‘Can’t Touch This’? Hopkins — maybe we’ll see him throwing punches from a rocking chair one day, and winning?
[BoxingGlove Notes]
Golden Boy Promotions delivers a blockbuster fight card headlined by the modern day “Mongoose”, Bernard “The Alien” Hopkins tonight.
The action’s at Atlantic City, New Jersey’s, Boardwalk Hall.
“Alien” did I say and not “Executioner”? Yes, because Hopkins is so “old” for active fighting, 48 years, that he was re-named by the Media because in their mind’s eye, Hopkins’ proficiency for fighting is so unique, mechanical, defensive, and successful, that they feel that he could not be a “human being.”
Leave it to the media to come up with an applicable name or gimmick to describe success. So from now on you will read and see, Bernard “The Alien” Hopkins, I.B.F. Light Heavyweight Champion,53-6-2, 32 knockouts, from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
This Saturday Hopkins will be defending his world crown against relative unknown contender, Karo Murat, 30 year old, German-Armenian, the former European Super-Middleweight Champ, and the current W.B.O. Inter-Continental 175 pound Champion, 25-1-1, 15 knockouts. Through an interpreter, Murat stated that he was happy to have been “selected” to fight for a world title, and that since this was his first trip to America, he will make best of it and win and take Hopkins’ title back home to Germany, as a smiling Hopkins looked on.
“The Alien” Hopkins is currently the oldest active boxer in the ring today with a non-retirement attitude who actually demonstrates more youth and vitality than his younger counter-parts in all weight levels.
“I will continue to fight forever”, Hopkins comically stated at his press conference at B.B. King’s world famous House of Blues restaurant, in Times Square, Manhattan. “It does get somewhat annoying when people remark that I should retire, I made enough money. My life, is Boxing, this is what I have done all my life since I was 17 years of age. No one should tell me when to retire, except me. I am not trying to break any records to qualify for the Boxing Hall of Fame, I have enough credentials already to qualify. Just let me fight until I say ‘goodbye’ “, stated an emphatic Hopkins.
The supporting cast is an exciting one showcasing some of the most explosive and young boxing talent of today.
The semi-final, a middleweight title fight will feature Peter “Kid Chocolate” Quillin, 29-0, 21 knockouts, current W.B.O. Middleweight Champ, New York, N.Y. via Grand Rapids, Michigan, who vowed to keep his title for New York City, “my town”, vs. number 1 contender, “King” Gabriel Rosado, 21-6, 13 k.o.’s, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, by way of Vega Baja, Puerto Rico, who stated that Kid Chocolate Quillin “is not as tough as Gennady‘3g’ Golovkin, W.B.A. 160 Lb. champ when I fought him although I lost. Quillin will be easier.”
In the quarter-final fight heavyweight knockout sensation, Deontay “The Bronze Bomber” Wilder, 29-0, 29 knockouts, Tuscaloosa, Alabama, will defend his W.B.C. Continental Americas Heavyweight Title against, his number 1 challenger, Nickolai Firtha, 21-10-1, 8 k.o.’s, Akron, Ohio.
All 3 fights by their personal boxing career records promise to be fistic wars of survival with the challengers boldly promising upset victories. Deontay Wilder stated that, “after this victory I want to fight both of the Klitchsko Brothers, they “own” all of the heavyweight tiles, but they are in Germany, and I want to bring the crowns back to the America where they belong.”
Not to go unnoticed, the preliminary fights will also feature super young boxing talents scouted by Golden Boy Promotions and will be on display on this same fight card. They are, Braulio Santos, 126 pounder from, Carolinas, Puerto Rico, 10-1, 9 knockouts, who is a former outstanding Bronze Medal winner in amateur competition with a record of 68-6, before turning pro, vs. David “Thunder” Clark, ex- Olympian in the 2004 and 2008 Games, with a pro record of 6-2, 4 k.o.’s, from Los Angeles, California. In one of the most anticipated exciting fights is the match with Robert Easter, Jr. , 7-0, 7k.o.’s, an amateur standout, vs. Noel Echevarria, 11-1, 6 k.o.’s, south paw, from, Guayama, Puerto Rico, in a 135 pound match. Easter, Jr. as you could see has made short work of all of his 7 opponents, not going past the 3rd. round in anyone of them who also promised or “threatened” at the press conference to continue on his knockout crusade.
Also on this young boxing talent card is Dominic Wade, 12-0, 9 knockouts from Washington, D.C. , who could not participate in the 2008 Olympic games because he was too young forcing the 4-time Golden Gloves Champ now 23 years old, to turn pro in 2009. This super middleweight prospect will be facing, Roberto Ventura, 13-7, 12 k.o.’s, from Tabasco, Mexico.
Rounding out this great fight card at Boardwalk Hall we have 3 exciting prospects, Bryant Cruz, 7-0, 5 k.o.’s, Junior Lightweight from Port Chester, N.Y., Newburgh, New York’s Junior Welterweight who will make his professional debut, Saturday, October 26, 2013, Wellington Romero, and Zachary Ochoa, 4-0, 3 k.o.’s, 147 pounder from Brooklyn, N.Y. All 3 named fighter’s opponents have not been named yet, but are definitely on this fight card. The entire fight card will be telecast on Showtime Cable with the earlier fights televised on Showtime Extreme, around 7P.M.
The general consensus of the media present at the press conference was that all 3 “main bouts” should go as expected, victories for Hopkins, Quillin, and also Wilder.
I am however not too sure of the Middleweight title fight since Rosado is a veteran journeyman who has fought many more experienced opponents than Kid Chocolate Quillin. This fight in my opinion is a “pick-em”.
