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The Parallels in the careers of Archie Moore and Bernard Hopkins
A 40-year-old Bernard Hopkins successfully defended the World Middle Championship against number one contender Howard Eastman. This feat, a defense of a world title by a 40-year-old fighter is a very rare occurrence and its significance has been diminished by George Foreman’s record breaking knock out victory over Michael Moorer in 1994. Before the 45-year old Foreman’s historic win, Jersey Joe Walcott had the record for being the oldest man to win the Heavyweight Championship. He was 37 years old. Big George just didn’t break the previous record, he demolished it by 8 years and as a result any accomplishment by an older fighter is going to pale in comparison to Foreman’s almost mythical achievement. If you really look at George Foreman’s success in the early and mid-nineties you’ll see that yes he scored a knockout victory over the undefeated linear heavyweight champion, but you will also see that he lost to Evander Holyfield and Tommy Morrison, and that he was lucky to get decisions over Alex Stewart and Axel Schultz.
The late Cus Damato always believed that a great fighter could put it all together on any given night and call back the magic of the past to give one last virtuoso performance. Great fighters like Roberto Duran and Sugar Ray Robinson did that on more than one occasion in the twilight of their careers. You see it’s easier to put it all together on one night and win a big fight than it is to consistently be successful, which is what Hopkins has done. Think about it, who was the last fighter in his forties to successfully defend his title? Not too many men have won titles past the age of forty, and only three men have successfully defended a world title while in their forties: Archie Moore, George Foreman, Bernard Hopkins. The Executioner’s success at an age when most fighters are retired or regularly losing fights has mirrored Archie’s accomplishments as the World Light Heavyweight Champ. [details]
A 40-year-old Bernard Hopkins successfully defended the World Middle Championship against number one contender Howard Eastman. This feat, a defense of a world title by a 40-year-old fighter is a very rare occurrence and its significance has been diminished by George Foreman’s record breaking knock out victory over Michael Moorer in 1994. Before the 45-year old Foreman’s historic win, Jersey Joe Walcott had the record for being the oldest man to win the Heavyweight Championship. He was 37 years old. Big George just didn’t break the previous record, he demolished it by 8 years and as a result any accomplishment by an older fighter is going to pale in comparison to Foreman’s almost mythical achievement. If you really look at George Foreman’s success in the early and mid-nineties you’ll see that yes he scored a knockout victory over the undefeated linear heavyweight champion, but you will also see that he lost to Evander Holyfield and Tommy Morrison, and that he was lucky to get decisions over Alex Stewart and Axel Schultz.
The late Cus Damato always believed that a great fighter could put it all together on any given night and call back the magic of the past to give one last virtuoso performance. Great fighters like Roberto Duran and Sugar Ray Robinson did that on more than one occasion in the twilight of their careers. You see it’s easier to put it all together on one night and win a big fight than it is to consistently be successful, which is what Hopkins has done. Think about it, who was the last fighter in his forties to successfully defend his title? Not too many men have won titles past the age of forty, and only three men have successfully defended a world title while in their forties: Archie Moore, George Foreman, Bernard Hopkins. The Executioner’s success at an age when most fighters are retired or regularly losing fights has mirrored Archie’s accomplishments as the World Light Heavyweight Champ. [details]
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