SO, what happened?
Bernard Hopkins survived Sergey Kovalev on Sunday.
And in so doing, Hopkins has achieved boxing?s greatest escape of all time.
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With all humility, did I not say that here only a couple days back?
That if Hopkins survived, he?d still be the winner?in a manner of speaking?
To be sure, Hopkins lost to Kovalev, in the process losing his two world light-heavyweight crowns and allowing the 27-0 winner to wear all three championship belts all at the same time.
But that was almost expected, as in Noynoy Aquino sure to win the presidential derby in 2010?history being absolutely poised to sweep him to power. If you are destined for this or that, even the gods will balk.
Still, in defeat, Hopkins emerged the winner?in a manner of speaking.
The loss meant surviving for Hopkins in this eerily-staged encounter where one was meant to win or Pope Francis won?t arrive here in January as promised. Hopkins was already the winner even before the first bell was banged?again, in a manner of speaking.
Even if granting that Hopkins had lost by knockout, it would not have meant, neither, that Kovalev was the better fighter of the two.
In fact, Kovalev was so heavily favored to win and a knockout victory happening for him was to come almost as sure as the sun sinks at Manila Bay everyday at dusk.
At 31, Kovalev is at his strongest and mightiest compared to Hopkins, whose 49-year-old knees are as creaky already as a pair of withered acacia twigs.
That Kovalev the ?Krusher? failed to send Hopkins the ?Alien? to Dreamland was just as strange, like seeing Mar Roxas being swept to Malacanang barely two years from now.
Well, Kovalev almost did, knocking Hopkins down with a right in the first round.
But after Hopkins had sprung right back, it would next give Kovalev the maze of his life that even the all-powerful Putin couldn?t solve.
For, in the next 11 rounds, the overmatched Kovalev could not put away the hapless but never outfought Hopkins, whose amazing resilience saw him survive 38 power-packed punches in the 12th and final round.
Yes, Hopkins lost. But was his spirit beaten, if not broken? I doubt.
Listen to him: ?We both would fight anyone. That?s what brought us together.?
