Steely old warrior Hopkins set to stun the world again

On September 29, 2001, underdog Bernard Hopkins stunned the world when he stopped rival Felix Trinidad in the 12th round to become the undisputed world middleweight champion.

Arguably everybody, perhaps barring Hopkins himself, thought that would be his crowning achievement in the sport, and it was hard to fault the logic. The Philadelphia native was a few months shy of turning 37 and although he was not as battle-hardened as some of his fellow professionals, he had precious little to prove and was approaching an age when most boxers step away from the game.

Fast-forward 13 years, and Hopkins is still not only going strong, but continuing to upset the odds and make history each time he steps into the ring.

As he approaches his 50th birthday, he holds two world titles in the light-heavyweight division and will be going for a third on November 8 against hard-hitting American-based Russian Sergey Kovalev at the Boardwalk Hall in Atlantic City.

Not for the first time since 2001, Hopkins has been written off, with several commentators expressing concern that he may suffer serious damage against his 31-year-old foe.

It seems a position he relishes. After losing his middleweight crown to the up-and-coming Jermain Taylor in 2005, Hopkins moved up two weights to challenge Antonio Tarver the following year, who was the heavy favourite after getting the better in a trilogy against all-time great, Roy Jones Jr.

But Hopkins was superior in every department, winning a lopsided decision, which was the same result against heavy-hitter Kelly Pavlik in 2008, when he was once again deemed to be a heavy underdog.

In 2011, Hopkins outpointed Jean Pascal to win the WBC light-heavyweight crown in their rematch after their first clash had been controversially ruled a draw.

There have been setbacks. He lost his next title fight to Chad Dawson, but each time Hopkins has bounced back, breaking his own record to win the IBF strap last year and the WBA version in April, against Tavoris Cloud and Beibut Shumenov respectively.

The defeats he has suffered to Taylor, Joe Calzaghe and Dawson in the last few years, all disputed by the wily Hopkins, perhaps explain his extreme dedication to his craft and spur him on to greater heights.

“Everything I do at this point in my career affects my legacy,” said Hopkins, who has a pro record of 55 wins, six defeats and two draws.

“I’ve set and broken many records, but becoming the oldest undisputed light heavyweight world champion is the goal and Kovalev stands in the way of that goal. He’s another young, hungry fighter and just like the ones that came before him, he will leave the ring beltless.”

Kovalev is one of his toughest challenges, though, with 23 KOs from his 26 fights proving if Hopkins miscalculates for a second, it could be curtains — Welshman Nathan Cleverly, who Kovalev ripped the WBO title from in clinical fashion last year, can attest to that.

But one of the reasons Hopkins has kept challenging over the years is his ability to avoid big punches, and while his roughhouse style earns few fans, his method is effective.

Kovalev’s punching power, plus the age of his opponent, keeps him an odds-on favourite but bookmakers have made a habit of betting against Hopkins, only to see the gnarled veteran have the last laugh.