"The Executioner" Vs. “The Ghost”: Halloween Boxing Special: Trick or Treat?

     Well boxing fans, the wait is over and the fight is finally here!  “The Executioner” Bernard Hopkins will take on the newly crowned undefeated middleweight king Kelly “The Ghost” Pavlik on Saturday night at the Boardwalk Hall in Atlantic City. First question you may be asking yourself, why is the aging Bernard Hopkins with a record of 2-3 in his last five fights challenging the younger, stronger, and undefeated Kelly Pavlik? Is it for the money? , to prove that he skillfully still ranks among the elite fighters? , or is it because he just cannot fathom the thought of stepping away from the sport that he once promised his mother that he would do three years ago? Unfortunately, all three of those reasons have lured the 43-year-old Philadelphia fighter back into the ring to challenge the 26-year-old Youngstown, Ohio native in this light heavyweight contest.

 

     Stylistically Kelly Pavlik is a young fighter who methodically breaks down his opponents by stalking his challengers in a George Foreman like manner and hitting them with a succession of authoritative blows that overtime disfigures the face of his competitor. Sure you can argue that Kelly’s record, which stands at 34 wins with 30 knockouts, and no losses are filled with a number of unnamed fighters. However, if you were fortunate enough to see him destroy Edison Miranda, and Jermain Taylor (who by the way Hopkins suffered two controversial defeats to in 2005) then you may just bypass his unrecognizable named opponents and focus on what this young man has achieved in the past two years.

 

      Hopkins has always prided himself on being an old throwback fighter that was able to execute his opponents as he did Puerto Rican star Felix Trinidad in 2001. Unfortunately for Bernard it is 2008 and Hopkins who was born on January 15, 1965 is fighting like a 43 year old man. Hopkins style of fighting has been described lately as fainting, throwing fewer punches as the rounds persist, as well as holding and hitting his opponent on the inside instead of fighting. This is by no means a disrespectful commentary of Bernard Hopkins, because Bernard has accomplished the impossible in his long future hall of fame career. After all, let’s not forget that Bernard did score a flash first round knockdown in his most recent bout with today’s longest reigning champion Joe Calzaghe and continued to hold his own during the course of the bout. However, the subject that continues to make this fight intriguing is the question of who has more to lose in this particular bout?

 

      If the middleweight king Kelly Pavlik loses his first fight in the Light Heavyweight division against a Bernard Hopkins on points most outside observers will shrug this loss off as a learning experience the 26 year old can come back from. A win for Bernard would mean a possible big money showdown with his rival “Superman” Roy Jones Junior, who also has a fight on November 8^thwith Joe Calzaghe. However, if Bernard Hopkins knocks Kelly Pavlik out on Saturday night then it definitely will be a solid blow to his blossoming career. Fortunately, Kelly has youth on his side and will be able to rebuild his career. On the other hand if Hopkins loses this fight by a decision then he would have lost four out of his last six bouts and a retirement announcement will definitely be in order. If Bernard Hopkins suffers a knockout loss to Kelly Pavlik then it will definitely signify that Bernard should retire but it will also prove that Kelly Pavlik is a force to be reckoned with.     

 

     Furthermore, Bernard Hopkins has never been knocked out before so for the Youngstown, Ohio native this would prove to be a great accomplishment which would undoubtedly send shockwaves across the sport of boxing. As a result, Kelly Pavlik would certainly become an overnight financial attraction, as well as earn a higher placement in the coveted pound for pound rankings. In closing, Freddie Roach, Bernard Hopkins trainer for his last fight with undefeated Joe Calzaghe says that he was extremely worried about Bernard’s health when the Philadelphia fighter ended up going to the wrong corner four times during the course of that fight. On Saturday night, Bernard Hopkins could care less what corner he ends up in as long as he has his hands raised in the winning corner. This will definitely be a fight for the ages (no pun intended) and no matter whom wins on Saturday night the outcome will significantly impact the world of boxing. I suggest that you do not miss it!