By Frank Lotierzo
In his last bout, Bernard Hopkins won a 12-round unanimous decision over top contender Howard Eastman. Although the fight lacked excitement, Hopkins' decision was decisive, winning by scores of 119-110, 119-111 and 116-112. In methodically breaking Eastman down, Hopkins extended his record in middleweight title bouts to 20-1-1, winning his last 20.
Hopkins was only dominant from a ring generalship vantage point. He didn't devastate Eastman or give him a savage physical beating. What Hopkins did was slowly draw Eastman into fighting his fight and took him to school. It wasn't until the fifth round that Hopkins started dictating the fight, by the seventh round he was in complete control, with Eastman following him around the ring in a trance looking to one big punch. When fighters are reduced to where their only chance to pull the fight out is by landing one big punch, the fight is over. This applies tenfold if the fighter dictating the tempo of the bout is Bernard Hopkins, who never beats himself.
The style that Eastman fought against Hopkins guaranteed two things: (1) Hopkins retains the crown and (2) Eastman's name becomes number twenty on his list of successful title defenses. Maybe Eastman thought Hopkins was the physically brilliant fighter who took Felix Trinidad apart back in September 2001. It goes without saying he is not. And that's why it's imperative for any fighter who challenges Hopkins from this point on to make the fight a physical while be fought at a fast pace. Make him demand things of his 40-year-old body it can no longer do on demand because of age. That's the only way Hopkins will leave the ring as the former undisputed middleweight champion.
Hopkins is too experienced and smart to attempt fighting in-between gears. Any fighter going in the ring with Hopkins must have a sound attack plan, along with a backup plan, because Hopkins will change his tactic in subtle ways to neutralize his opponent's advantage. Against Hopkins you must be decisive and jump on him at the opening bell, something that would have been suicide five years ago. Since his fight with Trinidad, Hopkins has needed at least three or four rounds to warm up and get into the rhythm of the fight. This is when he is most vulnerable to the type of attack that Glencoffee Johnson surprised Roy Jones with this past September.
Hopkins has lost speed, something always prevalent in older fighters, but he has so much experience and ring savvy that it's not realistic for a fighter to think that Hopkins can be out thought. Hopkins must be outfought. He is susceptible to what other past greats could not overcome because of their age: speed and being forced to fight at a fast pace. It's paramount for Hopkins' next challenger to make him fight. He must force the champ to fight, to literally be forced to fight his opponent off him. As witnessed by Hopkins last four or five title defenses, this is not the way he wants to fight, which is the objective for any fighter. Make the opponent fight the type/style fight that he doesn't want. That forces him to do what are not considered his strengths.
Although attacking Hopkins provides him (Hopkins) a bigger opportunity to knock out his opponent, at least Taylor will be giving himself his best chance to get to Hopkins - something that he has no chance of doing if he tries to box him. If Taylor is drawn into fighting him in between styles, it's over. But don't fight him by moving towards him at a measured pace, which gives him the perfect amount of time and distance to operate. Make his body determine the outcome, because he cannot be beaten by any middleweight out there today attempting to do so in a chess match.
Howard Eastman couldn't have fought Hopkins more incorrectly, both fundamentally and strategically. I know Hopkins must be credited for lulling him into the same trance that he's induced most of his opponents into. But Eastman did have a choice to at least make it more difficult for Hopkins to poison him before taking him out to sea and drowning him. By Eastman jumping on Hopkins he could have either prolonged the inevitable or possibly altered the outcome.
Hopkins now picks his spots and fights in spurts. However, he has that strategy down to a science and gets the optimum out of the diminished offense he now exhibits over the course of a 12-round fight.
Instead of beating his opponents down, he in essence takes the bullets out of their gun. Once their offense has been neutralized, he picks it up and hits them with more pinpoint precision and accuracy. This causes them to fight with slight trepidation. Once that happens they're reduced to landing a lottery punch as their only hope to win the fight. And it goes without saying that Hopkins isn't going to lose his title by virtue of being caught with a lottery punch.
