By Matthew Hurley

Bernard Hopkins, the reigning middleweight champion of the world, has long been obsessed with former champion Marvin Hagler and one of Hagler’s successful title defenses in particular. “If he comes after me,” he often says, in as menacing a tone as he can muster, “it could be Hagler – Hearns all over again.” For his upcoming bout with young and dangerous heir apparent Jermain Taylor, he has once again brought up that classic battle from April 15, 1985. “If he comes gunning for me like he says he will,” the champ says, smiling in hopeful anticipation, “it’ll be a three round war. Just like Hagler and Hearns.”

Hopkins wants at least one more classic battle to be the flipside of his Hall of Fame fistic coin. He only has one such fight, his brilliant dismantling of Felix Trinidad in 2001. But he truly feels he needs a war to justify his Philadelphia street credibility, and more importantly, his middleweight pedigree. The middleweight division has historically been home to the toughest, most honest pugilists in the sport. Hopkins wants to be remembered right alongside Gene Fullmer, Carlos Monzon and, in particular, Hagler. The funny thing is, he is more like Hagler than people care to admit.

With the exception of the Thomas Hearns shoot-out, Hagler’s career was one highlighted by technical brilliance masked in a menacing, bald façade. Hagler, much like Hopkins, was always more of a counter puncher than a brawler. When he finally got his super fight against Hearns, he knew it could turn out to be his last chance to claim the spotlight. He also knew how great and multifaceted a fighter Tommy was. Hearns felt the same way about Hagler, but it was their intense dislike for one another that led to the train wreck which took place Monday night at Caesars Palace in Las Vegas. Hopkins, a more cautious fighter than Hagler, had his Thomas Hearns-like foil in Felix Trinidad, but he wisely chose to box, counterpunch and pick and choose when to launch his power shots. It was a great performance, but not a fight of legendary proportions.

The upcoming fight with Jermain Taylor could very well be different. Different because Hopkins, despite his remarkably well preserved forty-year old body is slowing down. Taylor, the youngster, is surging. The intrigue is there.

Hopkins dominated Howard Eastman in last title defense but he looked sluggish at times and seemed to purposely slow his attack to conserve energy – a sure sign of an aging fighter admittedly relying on tricks of the trade he’s learned over the years. Bernard himself admits his punching power isn’t quite what it used to be. He doesn’t appear to truly hurt full fledged middleweights as he used to and a lot of that also has to do with his diminishing speed and punch out-put.

He has always been a fighter whose hard, but not devastating punches accumulated into a world of hurt for his opponents by the late rounds. Now, he seems content against true middleweights (forget the Oscar De La Hoya fight) to go the distance. He fights, as many great aging fighters have, in spurts. This could be the youthful Taylor’s ace in the hole because he is still not as good a fighter as Hopkins is. But he is good, maybe very good and those young legs and heavy punches, along with a disciplined stiff jab, might just be enough to edge out the old war-horse.

Bernard Hopkins may realize all of this, he’s a smart man, and it might be why he is so frequently bringing up the Hagler – Hearns slugfest in interviews promoting his latest defense. He may just storm across the ring, ala Hagler on that glorious night many years ago, and demand that Taylor fights for his life. If Hopkins decides to turn the fight into a war, the night of July 16th could very well provide boxing fans with yet another middleweight battle for the ages.