Sergey Kovalev, from Chelyabinsk, Russia, decisioned Bernard Hopkins, from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, by scores of 120-106 and 120-107 twice?
Saturday night at Boardwalk Hall in Atlantic City, New Jersey, WBO light heavyweight champion Sergey Kovalev (26-0-1, 23 KOs), from Chelyabinsk, Russia, decisioned IBF/WBA light heavyweight champion Bernard Hopkins (55-7-2, 32 KOs), from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, by scores of 120-106 and 120-107 twice.
Hopkins was overmatched and didn?t win a round, but he ended Kovalev?s knockout streak by proving he can take a punch.
Fighting out of red corner in red trunks with silver trim, the 31-year-old Kovalev looked worlds younger than his 49-year-old opponent. He also looked larger. He also looked fresher.
Hopkins, fighting out of the blue corner in black trunks, looked as determined and focused as ever. But the first solid punch that Kovalev landed, a right hand one-minute into the first round, dropped the Philly fighter. Hopkins scurried to his feet and shook his head to indicate that he wasn?t hurt, but Hopkins fought tentatively for the rest of the fight.
The usually cautious Hopkins was cautious to a fault. Having tasted Kovalev?s power and finding it not to his liking, Hopkins fought defensively, using the ring, retreating to the ropes, seemingly unwilling to let his hands go.
But Kovalev kept his cool. He was composed. He bided his time. He continued to pressure Hopkins, trapping him in the corner, throwing and landing punches, doing more than enough to win the first two rounds.
Hopkins had landed 6 of 21 punches after two rounds. Kovalev landed 15 of 60 punches thrown.
The old master came alive, in a manner of speaking, in round three when he tripped Kovalev and pushed him to the canvas. Hopkins raised his hands in victory, a psyche job par excellence, but it would be the last time he would raise his hands during this somewhat sorrowful night.
At the end of the third, Naazim Richardson told Hopkins, ?The only chance he?s got is when you?re laying against the ropes.? The advice was sound but went unheard. Hopkins had landed just 4 of 12 punches to Kovalev?s 14 of 50 in round three.
However one-sided the fight, it did have ebbs and flows. Kovalev appeared to be slowing down in the middle rounds. ?He?s slowing up,? Brother Naazim told Hopkins, but he?s busier than you. You can?t let him busy you up.?
There were plenty of swings and misses, but Krusher continued to outwork the aging man who calls himself The Alien.
Hopkins, for all his ring savvy, simply wasn?t firing back.
Kovalev had never gone past the eighth round. He never needed to go past the eighth round. Hopkins? strategy, for want of a better word, was to take Kovalev deep in the hope that he would run out of gas. But it didn?t happen. Kovalev fought smart. He kept himself at a safe distance. He refused to give Hopkins an opportunity to dig into his bag of tricks. He made Hopkins fight his fight, a fight Hopkins was ill prepared to fight.
As the fight was winding down, Naazim Richardson grew subdued. ?You?ve gotta put those hands up. Push him back. That?s the only chance we got.?
In the opposite corner, Kovalev?s trainer, John David Jackson, could smell victory. ?He has nothing left,? he said. ?You do what you want to do.?
Kovalev took those words to heart. Hooks, jabs to the head and body, and that sledgehammer right found the mark. Hopkins survived. He?s nothing if not a survivor. But at his advanced age, survive was all he could do, which was a pyrrhic if not an actual victory.
When it was all said and done, Hopkins had landed 65 of 166 total punches to 195 of 585 for Kovalev.
After the bout, both fighters were as gracious as could be.
?Hopkins is a tough opponent,? said Kovalev. ?He?s very good at keeping distance and keep control. I respect him for the fight, but he needs to stop career I think because he?s already done a lot in the boxing world and he needs to give opportunity to younger guys to be champions. My goal is not to knock him out. It?s just a knockdown. I needed to keep control for whole fight. If it will happen again I will feel if any punch more, if I can stop I will do. But I wanted to show to my fans, to boxing fans, how I can do boxing for me myself and I think so I did it. He touched me good punches, but it?s not very hurt me. It?s good points for him and good points not for me. I just keep control and keep going with my mind was my goal for the fight. Don?t rush. He?s got great defense. He?s the best boxer in my division.?
Hopkins was as complimentary of Kovalev as Kovalev was of Hopkins.
?He had a good game plan,? Hopkins said, ?nice and rangy. Stayed outside when he got hit with punches. Not that many, but when he did get hit he stepped back. He didn?t try to engage the fight as far as when he got hurt. But he fought a great technical fight. He used his reach and he used his distance, and that was the key to the fight. He definitely has his mechanics and he has patience and every time he got hit with punches from me he did the right thing and stepped back and I had to reset. Every time I tried to engage and him to trade punches with he, he did on his terms. As long as he wants to, he?s going to be around for a long time. I gotta respect a guy who come to fight and wants to fight everybody. That?s what boxing should be about. The fans come to see a fight.?
