In the end, we witnessed the sun setting on the career of one of the best pound-for-pound fighters to ever live, and one of the great sports stories of our time?
INGLEWOOD, California?Saturday night at The Forum, in a fight billed as ?The Final 1,? Bernard Hopkins (55-8, 1ND, 1NC, 32 KOs) said his formal goodbye to the sport of boxing in a bout against 27-year-old Joe Smith Jr. (22-1, 18 KOs) for the WBC International light heavyweight title. The fight featured a unique type of suspense: not the standard anticipation surrounding the outcome of a world-class fight, but the edge-of-the-seat suspense of a 51-year-old man seeking to defy the odds and re-define our notion of what graceful aging is (as Hopkins has). In many ways, Joe Smith Jr. fit the profile of Hopkins? victims of the past: a young, hungry, powerful puncher that Hopkins attempts to solve through defense, counterpunching and ring generalship. Because of this, the fight contained an interesting enough clash of styles to add intrigue to the historical shadow surrounding the fight.
The fight began with Smith Jr. jumping right on the sluggish Hopkins, attempting to use his substantive speed and strength advantage. At various points in the fight, the script looked like a classic Hopkins affair, the legend picking his spots and landing effective counterpunches. But through it all, Smith Jr.?s stalking caused trouble for the diminished Hopkins in flashes. Everything changed 53 seconds into round 8, when Smith?s aggression finally paid off. With Hopkins pinned against the ropes, Smith Jr. landed a blistering combination, sending Hopkins down and out of the ring and onto The Forum floor. Hopkins was injured in the fall and unable to continue, and the fight was called a KO in favor of Joe Smith Jr.
After the fight, Smith Jr. came across as humble and appreciative, calling Hopkins a ?true champion,? and saying poetically that ?I had to finish him, it was either my career was going to end and his was going to end, but I needed mine to continue.? Given Hopkins? age and obvious decline, it is difficult to assess if this fight?s outcome was indicative of Smith Jr. being an elite light heavyweight contender, but his aggressive style and likable persona should have earned him fans and greater opportunities in the future. After the fight Hopkins sounded frustrated by the outcome, but not so much that it changed his perspective on retirement: ?This is my last fight. I promised it would be and you come to that point in life where it is final and I?m happy with my retirement.? The event was supposed to be a celebration of Hopkins, and the outcome certainly rained on his parade. Still, we must acknowledge: Hopkins is influential enough to have chosen a random opponent tailor-made for a celebratory exit. Instead, Hopkins chose a very dangerous opponent, saying, ?I knew he could punch, that?s why I wanted to fight him.?
In the end, we witnessed the sun setting on the career of one of the best pound-for-pound fighters to ever live, and one of the great sports stories of our time. Hopkins? story can be told many ways: a story of redemption, of monastic dedication to his craft, of integrity in a sport sullied by greed and questionable ethics. Like many legends, including Joe Louis and Muhammad Ali, Hopkins? exit from boxing was hardly triumphant, but ended in violent defeat. Also like those vanquished legends, Hopkins will be remembered by the entirety of his pugilistic curriculum vitae, and not the closing image. His future includes statues, and a warm place in the Hall of Fame. We should all look forward to seeing Hopkins develop a life outside of the ring, most likely as a commentator and promoter. If one was to summarize his storied career, and explain how he was able to do what he did, we could quote Hopkins himself: ?I figured the puzzle out, and then I executed.?
In the event?s co-feature, 2012 Olympian and undefeated rising star Joseph Diaz Jr. (22-0, 13 KOs) of California took on Horatio Garcia (30-1, 21 KOs) of Guadalajara, Mexico for the NABF featherweight title. This was a high action and entertaining bout featuring two offensive-minded fighters. Garcia stalked aggressively through all rounds, while Diaz Jr. matched him with precise combinations and impressive footwork. The judges scored the fight a unanimous decision (100-90 on all three cards) for Diaz Jr., who now seems primed to take on the elite fighters in the featherweight division. A pleased Diaz Jr. spoke of his performance: ?I came in and got what I wanted and I?m very happy with the outcome.?
In the premier undercard, 2012 Olympic gold medalist and WBO cruiserweight champion Oleksander Usyk (10-0, 9 KOs) made his US debut in a bout against South Africa?s Thabisu Mchunu (17-2, 11 KOs). Usyk wanted to make a splash in his debut, but struggled in early rounds against the sprightly Mchunu. Eventually Usyk?s stalking paid off, stopping Mchunu in round 9. Usyk expressed satisfaction at the outcome, saying, ?We were hoping to get the knockout earlier, but we got it and we?re looking forward to bringing more fights to this cruiserweight division.?
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