Jackson: Kovalev Has To Treat Hopkins Like an Old Man

By Radio Rahim

John David Jackson, trainer of WBO light heavyweight champion Sergey Kovalev, is preparing a calculated strategy to wear down WBA/IBF champion Bernard Hopkins. Their unification is scheduled for November 8th from the Boardwalk Hall in Atlantic City.

Kovalev will be looking to wear Hopkins down in the first six rounds and then continue to apply the pressure in the remaining rounds. Jackson believes the 49-year-old Hopkins will finally, after decades, look his age and succumb to the punishment. 

"The weakness for Bernard is that he's an old man, and you have to treat an old man like an old man. You have to make him work harder than he wants to work. Has Bernard been working in the gym so hard, preparing for this kid, that he takes a chance of leaving nothing in tank that night? Or does he leaves reserves in there, but not enough to keep the kid off of him like he should," Jackson said to BoxingScene.com.

"I think Bernard feels that once it goes past six it's his fight, he's going to take the kid to school. But in those first six rounds, forget the head - [Kovalev will be hitting] the arms, the chest, the body, everything. Can he withstand that kind of punishment for the first six and then there is six more to go. His body is already beat up and then there is six more to go. What are you going to do now?"