6 years ago today: Bernard Humphrey "Alien" Hopkins, Jr. vs. Beibut Amirhanoviç "No Limits" Shumenov

I thought Shumenov was a nice style for Hopkins to be facing at that stage, and wasn't surprised in the slightest that Hopkins won the fight relatively easily (should never have been a split decision). From what I'd seen of Shumenov, he kept that left hand way too low and was a sucker for a straight right down the pipe, and he wasn't very strong or robust on the inside, either. That was basically what Hopkins relied on at this stage of his career and how he was winning fights. Sneaky right hand leads, smothering and frustrating guys in close by not letting them work, allowing himself to fight in spurts.

I also remember thinking that Shumenov mentally checked out of the fight quite early, too. A few of the young guns that Hopkins faced between 2008 and 2014 got frustrated (maybe a little embarrassed?) by their inability to make things happen against him, and I think Shumenov really started to lose heart around the seventh round.

But in Shumenov's defence, while he was in there with a 49 year old, it was probably the best 49 year old in the history of the sport, even if he'd lost some of his spark from previous years. And I guess you're right in saying that it was Hopkins' last high class performance, even if it was a bit of a messy one.