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Soon-to-be 46, Bernard Hopkins to challenge WBC champion from Quebec
PHILADELPHIA, Sep 04, 2010 (Philadelphia Daily News - McClatchy-Tribune News Service via COMTEX) --
Since each competed at a high level well into their 40s in a sport in which most careers are stamped with a much earlier expiration date, North Philadelphia native Bernard "The Executioner" Hopkins has often been compared to the "Old Mongoose," the late Archie Moore.
But those links never seemed more valid than Wednesday, with the announcement that Hopkins (51-5-1, 32 KOs) would challenge the much-younger WBC light-heavyweight champion, Jean Pascal (26-1, 16 KOs), on Dec. 18 in Quebec City, Quebec. Hopkins will turn 46 on Jan. 15. His opponent is 27.
The bout has not been officially made yet, as contracts have yet to be signed. But Hopkins' promoter, Golden Boy CEO Richard Schaefer, said he and Pascal's promoter, Yvon Michel, had agreed to financial terms and their fighters were eager to share the ring in an interesting matchup of youth vs. experience. Pascal, who was born in Haiti and resides in Laval, Quebec, is "young enough to be Bernard's son," Schaefer noted.
"Throughout his career, Bernard has looked for challenges," Schaefer, speaking from his Los Angeles office, told the Philadelphia Daily News. "He's pushed himself to achieve things, historic things, that will stand the test of time.
"Can Bernard become the linear light-heavyweight champion again at nearly 46 years of age? If there's anything I've learned about the man, it is that you can never sell him short. Bernard is a smart guy, inside and outside the ring. I have no doubt he knows exactly what he is getting himself into."
There had been speculation that Hopkins would finally retire after he settled a longstanding debt with Roy Jones Jr. by winning a lopsided, 12-round unanimous decision on April 3 in Las Vegas. In doing so, he avenged a May 1993 points loss to Jones in the first world title bout for each, in which the vacant IBF middleweight championship was on the line.
But Hopkins hadn't retired; he was merely weighing his options, waiting for the right opportunity to come along. It did when Pascal, who retained his 175-pound title on an 11-round technical decision over the favored and previously undefeated Chad Dawson on Aug. 14 in Montreal, later appeared on ESPN and called out Hopkins.
"Bernard was looking for an opportunity to move up to heavyweight," Schaefer said. "We tried to convince (WBA champion) David Haye to take that fight, but he declined. I also had conversations with Gary Shaw, Dawson's promoter, a few weeks before Dawson fought Pascal. That also was a fight Bernard would have been interested in.
"But when Pascal beat Dawson, that made him the light-heavyweight king, or at least he thinks so. When I spoke to Bernard about possibly fighting Pascal, he was very enthusiastic. He said, 'Let's do it.' Bernard has no problem in going into Pascal's backyard. He believes that will make his victory that much sweeter."
For a man so intent on not only preserving but enhancing his ring legacy, Hopkins will try to rip a page from the Hall of Fame career of Moore, who retained his light-heavyweight championship against a rugged French-Canadian, Yvon Durelle, on Dec. 10, 1958, in Montreal in one of the classic slugfests of all time. Moore, who would turn 45 just three days later, was floored four times _ three times in the first round _ but battled back to drop Durelle four times and win on an 11th-round knockout.
Replicating Moore's feat, and procuring another hefty payday, were enough to convince B-Hop it was time to return to action. He is aware of how immensely popular Pascal and another Quebec-based fighter, IBF super middleweight champion Lucian Bute, are in the province, which figures to bode well at the box office. Schaefer said the bout could wind up on Showtime, or possibly pay-per-view.
This will be Hopkins' third fight outside the United States, and his first since December 1994.
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(c) 2010, Philadelphia Daily News.
Visit Philadelphia Online, the World Wide Web site of the Philadelphia Daily News, at http://www.philly.com/.
Distributed by McClatchy-Tribune Information Services.
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BERNARD HOPKINS
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