Last night was truly a crowning moment for Bernard Hopkins. Facing off with ambidextrous Haitian-Canadian Jean Pascal inside of the Bell Centre in Quebec, Canada, Hopkins overcame a slow start before dominating the fight and pulling out a close unanimous decision verdict to snatch the WBC light heavyweight championship of the world.
The win is significant for the Philadelphia native as he officially becomes the oldest fighter at 46 years of age to win a world title in the sport of boxing. That distinction was previously held by the great George Foreman, who at 45 years old came from behind to hammer Michael Moorer into submission in winning the WBA and IBF heavyweight titles on November 5th, 1994 at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas, Nevada. <--- Slideshow: Legendary stuff as Bernard Hopkins edges Jean Pascal in a fine duel
Hopkins and Pascal had battled to a majority draw last December, a fight nearly all observers felt Hopkins deserved to win after climbing off of the canvas twice to control the second half of the fight. This time the script was slightly similar as Hopkins took his time adjusting to Pascal while eventually turning the tide of the fight from rounds five on.
In the fourth a crashing right hand from Pascal visibly hurt Hopkins, more than I recall him being dazed dating back to his first fight with Segundo Mercado in December of 1994, and it seemed that the 28-year old was set to take control. But like the old pro he is, Hopkins regrouped, began working his way back into the fight, and eventually seized complete momentum.
The latter stage of the fight was vintage Hopkins as he darted in and out, caught Pascal repeatedly with lead right hands, and kept the fight rough and physical on the inside in order to avoid any serious incoming from the willing Pascal. Hopkins did appear to be severely hurt by a Pascal right hand in the 12th but he again shook it off and finished strong.
Judges scorecards read 116-112, 115-113, and 115-114 in Hopkins’ favor in what was his 60th fight as a professional. After the bout Hopkins promised the masses that all of his fights from this point on with be ‘spectacular’ and he says he will be eyeing the likes of former champion Chad Dawson, who defeated bruising Romanian Adrian Diaconu on the undercard, as well as IBF super middleweight champion Lucian Bute. Advertisement
Hopkins’ 52-5-2 ledger with 32 knockouts will never be able to truly tell the story of a hard-luck fighter who lost his first pro fight yet continued perfecting his craft while constantly testing himself and often defying the odds in pulling off some of the most remarkable upsets in recent times.
A special night for a special fighter. There is nobody like Bernard Hopkins.
