Living legend Bernard Hopkins was last seen inside the squared circle nearly two years ago, when he dropped a lopsided decision in a unification bout with light heavyweight sensation Sergey Kovalev. On December 17, just one month before his 52nd birthday, the aging ring warrior is scheduled to have his farewell retirement bout against 27 year old Joe Smith Jr. Win, lose, or draw, the bout against Smith is being billed as the final chapter in the long and illustrious career for the future Hall of Famer.
Hopkins is best known for his long dominant reign as middleweight champion, which spanned from 1994 until 2005 during a period where Bernard successfully defended the middleweight championship for a record 20 consecutive defenses, before dropping two controversial decisions against Jermain Taylor. His signature victory at middleweight came against Felix Trinidad in September 2001, where Hopkins entered the bout as a sizeable underdog before putting on an absolute masterclass against Tito before ultimately stopping him in the 12th and final round.
After dropping the middleweight titles at age 40 against Taylor, it appeared that Hopkins was at the end of the line. He would once again shock the boxing world as an underdog when he jumped two weight classes to challenge the then 175 pound king Antonio Tarver, who was universally recognized as a pound-for-pound elite talent in the sport. Hopkins dominated Tarver in a one-sided mismatch to win the light heavyweight championship.
Throughout his 40s, Bernard continued to compete at an elite level and overcome the odds. He thoroughly outclassed Kelly Pavlik in a 12 round shutout victory where he once again defied the odds-makers. He would also become the oldest man to ever win a major world championship when he defeated Jean Pascal at age 46. He would go on to once again break his own record when he regained a major title aged 48 against then undefeated Tavoris Cloud, and Hopkins would then win a major title unification match against Beibut Shumenov at the age of 49.
How much does the nearly 52 year old warrior have left in the tank?
Against Joe Smith Jr, Hopkins is facing a young hungry foe with explosive power coming off of a shocking 1st round KO against legit top 10 contender Andrzej Fonfara. True to form, Hopkins is taking on a true challenge in what is being billed as his final bout. Does he still have enough skill, technique, and stamina to outbox the younger boxer? Or will Father Time finally catch up with the age defying world class athlete?
This edition of Rummy’s Corner takes a quick look into the farewell bout for Bernard Hopkins while also taking a look back at some of his accomplishments he has achieved since the age of 40. Please watch and enjoy the video!
