Bernard ?B-Hop? Hopkins added another chapter to his book of legendary achievements when he soundly outpointed previously undefeated Tavoris Cloud Saturday night. In the process, B-Hop annexed Cloud?s IBF light-heavyweight crown, and at age 48 broke his own record as the oldest fighter ever to win a major title ? a distinction previously held by George Foreman.
Only last year, it seemed that Hopkins was finally on his way out. In two encounters with young gun Chad Dawson, Hopkins was thrown to the floor and suffered a bout-ending shoulder injury in the first match (which was declared a no-contest) and lost a clear-cut decision in the second. Even though no one can tell Hopkins what to do, fight fans fervently hoped that he would finally hang up his gloves.
He didn?t do that. He decided to take on Cloud, another young gun. Cloud is an energetic puncher, similar to Jean Pascal. Pascal fought Hopkins twice, battling to a controversial draw in the first bout, then losing decisively in the second. But Father Time is stalking Hopkins, and if the right fighter caught him at the right time ?
Cloud, as it turned out, wasn?t the right fighter, and Saturday certainly wasn?t the right time for him to send B-Hop into retirement. Hopkins?s body is still capable of utilizing the savvy he has acquired over his 25-year career, and that was enough to offset the youth and enthusiasm of his opponent.
So now Hopkins, who was once a middleweight champion, once again holds a piece of the light-heavyweight crown. His seeming agelessness is reminiscent of a renowned light-heavyweight king of the past: Archie Moore, the ?Old Mongoose.? The nickname was inspired by Moore?s ability to beguile his opponents the way a mongoose outwits a striking cobra.
Moore, who reigned during the 1950s and early ?60s, set the mold into which Hopkins now fits comfortably. Like Hopkins, Moore started out as a middleweight, then moved up to the next division. Unlike Hopkins, however, Archie didn?t get a title shot of any kind until the age of 36, when he outpointed Joey Maxim to win the light-heavyweight championship back in 1952. Moore held that title for nearly 10 years. Well into his 40s, Moore continued to turn back the aspirations of younger contenders.
The similarities between B-Hop and ?Ancient Archie? are obvious. There are a couple of glaring differences, though.
First, Moore fought a total of 219 bouts in his career ? nearly four times more than Hopkins?s 61, which is a lot by today?s standards. All those fights gave Moore a degree of experience and seasoning that no current boxer ? not even Hopkins ? can match. At the same time, though, all those fights would have worn down the body of anyone. And Moore took some fierce beatings before he became champion, especially from future heavyweight king Ezzard Charles. Hopkins has lost fights, too, but he has never been knocked out ? a claim Moore could not make.
The second difference is that Moore often fought heavyweights, and more than held his own against the big boys. As a heavyweight, he is remembered most for his epic fails in title shots against Rocky Marciano and Floyd Patterson, and his humiliating loss to a young Muhammad Ali, who was then still known as Cassius Clay. But those defeats are offset by Moore?s victories against such Top 10 heavyweights as Nino Valdes, Bob Baker and Clarence Henry. At one time, Moore was simultaneously recognized as world light-heavyweight champion and rated as the No. 1 contender for the heavyweight crown.
Hopkins, on the other hand, has never fought in a division higher than light-heavy. Of course, no one expects him to go up against the behemoths of the current heavyweight class, dismal though it may be. However, the cruiserweights of today are for the most part similar in size to the heavyweights of Moore?s time. The cruiserweight division didn?t even exist back then, as it wasn?t deemed necessary to create a class between the heavies and light-heavies.
But Hopkins hasn?t fought any cruiserweights, never mind heavyweights. There was talk for a time of Hopkins taking on the 215-pound David Haye, who had moved up from cruiserweight to win the WBA heavyweight belt. But those rumors fizzled.
It would have been interesting to see how much weight Hopkins might have gained to face Haye. Moore often packed on 15 to 20 pounds for his heavyweight sojourns, then boiled back down to 175 for defenses of his light-heavy title. This constant yo-yoing in poundage would have taken its toll on Moore?s physical equipment as he got older.
That?s why I would pick Hopkins over Archie if they had fought each other at light-heavy at the age of 48. By the time he reached his late 40s, Moore looked every month of his age, if not older. But Hopkins maintains a level of physical conditioning a man 25 years younger would envy. That advantage would have offset Archie?s edge in experience.
The Old Mongoose is long gone. Long live the New Mongoose.
Charles R. Saunders is the author of several books including Sweat and Soul: The Saga of Black Boxers in the Maritimes from the Halifax Forum to Caesars Palace, as well as the Imaro series of fantasy/adventure novels. Considered by many to be one of the leading authorities on boxing in Canada, he is the current Vice-President of Boxing for the Society of North American Sports Historians and Researchers. His award-winning novel, Damballa, which centers around a fictional heavyweight title bout, is available at Amazon.com.
