Bernard Hopkins: Live By The Foul, Die By The Foul

Bernard Hopkins has made his living by being one of the greatest technical fighters ever and by having a knack for controlling the flow of his fights. He keeps the pace and tone of the fight to his liking — a slow methodical pace where efficiency and technical skill wins out. He is noted for having "boring" fights because his style is to backpedal, use angles and footwork to avoid being hit, flurry to score points to win rounds, and clinch after throwing to avoid being countered.

On Saturday night, the 45-years old legend took on 28-years old Haitian-Canadian Jean Pascal for Pascal's WBC light heavyweight title in Quebec City, Canada. Hopkins outclassed his younger foe by outworking the incumbent champion. Uncharacteristically, Hopkins pushed the pace, controlling the ring center and providing the crowd a great deal of action. So, why did he not walk out with yet another title? Something caught up with him and it was not his age.
 
People are oft to play sports math at the end of a sporting event and factor in "what if" points from early in a contest and fallaciously believe that the match would have taken the same course with that change as it did without it. Although it simplifies matters, it is incongruous to do so. For example, in a football game if a team misses a field goal in the first quarter and ultimately loses the game by two points, one cannot surmise had they made that kick they would have won the game. When one alters that score at that time, they take strategies and game plans on a different route because all the events that transpired after the missed field goal were contingent on the teams playing as if that field goal had been missed. Why is this important? 
 
"What if" scenarios aside, the wily veteran was knocked down twice. The first was by an illegal blow to the back of the head in the final seconds of the first — an unscorable knockdown that probably cost him leaving Quebec City as the gagnant and with yet another title, but the visitor left with a majority draw. "B-Hop" came back strong from the fourth to the final bell and won a close decision on my scorecard.

After two judges scored the fight even and one had it for the 45-year old (official scores were 114-112 (American judge) for Hopkins and 113-113 (Canadian judge), 114-114 (Belgian judge) the result was a draw and no new title for the legendary warrior. Hopkins, who challenged for the title, would have won the title if either the Canadian or Belgian judge had given him one more point or if the knockdown had not been scored. Without having two judges awarding him the decision, it was ruled a majority draw. Thus depriving him of his opportunity to spoil the night for the WBC light heavyweight champion's ( Jean Pascal) fourth title defence. How much pity do we feel for the "poor, ole guy"?
 
This was Pascal's mindset going into the fight: "I'm going to treat him [Hopkins] like he's a piece of meat and I'm the hungry dog...I'm not going to give him too much respect...I know that he's dirty fighter who is known to play games. If he hits me low, he's going to get exactly the same thing. I'm not going to get intimidated by the legend." So, why did the champ have a negative impression of the venerable pugilist going into the fight?
 
Apart from being a guaranteed Hall of Famer, the Philadelphia pugilist has one of the worst reputations in boxing for being a dirty fighter. Magnanimity is not usually equated with the ring master; rather, more meretricious adjectives are used. While not illegal, B-Hop was sticking his tongue out at the hometown hero during the fight and past transgressions include disgracefully stepping on a Puerto Rican flag twice; both in New York and in Puerto Rico!

Examples of questionable in-ring tactics he regularly employs are: a history of holding and hitting, punching off the break, head butting, punching the back of the head, stepping on the feet, landing low blows and faking receiving them. His big win over Roy Jones Jr. was one of his worst displays of illegal acts in recent boxing — although Hopkins won via a lopsided decision and avenged a much earlier loss in his career. During the post fight interview Saturday night, the American took a page straight out of a South Park episode, blaming the result on Canada and the judges. The former middleweight king with a record twenty middleweight title defences tried to use his age as a red herring and never appeared to have conceived the notion that karma had been the first to catch up to the ageless wonder.
 
"The Executioner" was once asked why he uses dirty tactics when he is so talented. He replied by laughing and boasted about  the skill that is required to manipulate the referee and that being able to fight dirty is an example of being a highly advanced fighter. Bernard sees the ability to get away with things in a fight as a source of pride and skill. He has a well deserved reputation for being a dirty fighter, so if it was an illegal blow that made the difference on the cards and cost him a title? Sorry buddy, she catches up with everyone.