Hopkins Has His Legacy

INSIDE BOXING (September 19, 2004) - Last night, Bernard Hopkins showed the world what most of us have suspected- he is one of the best fighters of this generation. Before we start saying that Bernard only beat a junior middleweight, let face one fact. Hopkins beat one of the better fighters of our generation in Oscar De La Hoya.

When I was thinking about this fight, the one person that came to mind was Larry Holmes. Holmes was the Roger Dangerfield of Heavyweights, for no one really would give the Easton Assassin his due. For seven years, Holmes beat every fighter in front of him and all he would hear was that he beat a bunch of nobodies or that he was not Ali. He won 21 championship fights in a row and dominated the division not seen since Joe Louis and people still complain.

It was not until he would beat Ray Mercer and gave Evander Holyfield a tussle past the age of 40 when we finally realize that it was safe to mention Ali and Holmes in the same sentence.

Hopkins was no different. He had the misfortune to fight in the middleweight division when it was depleted of stars. In the early 90’s, James Toney and Roy Jones headlined a deep Middleweight division before moving up in weight. Hopkins would lose to Jones but since then, he became unbeatable.

It took two fights to show off the skills of Hopkins. His battle with Trinidad and most recently, De La Hoya to show what a master boxer he was. After the age of 36, he fought his two most noteworthy opponents since Jones and he won both fights easily. The most impressive thing about both victories was the manner that he triumphed. Against Trinidad, he moved and boxed before finishing the job against Trinidad.Against De La Hoya, he took two rounds to adjust to the Golden Boy strategy and then took command of the fight. With one beautiful body shot, he did what no other fighter could ever do- stop De La Hoya.

For many years, Hopkins toiled in the shadow of others. While he fighting and beating every middleweights, boxing pundits ignored him. He was not the most glamorous fighter but what we were missing was a student of the game. Very rarely has a fighter been able to do what Hopkins could do in the ring. Hopkins is one of the best fighters when it comes to adjusting in the course of a fight against an opponent. His craftsmanship is meticulous for Hopkins is more than a fighter; he is a scholar of the ring. He studies his opponent and he never overlooked anyone. When De La Hoya told an interviewer that he did not train like he should for his fight against Sturm, Hopkins responded that he didn’t need De La Hoya to be ready for a fight. He always came ready to fight and that is why he was always in shape.

When Hopkins came into the ring, it was to the tune of the Frank Sinatra classic, “I did it my way,” for Hopkins managed his own career. While there were times that many doubted Hopkins sanity in his management as his controversial style often cost him big money fight. Last nightwas the culmination of his career as he walked away with $10, 000,000 plus. He swallowed his pride and allowed De La Hoya to walk away with the lion share of the loot from the fight but he could count. $10,000,000 is more money he could have made fighting anyone else.

Hopkins now has what he wants- recognition. His record speaks for itself. No one has beaten Hopkins in 19 straight Middleweights championship fights. Hopkins showed the world last night that to mention his name in the same sentence of a Monzon or Hagler is not a sin. Hopkins legacy is now secure and unlike Holmes, we will not have to wait two decades after the fact to acknowledge what was in front of us- a great fighter.

De La Hoya, Marquez and the Americanization of Mexican fighters.

I was hoping for a fight and a boxing match broke out, to paraphrase an old joke. The Marquez-Salido fight showed a new trend- Americanization of Mexican fighters. Marquez and Salido fought a tactical fight, which use to be an oxymoron among Mexican fighter. Mexican fighters reputation was to hold a fight in a phone booth and trade left hooks. The winner would be the fighter left standing.

As Emmanuel Steward noticed, many Mexican fighters fight more of their fights north of the border and many of the better Mexican fighters trained in United States. What we are seeing is that many Mexican fighters are becoming well-rounded fighters combining American movements with Mexican ferocity. Marquez is a brilliant counterpuncher who moves and box. Against Salido, he merely gave his Mexican compatriot a boxing lesson. He controlled the fight from the very beginning, and very unMexican like, he fought a cautious fight. As Steward observed, Marquez has some big fights down the road, so why risk a big payday against Salido? He boxed and played matador to the Salido bull with the result being an easy victory.

Steward made another point that with many Europeans fighters joining the Mexican exodus to the States, we are seeing a fusion of boxing styles with Mexican aggressiveness combined with American boxing movement sprinkled with a little European stand up style mixed in. This fusion could result in some unique styles being combined and some new breakthroughs in the sport. Juan Marquez counterpunching and boxing skills allowed him to survive against Manny Pacquiao in their classic fight. If Marquez had resorted to typical Mexican in your face, he would not have lasted through the second round. Instead, he moved and box the Philipino fighter to a draw.

What makes this fusion interesting is that we are seeing fighters who are becoming comfortable in fighting different styles. And with many of these fighters allying themselves with Golden Boy Productions, this process could quicken. De La Hoya, joining forces with Arum Top Rank, has begun the process of cornering most of the leading Hispanic fighters. While we have marvel about De La Hoya the fighter, we are over looking his promotion abilities. De La Hoya has been promoting fights for years and preparing himself for life after boxing. If you add his new reality show on Fox and you have the making of the Hispanic version of Don King and Bob Arum. With De La Hoya handling a new generation of Hispanic fighters, we will continue to see this fusion of fighting styles. Hispanic fighters combining vicious body shots with counterpunching ability, we are seeing a new fighter emerging.

As a promoter, De La Hoya will become a force in changing the face of boxing. With more Hispanic fighters coming north to fight and train, this fusion will continue unabated. Add the challenges of European fighters and fight fans will be treated to a generation of fighters whose styles bring new excitement to the ring. The world will come to America and fight fans will have a front row seat to globalization of boxing. Courtesy of Golden Boy Promotion.

The Night of the Perfect Left Hook

Just in case you missed it, Kofi Jantual unleached the perfect left hook against Marco Rubio. As Rubio missed with a left hook of his own, Jantuah countered with the perfect shot that sent Rubio to the canvas. As the referee counted the Mexican fighter out, Rubio thighs quivered. The Mexican appeared paralyzed. Last night, fight fans were treated two perfect left hooks. Jantual left hook to Rubio chin in the first 35 seconds of their fight and Hopkins beautifully placed left hook to Oscar De La Hoya liver. Call this the night of the perfect left hook.