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Bernard Hopkins Turns Clock Back Before DST, Cloud’s Punches Miss 521 Times

By Robert Brizel, Real Combat Media Correspondent

 

Brooklyn, NY ( March 10th, 2013)–Only a few hours before Daylight Savings Time turned the clock back at 2:00 Eastern Standard Time, Bernard Hopkins, considered the pound for pound best light heavyweight fighter in the world at age 48, turned back the clock a wee bit sooner than expected with a solid 12 round unanimous decision win over 24-0 International Boxing Federation champion Tavoris Cloud in the main event at Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York. The bout was promoted by Don King and Golden Boy Promotions and broadcast worldwide on Home Box Office.

 

Hopkins becomes the oldest fighter to hold a recognized world championship in the modern era. Archie Moore was 44 when he last held the World Light Heavyweight title in one form or another, that is to say if you believe the birth and death dates of the ‘Old Mongoose’ anymore than you believe the birth and death dates of Charles ‘Sonny’ Liston. some say Liston was as prison fighter who fought under the name Sailor Liston in the 1930’s. Others say the old Mongoose was much older than The Ring record book stated he was. Hopkins, a disciplined soul, really is 48 years old.

 

Hopkins earned $750,000, Cloud earned $550,000 U.S., not a shabby payday for B-Hop, the middleweight and light heavyweight division version of Jack Johnson. In doing so, Hopkins, a 1.6:1 betting underdog, took the Las Vegas sports bookies to the cleaners yet again as the Hopkins diehards cashed out. Hopkins won a coin toss to come into the ring after Cloud. The ‘new look Cloud’ with new trainer Abel Sanchez was not the same Tavoris Cloud who trained under Al Bonanni, who Cloud dumped in December 2012.

 

No special formula gave Hopkins the title, only the ability to impose his style and will on his opponent. Hard to hit, and hard to do anything with, and in the best physical condition of any athlete in the world, Hopkins landed his jab consistently enough and accurately enough to win at least seven or eight of the twelve rounds on technical boxing skills. A short left hook cut Cloud on the left eyelid in round six. An accidental headbutt opened a cut on Cloud’s right eyelid in the twelfth and final round.

 

The real trick in the fight was Hopkins ability to set and dictate the tempo, and land 41% on 169 of 417 punches, to a confused Cloud’s 21% landing only 139 of 650 punches thrown. The punch count amounted to a fight clinic. Hopkins jab was magnificent, and so was his accuracy. His defense made him difficult to hit, and easy to miss. The fight description here is mostly the lack of a description. Hopkins versus CLoud told the story not just of who won, but who couldn’t land his punches.

 

Cloud was punching for the clouds, apparently, as his punches missed Hopkins over 500 times, the world record for futility in a world title fight. Hopkins slipped 521 punches in a world title fight against an opponent 17 years younger, a statistic

surpassed on CompuBox only by Ike Ibeabuchi versus David Tua on June 6, 1997 in Sacramento, California (total punches thrown: 1,730) Ibeabuchi threw 975 punches that night. Both records still stand. Hopkins punch slipping record will last forever.

 

With Hopkins promising to fight another five years, Beibut Shumenov, Isaac Chilemba, Nathan Cleverly, Andrzej Fonfara, George Groves, Sergey Kovalev, Cedric Agnew and Dustin Dirks could be the next targets in his sights.

 

Consistency has proven Bernard Hopkins could defeat father time. For his remarkable accomplishment, Hopkins seems underpaid. He loves what he does, perhaps the key difference in B-Hop wanting the win a little bit more than Cloud.

 

Bernard Hopkins, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, rises to 53-6-2, 32 knockouts. Cloud, Tallahassee, Florida, falls to 24-1, 19 knockouts, but gets his best payday to date.

 

And now that Bernard Hopkins has defeated father time late in the evening on the night of March 9, 2013, don’t forget to set your clocks one hour back for Daylight Savings Time at 2:00 A.M. in the morning of Sunday, March 10, 2013.

 

Result: Bernard Hopkins Win 12 Tavoris Cloud, Light Heavyweights

Hopkins wins the International Boxing Federation World Light Heavyweight Title

Referee: Earl Brown

IBF Supervisor: Lindsay Tucker

Scoring: 117-112, 116-11, 116-11 Hopkins.

 

Press Conference Highlight for Bernard Hopkins versus Tavoris Cloud

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QUhbaYxf8u8

 

Hopkins versus Cloud Press Conference Part 1 of 2, Featuring Don King

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZsdSQwcmGZY

 

Hopkins versus Cloud Press Conference Part 1 of 2, Featuring Nazim Richardson

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OW6rCNWUcbo

 

 

Don King Interview at Barclays Arena on Hopkins versus Cloud on YouTube

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u_QjIju5SLA

 

On Longevity in boxing and in life, Don King states on life “You can’t give in, you can’t give up , and you can’t quit. Victory will be yours. Like no other sport, you have to deal with your problems forthrightly. You got to go in there and move on it. To work with people, and be willing to work with other people.”

 

Undercard Bouts

Michael Perez Majority Draw 7 Lonnie Smith, Lightweights

The bout went to the scorecards midway through the seventh round, with blood streaming down both sides of the face of Perez due to an accidental head butt.

Keith Thurman Win 12 Jan Zaveck, WBO World Welterweight Title Eliminator

Eddie Gomez TKO 1 Javier Gomez, Light Middleweights (1:17)

Frank Galarza TKO 2 Guillermo Ibarra, Light Middleweights

Stivens Bujaj Win 4 Zeferino Albino, Cruiserweights

Marcus Browne TKO 1 Josh Thorpe, Light Heavyweights (2:42)

Claude Staten Jr. Win 4 Mike Hill, Debuting Bantamweights

 

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