Hopkins will do to Kovalev what Rigondeaux did to Donaire

[MDPopescu]

Masterclass, Boxing lesson. This fight will be absolute Domination. Hopkins will take him to Boxing School 101 and Kovalev will flunk.

... Wrong comparison!!!
The Cuban school had incorporated a good deal from the Soviet school of boxing. Rigondeaux (and even Lara) is/are boxing in the distance. They are counter punchers and have little close to nothing to do with inside boxing and/or pressure boxing. Hopkins is an "American style" defensive boxer who is able to adapt and roll with the punches, he can stay at mid range and turn to "rough house" if necessary...

Historically speaking, the Russians encountered big difficulties when fighting Cuban stylists, at the amateurs... The same goes for the U.S. fighters -- see FMJr 12-11 victory against Lorenzo Aragon at the Atlanta Olympics; Floyd then becoming the first U.S boxer to defeat a Cuban in 20 years. While the fact that Hopkins defeated Shumenov doesn't make him savvy with respect to the Soviet school of boxing...

[MDPopescu]

It's a somewhat different fight
Kovalev can actually box and uses intelligent pressure
What's donaire? A puncher and little more
I think Hopkins might be able to get inside his head though let's seen if it's enough to mean up kovalevs flow

... Kovalev will not accept "inside boxing" -- he will go on his back foot and try to stay in the distance... Because that's exactly from where he is able to engage his deadly attacks... it would be funny to see just how Kovalev would be able to get his prefered distance in that fight...

[Build That Wall]

Bernard will make this fight look easier than the Tarver fight.