Bernard Hopkins defies the odds every time he steps in the ring, and is currently on the path to a unification bout with a very dangerous opponent at the age of 48, Beibut Shumenov of Kazakhstan.
Shumenov leveled Tamas Kovacs on Saturday night, winning via third-round TKO after an 18-month layoff. Right after the fight Shumenov was joined during his post-fight interview by Hopkins, who was in the audience, who made his intentions clear.
"The one fight I will be working on immediately is the light heavyweight world title unification between Hopkins and Shumenov," Golden Boy CEO Richard Schaefer said, "and maybe even do it from San Antonio, making history at the Alamo."
While Shumenov displayed superb power in his victory, and Hopkins is almost half a century old, he remains a crafty veteran with lots of in-ring tricks that can frustrate younger opponents. It is important to remember that he is the oldest champion ever for a reason. Hopkins has said his goal is to own all of the 175-lb. belts before he turns 50.
"Bernard thinks that it should be like a little tournament where he fights Shumanov, and you have Kovalev and Stevenson fight each other, and then the winners of those two fights fight for the unified light heavyweight title. Bernard is going to turn 49 in January, so his time for a unification bout, which is another historic moment. There's never been a human being who has won world titles, let alone, unify world titles at the age of 49," said Schaefer.
The Super Six tournament was a big success in the middleweight division, and established Andre Ward as the No. 2 pound-for-pound fighter in the world.
"That would be another historic event. That gives me the chills thinking about it. I like the plan, but how logical is the plan? I think that it's very logical. I think that it's very doable. So I just have to sit down with Bernard and work all of this out. As a person, Bernard Hopkins is one of the most loyal people ever and I'm really proud to call him my friend".
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