By Michael Marley
He’s fighting with the youthful vigor and exuberance of a teenager so it is appropriate that 18 was a lucky number for Old Man Bernard Hopkins Saturday night in Montreal.
Because saying that Hopkins “beat” ordinary Jean Pascal a second time in as many bouts is not really accurate.
No, X marks the spot in Montreal for the “Executioner” because what the 46 year old, now the oldest world champ ever in boxing, really did was beat fellow Hall Of Famer Roy Jones, who got starched with a 10 round KO in Moscow the same evening, a second time.
On April 3, 2010, Hopkins posted a lackluster twelve round decision over the fading Jones.
For most of his career, Hopkins’ legend was clouded, in not jeopardized, by his May 23, 1993, decision loss (all scores 116-112 for Jones) at RFK Stadium in Washington, DC.
On Saturday, two days shy of 18 years later, he schooled Pascal again while Jones was getting yet another graphic message—the video of this knockout by another historical footnote named Denis Lebedev is sickening—to quit the ring now.
Anyone close to Jones, and this includes lawyer John Wirt who handles his business, who doesn’t privately and/or, if necessary, urge Jones to stop fighting should be ashamed of themselves. Jones’ health can’t be worth the mere $500,000 he left Russia with, can it?
Eighteen years figures in for Hopkins again because that’s the age difference between he and the 28 year old Pascal.
Let’s face it, though he tries hard, Pascal is not even the best fighter at his weight in the province of Quebec.
That regional honor belongs to Lucian Bute but he and BHop won’t likely fight as Bute is tied to Showtime with Hopkins working for HBO.
That means we’ll next see Hopkins waltzing with Chadwick Dawson in what can only be another dreary affair where caution will try spectators’ patience.
Hopkins may never have had the same aura Jones did when he was boxing’s Pound for Pound kingpin but Jones squandered it by fighting busboy, cops and other pretenders.
With Jones staying way too long at the fistic fair, it must be beautifully satisfying for BHop to still be polishing his legacy while Jones diminishes his.
You think anyone will look back to review Hopkins’ career work and say, but hey, he lost to historical footnote Jermain Taylor twice? I certainly don’t.
Neither will anyone quibble about BHop’s losses to Jones and to superb stylist Joe Cazlaghe.
And certainly no one except maybe me will ever bring up a cipher named Clinton Mitchell, the mystery man from Brooklyn who ruined Bernard’s pro debut in Atlantic City on Oct. 11, 1988, with a majority decision over four rounds.
Mitchell’s whereabouts are unknown understandably.
After beating BHop, he did not fight for seven long years and finished his career with only five bouts.
Hopkins will mark 23 years in the pro ring this Oct. 11.