey Ciani: Ever since Bernard Hopkins announced his return to professional boxing, wherein he referred to himself in the third person more often than Bob Dole did during the entire 1996 Presidential campaign, fans have anxiously awaited his next move. What lucky pugilist will win the Bernard Hopkins sweepstakes?
There have been an abundance of rumours circulating. For starters, there were talks of negotiations for a long awaited rematch with Roy Jones, Jr. There was also speculation that Hopkins would move down to 168 and take on undefeated unified champ, Joe Calzaghe. More recently, rumours have surfaced that he will face Winky Wright at a catch weight of 170 pounds. There’s even been mention that Hopkins may square off against rising young star, Chad Dawson. Who will it be? Each of these potential match-ups is quite intriguing.
The Jones bout would give Hopkins a chance at avenging an earlier loss in his career, and would probably afford him a nice payday..
This fight would be an easy sell, and it could potentially have a profound impact on the overall legacies of these two future Hall-of-Famers. Unfortunately, negotiating with the egomaniacal Jones is like pulling teeth, and it’s most probable that his gigantic ego would never agree to fair terms. That’s why this rematch never happened ten years ago as it should have.
If Hopkins decided to move down to 168 to face Calzaghe, it would give Hopkins the chance to take on the top dog in yet another division. Calzaghe is a very fast southpaw who throws good combinations and has been atop the division for the better part of ten years. Although Calzaghe isn’t the best known name, he’s a worthy opponent, and a bout between him and Hopkins would be reason for much enthusiasm amongst die-hard fans. Hopkins traditionally does very well against southpaws, and he might well have a field day against Calzaghe.
A bout with Winky Wright would also prove interesting. Wright is amongst the best pound-for-pound pugilists in the sport, and is always in search of a great challenge, especially considering that the big names typically avoided him earlier in his career. This is another bout that would bring excitement to the boxing community. My only concern with this bout is I’m not quite sure Winky has any business fighting at 170. Like Calzaghe, Winky is also a southpaw so once again, this seems like the type of bout that can provide Hopkins an opportunity to showcase his talents.
Then there’s the newly crowned WBC light heavyweight champion, Chad Dawson, who recently put on a boxing exhibition against Tomasz Adamek. Dawson is a bit of a high-risk/low-reward option. It’s difficult to know how good he really is, but against Adamek, he looked absolutely magnificent and seemed to possess the type of skills that may someday boost him into the pound-for-pound elite. Dawson is also a southpaw, albeit, a converted right-hander southpaw. Dawson is still relatively unknown, so this one might be a tough sell. In terms of legacy, it would be interesting to see Hopkins take on a rising young star who’s twenty years his junior.
So who will win the Bernard Hopkins sweepstakes? Will it be one of the aforementioned fighters? Will it be someone completely different? I’m not sure, but I can’t wait to find out. Bernard Hopkins is still a great talent in the sport and, despite his advanced age, I’d favor him against anyone from 175 down.
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geoff@eatthemushroom.com
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