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By Lyle Fitzsimmons - Tavoris Cloud has seen the movie.
He recognizes the part where the brash young stud – a role most recently played by guys named Pavlik and Pascal – loudly proclaims to be the new bully on the block, and promises he’ll be the one to finally humble the neighborhood’s tough guy emeritus, Bernard Hopkins.
And Cloud, who was all of 6 years old when Hopkins first stepped into a professional boxing ring, is just as familiar with the rest of the story; especially the part where the old man takes the kid’s best shot and slaps him around with the precision of a worldly teacher schooling a green pupil.
It’s the last scene that Cloud, the IBF’s reigning light heavyweight kingpin, is determined to rewrite when he gets his shot at Hopkins – now two months past his 48th birthday – while making a fifth title defense Saturday night at Barclays Center in Brooklyn, N.Y.
For Hopkins, it’s the 31st time he’ll emerge from a dressing room with a belt on the line since 1993.
For Cloud, it’s just the 25th overall fight in a career that didn’t begin until nearly 11 years later.
Hence, a very real challenge – even as a consensus betting favorite – to avoid the missteps of youth.
“I'm going to avoid being the next Pascal or Pavlik because I'm not them,” he said. “Tavoris Cloud comes to fight. I'm not letting Hopkins in my head. I'm coming in there to have him fight my fight, so I don't end up like the other guys.” [Click Here To Read More]
He recognizes the part where the brash young stud – a role most recently played by guys named Pavlik and Pascal – loudly proclaims to be the new bully on the block, and promises he’ll be the one to finally humble the neighborhood’s tough guy emeritus, Bernard Hopkins.
And Cloud, who was all of 6 years old when Hopkins first stepped into a professional boxing ring, is just as familiar with the rest of the story; especially the part where the old man takes the kid’s best shot and slaps him around with the precision of a worldly teacher schooling a green pupil.
It’s the last scene that Cloud, the IBF’s reigning light heavyweight kingpin, is determined to rewrite when he gets his shot at Hopkins – now two months past his 48th birthday – while making a fifth title defense Saturday night at Barclays Center in Brooklyn, N.Y.
For Hopkins, it’s the 31st time he’ll emerge from a dressing room with a belt on the line since 1993.
For Cloud, it’s just the 25th overall fight in a career that didn’t begin until nearly 11 years later.
Hence, a very real challenge – even as a consensus betting favorite – to avoid the missteps of youth.
“I'm going to avoid being the next Pascal or Pavlik because I'm not them,” he said. “Tavoris Cloud comes to fight. I'm not letting Hopkins in my head. I'm coming in there to have him fight my fight, so I don't end up like the other guys.” [Click Here To Read More]
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