Hopkins vs. Adamek: Can Bernard Wait Until 2010?
By Mark Vester
With the news coming down that HBO is once again interested in a fight between Bernard Hopkins and IBF cruiserweight champion Tomasz Adamek, you have to wonder if Bernard can afford to wait around until 2010 for the fight to happen. The network, strapped in terms of their budget for 2009, wants the fight to take place in early 2010.
If the takes place in 2010, Hopkins would be 45-years old and inactive since October 2008, when he dominated Kelly Pavlik for a twelve round decision. Age, rust and many other factors can come into play as the downfall of Hopkins. 2009 has yet to reach the midway point and it doesn't seem like a smart decision on the part of Bernard to sit around until next year. Adamek has a fight scheduled for July and will likely fight again before the end of the year.
It also puts Adamek in a no-win situation. If he beats Hopkins, boxing experts will simply say that Hopkins got old and/or the slick veteran was not active enough and undersized. Hopkins last fought at 170-pounds. The jump to cruiserweight is a 30-pound leap [from his last bout] and Adamek will be at least 200+ on the night of the fight. Adamek is a very strong cruiserweight with decent boxing skills and a dangerous fight for any opponent.
And if a deal does get done, does Adamek just sit around and wait for the 2010 fight? Not likely. I see Adamek being active until the end of year, but Hopkins is so demanding in terms of the opponents that he wants, and the money that he wants, that he probably won't see action until a major check is on the table. But, if a deal is reached after the month of July, HBO tends to have contract clauses that forbid a fighter from taking a bout prior to his HBO-televised date. The network does not want to risk a fighter getting injured and then a television date getting shelved.
In the meantime, why doesn't Hopkins just fight Chad Dawson, the number-one guy at his weight. Dawson is also the only guy to beat Adamek and did so in dominating fashion. I know Hopkins would rather stay away from someone as fast and mobile as Dawson but I think he is underestimating how versatile Adamek really is. In a few of his past interviews, Hopkins said that he would retire if he didn't secure a major fight by July. Is Bernard even willing to hang around for that long? Does the fight actually mean anything by 2010? There has been quite an opinion split on the subject and the debate will continue for the next few months.
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