Hopkins vs Cloud - Final Predictions?

Cloud mid TKO.

 

Hopkins has always schooled power punchers that comes forward (Trinidad, Echols, Pavlik ...). It's time for Cloud to join the list.

 

Hopkin's is getting his pace maker permanently shutdown.

 

cloud over 12 rounds

 

None of them were light heavies.... with the exception of Tarver but even then Tarver is more of a boxer than he is a come forward brawler

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If Cloud comes after B-Hop then we'll see a vintage Hopkins performance as Bernard outboxes him over twelve. If Cloud plays counterpuncher it might be an ugly fight.

 

I smell a draw tonight. Throwing some wedge down on the draw for this and Thurman-Zaveck

 

Hopkins will win. Cloud struggled with Glen Johnson and looked poor in his last fight. It will be his first fight in 13 months and is going in against someone who knows every single trick in the proverbial 'book.' he should have fought in the mean time(wasn't he injured or something?).

 

Yep, Pascal's garbage. Lucky he beat Dawson, who's not all that great but at least has some basic tools.

 

Cloud is definitely dangerous on the inside but how in the world do you take away toughness form his fight against Johnson? He gave away entire rounds not throwing anything while Johnson pawed at him with a jab. Not consistent. Same when he got backed up with Campillo. He could come in more inspired than before but I've always seen him as a fighter who fights in spurts. Impressive, explosive spurts, but nonetheless inconsistent.

 

Cloud.

The old man is going to have to pull out alot of dirty tricks tonight to avoid getting stopped. A younger Hopkins would've handled Cloud, but at this point Cloud will carry the action too fast and Nard will be in trouble.

 

Cloud is not very good. Like a superior Lacy. It's a 50/50 call, but Hopkins is old enough for Cloud to nab a decision. Could be a controversial decision or draw really.

 

I'm probably gonna score it for Hopkins but I envision a Foreman-Briggs scenario, where the judges don't want to give it to the old man.

 

Cloud is a great fighter, I feel bad for BHop that he has no alternative but to fight him for one last payday. The worst part is that he had to go back to King to get the fight, which shows you his desperation.

 

I am picking Bernard Hopkins to win this fight by decision. If Bernard has as much left as he did at 46, he should be able to outbox Tavoris Cloud. Having said that, I will not be surprised if Cloud's youth pulls through and gets him a decision win tonight. Bernard definitely isn't at his best anymore, but he is still an amazing athlete even at the age of 48. It's kind of funny that people in boxing were calling him "the geriatric wonder" at the age of 36. If we only knew then just how long he would extend that title.

Personally, I wish Bernard Hopkins had retired after becoming the oldest man in history to win a legitimate world title after his win against Jean Pascal for the World Light Heavyweight Championship back in 2011. It is 2013 now and B-Hop is not only still fighting, but fighting the best in his division. The Ring magazine ranks Hopkins as the #1 light heavyweight contender and Cloud as #2. Chad Dawson is the current World Light Heavyweight Champion after defeating Hopkins for the title last year.

If Bernard were to win against Cloud, I still don't think he will be fighting Dawson again for the title. The main reasons are one, Dawson is a bad style match for an older Bernard Hopkins and two, the fight wouldn't do great numbers. No one really wants to see another Dawson-Hopkins fight. Either way, a win tonight would still be a great accomplishment for Hopkins and would definitely add to his already unbelievable legacy. A loss to a man 17 years his junior would hardly count against it.

I am a big fan of Bernard Hopkins and would like to see him retire after this fight, win, lose or draw. He truly has nothing else to prove in the sport of boxing. He has already beaten the odds more times than Ghe Guevara. His record of 20 consecutive middleweight title defenses is legendary and not likely to be broken anytime soon. As I mentioned before, he also holds the record of being the oldest man in history to win a real world championship in any weight class at the age of 46. Being a 3-time world champion in two weight classes is more than enough to cement his legacy as a future Hall of Famer. With his legacy secured, let's just hope that he steps away from the sport after this fight to preserve his health. Age catches up to all of us eventually, even the great Bernard Hopkins.