Hopkins Makes History: Pascal vs. Hopkins II Reflections

Bernard Hopkins became the oldest man to win a legitimate title by beating Jean Pascal.  George Foreman held the record previously, winning it in a much more exciting and fan-friendly fashion.  I compare the two fights, offering a boxing history lesson and my opinions on the fights.


It happened in 1994.  George Foreman at age 45 shocked the world by knocking out Michael Moorer to become the oldest boxer to win a title.

Foreman had been decisively losing the entire fight.  In the 10th round, after trainer Angelo Dundee told him he needed a big round, Foreman caught Moorer with a pulverizing straight right hand that knocked him the hell out.  As referee Joe Cortez made it to 10 in his count, Jim Lampley made his famous "It Happened!  It Happened!" call, George Foreman knelt down in his corner in prayer, and the arena erupted.  Big George Foreman went down in history for that huge, dramatic win.

The nearly impossible knockout comeback of George was what made it so special.  We all sat and watched Big George get out-boxed all night by a shapely and determined Michael Moorer, after hearing Foreman guarantee that he pull off the win over and over again.  In the 10th round, Foreman, puffy-eyed and exhausted, stumbling into his shots, landed that simple, seemingly benign one-two combination.  What a moment in boxing history.

Last night Bernard Hopkins displaced Foreman as the oldest man to win a legitimate title.  Sadly, this time the fight did not even remotely compare to Foreman-Moorer in its drama or its happenings (no pun intended).

Hopkins clearly won the fight.  Pascal fought in bursts, landing big shots here and there, but all too often taking breaks.  Hopkins, though no ball of energy for championship-level competition, was busier the whole time, and proved that even at his old age he could take a punch and keep going.

It was slightly more entertaining than their first bout, but it still was not the most entertaining.  There was a lot of fouling, a lot of tying up, and a lot of stalling from both guys.  The most exciting part of the bout was when Hopkins starting doing push-ups before the start of the 8th round to psych out his opponent and show his fitness.

For me, champions need to show up to championship bouts.  They need to prove their worth--not by doing pushups--but by fighting, and may the best fighter test the title.  Last night it seemed that neither truly came to fight.  Hopkins was the better man, though, so he deserved the title.

There's promise for the future, though.  Chad Dawson, who won on the undercard last night, is said to next fight champion Hopkins.  Though he too had room for improvement last night, he will probably give Hopkins a better run for his money.  After that, up and comer Lucian Bute is said to face the winner.  Bute, with his impressive strength and undefeated record, has made it onto my current pound-for-pound list.  Let's see if a true champion can emerge from this group.

Congratulations to Hopkins though.  Like it or not, it happened.

-JD