Sharkie’s Machine: Middleweight Mediocrity’s Main Event
Bernard Hopkins Vs. Morrade Hakkar
(42-2-1-30 KO’s) (29-4-0-18 KO’s)
By Frank Gonzalez Jr.
31.03 - The first round of Bernard Hopkins vs. Morrade Hakkar reminded me of a scene from the Monty Python film, “The Life Of Brian” where the Romans sent a skinny, long haired man into the arena to be slaughtered by a Gladiator but the skinny man ran around the circular Coliseum, the Gladiator chasing him in his heavy Armour until he has a heart attack and collapses. The skinny man raised his arms in victory. Here was the WBC’s number one contender, in the ring with the Champion, running away. The difference being that this runner would lose in equally boring fashion.
Hakkar represents what the Sanctioning Bodies consider a “Number One Contender’ these days. Hakkar wasn’t competitive. His strategy showed that he came to get paid and not to win the fight.
Hakkar’s corner screamed at him after the first round, “What are you doing? Don’t just run--you have to throw punches!” Hakkar came out in the second round and threw a few punches but Hopkins just played with him, like a cat might play with a wounded mouse right before eating it.
The rest of the fight isn’t worth any more mention. Hakkar’s best assets were his legs, for running around the ring. After being instructed by his corner, he went through the motions but his poor boxing skills were way over matched.
It took Hopkins eight boring rounds to get a TKO victory. This is the kind of fight that gives boxing a bad name. It really gives Hopkins a bad name. If it weren’t for the more exciting, non-Philadelphian under-card of David Tua vs. Hasim Rahman, the fight card at the First Union Spectrum in Philadelphia would have been a total bomb.
What’s with Hopkins? It looks like the Trinidad fight was Hopkins’ 15 minutes of fame. Since Sept. 29th, 2001, Bernard has yet to fight any top rate fighters. Hell, he’s only fought twice now since 2001. Hopkins was supposedly going to fight the unheralded Erland Betare. But, as fate would have it, instead of Betare, we got a man who even Betare has beaten, the Frenchman by way of Algeria, Morrade Hakkar.
Are we to believe that Morrade Hakkar is better than Howard Eastman, who’s also ranked by the WBC? At least Eastman vs. Hopkins could have been a good fight.
How guys get ranked Number One beats the hell out of me.
The Middleweight division is no flowing fountain of ‘recognizable’ talent but there are a few decent fighters there to contend with and make good exciting fights. Instead of waiting a year for a mandatory to be imposed, why can’t Hopkins get any decent fights? There is William Joppy, Harry Simon, Howard Eastman and even Jermaine Taylor out there, worthy opponents at the least. If Hopkins wants money, he better chase fights that fans do want to see and take his mandatory challenges in between, like tune-ups for better things.
With the exception of Eastman, none of the better-known middleweights are even ranked by the WBC. The politics of keeping a title belt to increase a fighter’s market value has to be questioned when all you do is fight lousy fighters that no one wants to see. Do what you got to do to make exciting fights and fans will fill the seats and money will be made.
I lost some respect for “The Executioner” for participating in such unentertaining garbage, masquerading on a premium network as entertainment. Bernard is straight up with his ambition, which is to make the big money. I don’t blame him. But this is not the way to get there. Maybe he toyed with Hakkar for 8 rounds to entice 154-pounders to consider fighting him? The way he looked going eight with a guy who should have been finished in three creates the impression that Bernard is on the decline. More bait.
For some time now, Hopkins has been casting his rod, stirring up gossip, while fishing for a fight with De La Hoya or other name brand fighters from the lighter, Jr. Middleweight division. And though some gossip has circulated to the effect that Oscar wants to fight Hopkins, I don’t know anyone who believes that. Hopkins is a dangerous opponent for anyone up to 168 pounds. In this era of the carefully managed fighter, why would any of them take Hopkins’ bait?
Bernard needs Oscar for that big purse. But Oscar does not need him. For all Bernard’s accomplishments, tenure and breaking Carlos Monzon’s record for title defenses, he deserves big purses, more than many unproven favorites of Promoters. But Bernard’s made some career mistakes that are proving very costly.
Arguments over how Hopkins is managing his career have narrowed into a downhill tunnel. The Establishment does not like Hopkins, who takes every opportunity to bash them and verbally expose their hypocrisy. He blew a contract opportunity with Showtime and HBO with his ineffective self-management. Hopkins needs to hire a manager, who can be a liaison between Hopkins and the Promoters and Networks. That might help get him back on the inside track.
At 38 years old, Hopkins doesn’t have much time left. He needs to make whatever sacrifices he can afford in order to get some quality opponents and spark some interest in his fights. A move up to 168 could be profitable. Go try and take a title from Eric Lucas (WBC) or Joe Calzaghe (WBO) or Sven Ottke (IBF and WBA). That process can happen. Staying at 160 forces Hopkins to wait on smaller men to move up. That might be too long a wait. After what the top guns of 154-lbs saw Saturday, they may actually return Hopkins calls. Hopkins took eight rounds to TKO a terrible fighter who was begging to quit since the start.
If Hopkins fights Jr. Middles, there could be big money for fights with Vernon Forrest, Shane Mosley, Ricardo Mayorga, (who has taken the 154-pound division by storm) or even Fernando Vargas. There might be moderate interest for a Winky Wright match -- but I don’t see Wright as a big enough payday for the necessarily shortsighted Bernard.
Ironically, Hopkins reminds me a lot of his archrival, Roy Jones Jr., fighting boring mandatories and pissing off fans by not fighting the fighter’s they want to see. The big difference is that Jones knows how to make big money on little fights, while Hopkins can’t even get fights.
Hopkins should have fought Roy for the few million he was once being offered, even if it was just to call Jones’ bluff. I’m sure he’d have done better than John Ruiz did after Ruiz gave Jones everything he could ask for contractually, along with the fight! Win or lose, Hopkins fighting Jones would have been more lucrative than another mandatory for either. That’s a fight that would make millions of dollars and a lot of satisfied fans.
* * *
During the post fight Interview; Larry Merchant pulled no punches with Hopkins when he somberly asked,
“Aren’t you embarrassed by this? A great fighter having to fight …”
Hopkins… A mandatory fight -- by the rules, I have to fight because they would do like Roy Jones didn’t want them to do before he fought John Ruiz...
Merchant:... Don’t tell me about Ruiz or anybody else…
Hopkins: Larry, stop being ignorant. If I didn’t fight and defend my mandatory with the WBC they would have stripped me.
Merchant: You think anybody wants to see this kind of fight again?
Hopkins: It don’t matter if they want to see it again, it’s the…
Merchant: How do you get paid if no one wants to see it?
Hopkins: Well, I’ll tell you what, I not leaving out here without a check tonight. I don’t know what kind of degree you got but I got paid tonight.
Merchant: But I can assure you it won’t happen again.
Hopkins: Well, I tell you what Larry, unless you got powers other than being a commentator, then this is part of the business and part of the problem. So, since you exposed that to the world, lets move on to other issues. I want to fight the Jr. Middleweight champion, the so-called best…
Merchant: Isn’t it embarrassing for the Middleweight Champion of the world to be calling out Jr. Middleweight Champions?
Hopkins was on the defensive. He had to be. There’s just no justification for such a lousy match up, especially when you’re fighting in your back yard in Philadelphia. Is this what you bring to your hometown fans? I don’t understand how Hopkins can fight once a year and expect to make all the money he wants?
Supposedly Hopkins says he won’t be fighting in Philly anymore, I doubt he’ll be missed -- after this.
Agree or disagree? Send comments to: dshark87@hotmail.com
