Reality Check about Kovalev-Hopkins. BHop will be Destroyed.

This is boxing, not running the marathon and Hopkins has been the distance recently, more times than Kovalev has.

 

One minor nitpick about Shumenov - people always just talk about the rematch, which indeed was a robbery, but they forget (or never realized) that Campillo vs. Shumenov I should actually have been a win or at worst draw for Shumenov. He arguably got robbed that night, even though it was in his own backyard...so their 1-1 series actually reflects correctly although the results should be flipped around, with Shumenov getting the first decision and Campillo the second.

Not many people have seen the first one.

 

I'm genuinely concerned for Hopkins' health. Kovalev is a killer, literally. An in-shape, prime, 26 year old boxer died after 7 rounds of punishment.

Hopkins is 50 years old FFS. He has no business being in with a young crusher like Kovalev.

 

I am not that worried.

Hopkins was never a gut-it-out, weather-the-storm, get-beaten-to-a-pulp fighter. That just isn't his identity. Especially now, he is pretty calculating in how much damage he allows himself to soak up. If the going starts to get rough he will bail out, by hook or by fouling crook. I don't see him taking anywhere near as bad or prolonged a whipping as Simakov did, no way. He will slap his cards on the poker table and fold long before that can happen.

 

Tainted gloves maybe ,nazim to the rescue.

 

Hopkins will fake a injury if he isnt koed out right before he gets a chance

 

I'd agree with that. However, Kovalev can do a lot of damage in a short time. Look at how violently he finished Silakh after he got up:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_detailpage&v=pE0eCxattUM#t=27

I agree there's a good chance Hopkins tries to find a foul to quit, though.

 

https://twitter.com/CoryBlamire/status/528205811257184256

I just don't see Kovalev getting confused and discouraged as easily as most come-forward Hopkins victims do. He's a bit too much like Robert Patrick's original T-1000.

Guys like Shumenov and Pavlik couldn't force Hopkins to brawl, and it affected them emotionally and they lost their confidence and stopped trying in earnest. Guys like Ornelas and Murat were able to stay motivated but lacked the physical tools and were surprised to find they simply could not compete with such a well-conditioned athlete. Kovalev has the single-minded unshakable focus and the firepower to put Hopkins in a position of being forced to capitulate in one manner or another: he can't outrun Kovalev at this stage, and won't be keeping him at the end of a jab, and it will take a lot of strength to keep him clinched up...so eventually Hopkins will have to either fight back, and he really doesn't want to exchange with Kovalev - or swim into the deep waters of negativity (constant holding/flopping/turning his back/fouling etc.) and risk point deductions or DQ.

 

First I think that B-Hop is earning ATG points by just signing this fight. Listening to his interviews and having fallowed the man carrier I think that he truly believes that he has the tools to beat Kovalev. All that said I think that the cards are really stacked against him that time. For once Kovalev is completely unaffected by his mind games. Hopkins beat a lot of his opponents before the first bell but Kovalev just doesn't give a fcuk about all that. Second Kovalev trainer knows Hopkins very well. He sparred him in two camps and fought him in an official match. Kovalev will come prepared for Hopkins game and dirty tricks and he has some of them on his own. People look for the Pavlik fight to give Hopkins advantage and I have to admit I picked Pavlik back in the day. That said Hopkins a part from the huge skill advantage had a very big size advantage in that fight. Kovalev is the same size as Hopkins. All the said Kovalev has one apparent weakness in this fight, his inexperience in the later round. I think that in order to win he has to make a statement early in the fight and get Hop in some kind of survival mode.

 

There's 3 ways BHop walks away from this fight WITHOUT A LOSS.

DQ, claiming foul, and the ref taking pity on the "will be" broken old man.
NC, claiming foul, and the ref not wanting to score a LEGIT KO2.
TKO, b/c BHop steps on Kovalev foot, ala il Capo, dropping the off balanced Kovalev, then jumping on him, landing a punch or two, and a biased ref looking to be part of history scoring a premature stoppage for the old man.

 

Great analysis. This fight will mark the end for Hopkins. Being a man who is very meticulous about the preservation of the health of his body and brain, I can't see him sticking around in the sport after the terrible damage Kovalev will inflict on him. Mark it down in your calendars, NOV 8th 2014 will be the last time Hopkins steps in the ring.

 

Kovalev's power is irrelevant. Tarver was just as powerful as Kovalev, but unfortunately for Tarver, he never landed a decent punch on Hopkins.

Hopkins wins this by an easy and embarrassing schooling, like he did against Pavlik and Tarver.

I can't wait to bump this thread after we watch Kovalev get shut out and exposed.

 

:?

I don't think even Tarver himself would agree with that.

 

One guy has been fighting ranked opponents. The other guy has been fighting mostly bums.