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by David P. Greisman - When Bernard Hopkins was sentenced to hard time behind bars, Beibut Shumenov had not yet even been born. For the entirety of the 30 and a half years that Shumenov has been on this earth, Hopkins has either been incarcerated or in the ring.
Hopkins went from prison to professional prizefighting more than 25 years ago. He’s 49 years old now, at least a decade beyond the age at which boxers are typically resigned to retiring or consigned to fighting in crossroads bouts for short money against younger opponents whose reflexes are fresher and whose futures are brighter.
Hopkins vs. Shumenov was a unification bout between two world titleholders in the light heavyweight division. But to phrase it like that is to imply that there was some comparison in terms of accomplishment, capability and experience. There was no comparison. This was no even fight. This wasn’t a crossroads bout. This was a mismatch in favor of Hopkins, who put on another master class against an opponent who was often made to look as if he had no clue and no chance.
Forget what the record book says in describing the win as a split decision. The fact that one judge somehow had Shumenov slightly ahead after 12 rounds says far more about the judge than it does about the fight. The other two judges rightly had Hopkins the victor, scoring the bout 116-111, eight rounds to four with an additional point taken from Shumenov for the knockdown he suffered in the 11th round. Even that score makes it seem as if Shumenov had more success than he did. [Click Here To Read More]
Hopkins went from prison to professional prizefighting more than 25 years ago. He’s 49 years old now, at least a decade beyond the age at which boxers are typically resigned to retiring or consigned to fighting in crossroads bouts for short money against younger opponents whose reflexes are fresher and whose futures are brighter.
Hopkins vs. Shumenov was a unification bout between two world titleholders in the light heavyweight division. But to phrase it like that is to imply that there was some comparison in terms of accomplishment, capability and experience. There was no comparison. This was no even fight. This wasn’t a crossroads bout. This was a mismatch in favor of Hopkins, who put on another master class against an opponent who was often made to look as if he had no clue and no chance.
Forget what the record book says in describing the win as a split decision. The fact that one judge somehow had Shumenov slightly ahead after 12 rounds says far more about the judge than it does about the fight. The other two judges rightly had Hopkins the victor, scoring the bout 116-111, eight rounds to four with an additional point taken from Shumenov for the knockdown he suffered in the 11th round. Even that score makes it seem as if Shumenov had more success than he did. [Click Here To Read More]
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