Okay. I have to make this early morning post, simply because I'm a man of honor. Hopkins lost the fight with Sergey Kovalev last night, and it was a very lopsided victory that came very close to a KO several times. However, there are a lot of factors involved that I did mention in the outset would be key in the fight.
I never said Kovalev couldn't hope to win. I said he had the tools to win, but did well to approach the fight like Glen Johnson did to Jones. And that's exactly what he did. He kept his hands moving and kept cutting off the ring along with Hopkins' angles for counter attacks. Hopkins worried me from the last videos of his training camp. He did not seem to and in fact did not come into this fight with a gameplan at all, or to show a new wrinkle in his game. That's something that Floyd would always do. On top of having top notch defense, you have to know when and how to modify it for a particular opponent. Sergey was without doubt dangerous. Hopkins should have respected that and worked on speed, power, and moving combinations. Sergey doesn't like when you angle off on him. He also likes to walk you to your right. Hopkins never really moved left with Sergey. That is what you have to do, and let off lead right hands down the pipe. No uppercuts thrown. Fighters like Sergey use what I call a quick plant. They know that they're a power puncher, so they begin to sit on their punches in midstep, so that everything they throw is devastating. You can't focus on that, like Nasim was telling Bernard. If you keep moving, and let your hands go inside, walking him around, he won't be able let off power shots. I'm sure to Hopkins it looked like Sergey was throwing power shots will moving. But it was only in a straight line. He's awkward, and throws over the top and underneath in combos like Maidana. Floyd showed what any technician should know- you have to circle onslaughts like that. It's too dangerous to try to change levels and counter those kind of shots in a direct line. When Hopkins did circle and step in, he had success tapping Kovalev's jaw. Kovalev is an ogre. Yes, you're going to have to hit him substantially before he recognizes it and backs off. But, you also have to give an opponent something to think about. The bread and butter of fighters like him and GGG are that they enter fights not worrying about their opponent's punches. It's a problem if your opponent is a rock fisted beast and doesn't slow down with your counter punches. Even if that is the case though, that's when you double up and triple up, finishing the combo with a spin. Hopkins was scared at times, because he would counter Sergey, expecting him to stop, only to see him turn like a machine and begin to hook off. Something interesting happened in the later rounds. When Sergey was trying to finish Hopkins, Hopkins feinted to his left and threw, I believe a double jab, and Sergey launched back. You have to give a moving target and something for them to think about.
On Kovalev's part, he was trained very well by Jackson, who clearly had some kind of psychotic vendetta in for Hopkins this whole time. He did exactly what he had to. He threw combinations, and kept the pressure consistently. That Maidana approach is very hard for a fighter to handle. That's how Johnson knocked Roy Jones out cold. He kept coming in with head movement and quick, heavy shots from above and below. I can see that becoming a staple for this new generation of talentless fighters. And also, I wouldn't be surprised if Kovalev has to move up to HW to be tested. Fighters like him and GGG won't really be known for who they are, until they're in the ring with someone they can't mindlessly stalk and pound. I look forward to that. As for Hopkins, I can thank him for an entertaining career, and ask that he just hangs it up. He didn't back off from any challenge. He was a fearless man of honor himself. I'm hanging it up along with the legends. As Manny, Floyd, and the last few greats finish up their careers, I will be leaving the sport myself, as an observer. I have no interest in the next generation. It won't produce greatness like before, so will substitute it instead. Also, I think it's a sign that I need to reprioritize things anyway. The only exception would be Canelo. He is a fighter I put in the middle ground. He has years in front of him, but he also represents, skill-wise, the previous generation. Hopefully, he can finish up in a timely manner. Anyway, that's my piece for this fight coverage. Tune in for more updates on my projects.
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