Last Tuesday, Bernard Hopkins walked through Quebec City’s airport wearing a hunting cap with ear flaps, his face exposed the way it was never exposed when he used to make his ring walks wearing an executioner’s mask. Perhaps it’s a sign of age that “The Executioner,” whose 175-pound body is all muscle, tapered down to a twenty-seven inch waist, had refrained from wearing costumes in some of his recent fights. While he once complained that he didn’t receive the respect or recognition he deserved, while he once needed to rely on a killer’s finery to hype the killer inside him, Hopkins is now one of the most recognized and revered fighters in boxing. Of course, Hopkins still talks tough, and as he strutted into the city that would soon deny him a historical win, he exclaimed, “Saturday night you will see something unique. A 45-year-old man in a young man’s body is an amazing thing.” Hopkins, a master of his anatomy and a master of his art, knows his boxing history, partly because he has fought and beaten many of its modern legends; Roy Jones, Jr. (the second time around), Oscar De La Hoya and Felix Trinidad, have been felled by this executioner’s sharp axe. Going into his fight with Jean Pascal, Bernard Hopkins was well aware that a victory would break George Foreman’s miraculous record and that he’d become the oldest man in history to win a title.
Ageless: Hopkins Beats Down Pascal
ENTER EDDIE CHAMBERS
On March 20th, Eddie Chambers will enter enemy territory to fight for the heavyweight title. To beat Wladimir Klitschko, the reigning WBO and IBF champion, Chambers will have to execute a three-pronged attack. First, he’ll have to get into Klitschko’s turf, a piece of canvas the long-armed Ukrainian diligently protects with stiff, straight jabs. Second, he’ll have to stun Klitschko with enough power to earn the giant’s respect. And if Eddie Chambers can achieve these two necessary goals, the third will just happen: Chambers will own Klitschko’s head and, when the fight is over, he’ll also own Klitschko’s crown.
Klitschkos’ Foolish Foes
I miss Larry Holmes. I miss Mike Tyson. I miss Evander Holyfield and Riddick Bowe. I even miss Lennox Lewis, whom I never loved. These were the dominant heavyweights in my lifetime, and while reminiscence often leads to easy sentimentality, I believe each of these champions was worthy in his own right. Larry Holmes, to me the true “greatest,” was not the biggest puncher, but he dominated all he faced and his jab was not only beautiful but devastating, the key to every other punch he threw, the harbinger of serious damage. Tyson’s controlled swarming and concussive power made him a superstar, not his ridiculous marriage to Robin Givens or the controversy that still follows his life. Evander Holyfield is heart personified within a chiseled body and Riddick Bowe proved his mettle in his bouts with Holyfield. He could box and he could punch and he was a fighter, staying on the outside but always ready to engage.
ON DECK: THE COTTO/PACQUIAO PRESS CONFERENCE
You’ve probably seen black and white photos of the old Yankee Stadium, frozen moments of sports history that speak of another time. Spectators in suits. Lit cigars. A haze of romance under the bright lights. And in some photographs, a boxing ring replaces the infield, two men replace nine. Benny Leonard. Jack Dempsey. Henry Armstrong. Willy Pep. Joe Louis. Sugar Ray Robinson. Rocky Marciano. Muhammad Ali. These boxing icons all showcased their talent at the house that Ruth built. And on these long-ago fight nights, polite pinstripes were absent. Present were two men, torsos exposed, fighting for their reputations and their lives.
Clottey/Cotto: Before and After
For New York City’s biggest boxing shows, which happen only a few times each year, weigh-ins are ceremoniously conducted at Madison Square Garden. It’s as if the pre-battle ritual must be consistent with the battle itself, a classical unity of place in a classic boxing venue. On the Garden’s fifth floor, a small area is curtained off, a stage is set, cameras are readied and a ring announcer is brought in to hype the next day’s fight. This past Friday afternoon, the fanfare seemed almost ridiculous, the ring announcer’s barking excessive like a bad cartoon; Saturday night’s fight between Miguel Cotto and Joshua Clottey needed no exaggerated hype. Boxing fans and boxing experts knew the upcoming clash between two of the best welterweight title holders was going to be simple in the best way. Two professional pugilists. One war.
A Boxer Prepares: Joshua Clottey Gets Ready for Cotto
Joshua Clottey is preparing for Miguel Cotto.
It’s May 22nd, the Friday of Memorial Day weekend, but for Joshua Clottey, the IBF welterweight champ, a day at the beach isn’t on the agenda. A day in the country is. From Madison Square Garden, which will host the big event, it’s a seventy mile shot west on Route 80 to the Fernwood Hotel and Resort where Clottey has set up camp in the Pocono Mountains.