Hopkins faces Shumenov
Washington, D.C. will once again be the scene of a battle, but, not in the Senatorial, nor Congressional Political ring this time.
The battle will be waged in the D.C. Armory ring, Saturday, April 19, 2014 when the ancient warrior, Bernard “The Alien” Hopkins, I.B.F. Light Heavyweight Champ, 54-6-2, 32 knockouts, 49 years young, faces upstart from Kazakhstan, Beibut Shumenov, W.B.A./I.B.A.
Shumenov is Super Light Heavyweight Champ, 14-1, 9 k.o.’s; this is a championship unification match.
This championship bout is a bit of history. It’s been a long time-decades since Washington, D.C. ,celebrated a boxing event of this mega level.
While training at the Bald Eagle Recreation Center in D.C., Hopkins said “This fight is my continued quest for greatness and to prove too many doubters that a person who takes care of himself could still be active in a demanding sport like boxing, it has been a long time discipline with my body.”
“I know that Shumenov looks at me as just some old man trying to make a living, and hoping that by defeating me he will establish himself as a big gun in the Light Heavyweight division,” he added. “That will never happen. I have forgotten more about boxing than he will ever learn, and the ring is my stage and my classroom. I will teach him how much he doesn’t know, and I don’t even have to knock him out.”
Is Hopkins bluffing or can he stand by what he states with total confidence? Remember that Hopkins held all the Middleweight Title belts for a record 20 successful title defenses; upon losing it, he defeated Antonio Tarver for the I.B.F. & Ring Magazine 175 pound crown.
Hopkins at the present time is not only the oldest active fighter to wear a boxing crown, but also broke his own record by winning 2 world titles, passing George Foreman’s feat.
Hopkins does concede that Shumenov presents a problem because of his youth and strength, and height; but, he says, they are not problems he has not confronted before.
Beibut Shumenov, an ex-olympian says in a sense he feels disrespected because “since I have only 15 fights, they think I wouldn’t know how to handle a veteran like Hopkins. This is the chance that I was waiting and praying for. I want to prove to world that I belong here competing among the best no matter what age, and experience. Winning a world title after only 9 professional fights must prove that I have the ability to be a world champ no matter who I fight, so Bernard Hopkins is in for the shock of his life.”
Will we see the end of the ole mongoose? I really don’t know because he keeps amazing us fight after fight defeating these youngsters like the original mongoose, Archie Moore used to do; ,so it is difficult to bet against him.
The entire fight card promoted by Oscar De La Hoya’s Golden Boy Promotions, features 2 other championship fights in addition to show casing some future boxing rising stars. I get the impression that the fight promoters are finally listening to the fans and giving them quality, and interesting fights — like in last week’s great fight between Manny Paquiao and Timothy Bradley, the supporting card featured 3 exciting world title fights.
N.A.B.F. 147 pound champ, Paulie Malignaggi, will challenge undefeated I.B.F. Welterweight Champ, Shawn Porter, 23-0-1, 14 knockouts, and an outstanding amateur fighter with a record of 276-14.
In the semi-final bout, W.B.O. Middleweight Champ, Peter “Kid Chocolate” Quillin, 30-0, 22 knockouts will defend his crown against, former W.B.O. Junior Middleweight Champ, Lukas Konecny, 50-4, 23 knockouts from the Czech Republic, and a 5 time amateur world champ with a record of 230-25-2.
This will be Konecny’s United States debut, while Quillin who was born in Chicago and raised in Grand Rapids Michigan, home town of Floyd Mayweather, says, “having fought all over the United States, I feel great defending my title in the Washington, D.C.”
Former amateur and Olympic standouts and now rising future professional fighters such as, Sadam Ali, 147 pounds, Marcus Browne, Light Heavyweight, Zachary Ochoa, 140 lbs., D’Mitrius Ballard, Super Middleweight, and Lamont Roach, 135 pound prospect will also be featured in the D.C. Armory.
Golden Boy Promotions hopes that this will be the first of many fight cards in D.C. since Washington, D.C. is a good fight town that has produced world champs like former Welterweight champ, Maurice Harper.
