Pascal vs. Hopkins II

As I try to think of my opening statement, there's only one thing that comes to mind:

The first fight was really boring.

Well, I should be careful.  Seeing BHop suffer two knockdowns early on was pretty sweet; he hadn't seen the canvas in years.  But after that it was a pretty awful fight.  The young champion Jean Pascal got tired early and ran from Hopkins for the rest of the fight.  Hopkins himself wasn't all that convincing either--he just stayed as busy as was necessary to take the last half of the fight.

One of the two knockdowns of Hopkins 

Come on boys, this was a championship fight.  It's not just about convincing the judges; you also have to convince the fans that you deserve the title.

The fight was declared a majority draw, with two judges scoring it even and one scoring it in favor of Hopkins.  Most, including myself, felt Hopkins did enough to win.

So a rematch is in order.  This Saturday, May 21 the two square off for a second time on HBO.

Hopkins' plan was to outbox Pascal

Each will probably keep their same game plans but try to execute them better.  For Pascal, this means pack heavier punches and try to knock Hopkins out early.  For Hopkins, this means be quicker and more accurate and have tighter defense as the fight progresses.

As with the first fight, if Hopkins wins, he'll be the oldest person to win a championship fight, in any weight division.

JD's Prediction:


Most people have Hopkins winning this one, but I disagree.

Pascal comes out strong and explosive.  He knows he can hurt Hopkins, so he releases everything in the first few rounds.  Hopkins expects this, and survives the first few.  After five rounds, Hopkins is more tired than he was by the same point in the first fight.  Pascal lands a straight right hand that knocks Hopkins out.

Pascal defeats Hopkins by KO in round 5.

-JD