Did anyone catch the fight yesterday? I was flying home from a holiday so couldn’t watch it, but even if I’d been at home I doubt I’d have picked it up - I figured it would be plain sailing for Kelly. Apparently not! Sounds like it was man v boy, 119 - 106, 118 - 108, 117 - 109 for Bernard.
Hopkins legacy was carved in stone in any case, but this really puts him into the pantheon. Thrashing the middleweight champion 17 years your junior at the age of 43 is an amazing acheivement. It sounds like he actually outworked Kelly, which is unforgiveable. You can get out-thought, out-boxed, out-old-dirty-bastarded by Bernard, but there is no way in hell he should be out-working a young guy like Kelly. I need to see the fight, but it sounds like a truly terrible performance from the younger man.
These one-sided results always lead to allegations that guys like Pavlik were dramatically over-hyped. It’s easy to think that about Pavlik in hindsight, as he’s certainly not a technically-gifted fighter. It’s probably more to do with the good old styles make fights cliche. Pavlik beats Taylor, twice; Taylor beats Hopkins; but Hopkins beats Pavlik.
It would be nice to see Hopkins retire after this. It also indirectly might lead to Joe C’s retirement. After taking care of Roy Jones next month a fight with Kelly was on the cards - there’s no chance of that happening now, which leaves Joe with no one realistic to fight.