Bernard Hopkins vs. Beibut Shumenov
At the age of 49, few fighters would dare to get into the ring. Yet despite his age, the old maverick, Bernard “The Executioner” Hopkins, is schooling younger fighters in the ring. Hopkins has done just about everything in boxing, and he keeps getting better. From appearing in most title defenses to being the longest reigning champion in the middleweight division, Bernard Hopkins has done it all.During his unification bout for the light heavyweight championship with Beibut Shumenov, B-Hop appeared stiff and slow in the early rounds. However, in the second quarter of the fight, starting from round four, B-Hop established his jab well. He landed more power shots and exasperated Beibut with his nimble footwork. B-Hop’s lateral movement proved too much for Beibut, as was evident in the last stage of the fight, when Beibut desperately tried to land one big blow. Instead, it was B-Hop who castled him with a straight overhand right in the ninth round that put him on the canvas. Bernard Hopkins went on route to a comfortable split decision. It remains to be seen whom Hopkins will target next. From his talk, it may be the knockout artist Stevenson, although the prospect of that fight occurring is gloomy at best.
Shawn Porter vs. Pauli Malignaggi
Pauli Malignaggi has often criticized aggressive fighters, rating them very lowly. Little did Pauli know, he was about to face a fighter who epitomizes ruthlessness. Porter is known for applying pressure. Before the fight, Porter predicted a knockout in the early round, and he didn’t fail to disappoint us.From the start of the bell, it was evident that Malignaggi was on the back foot. Porter set to work on his jab early in round one, and in the last minute of the round, he landed some heavy shots on Malignaggi’s chin. The second round was much of the same. Porter delivered double jab and straight right. By the end of round two, there was a bump under Malignaggi’s left eye. It wasn’t long before Malignaggi succumbed to Porter’s pressure. He was knocked down in fourth round, and the referee stopped the fight. Porter is going to fight Kell Brook in June, and hopefully Keith Thurman sometime next year.
Peter Quillin vs. Lukas Konecny
From the outset it was clear that Konecny didn’t belong in the ring with Quillin. It was a slow fight with not much reaction, apart from the exchanges in the eighth and tenth. Quillin went on to win a comfortable unanimous decision. Despite losing the fight. Konecny wasn’t impressed with Quillin’s performance, labeling him, “a good fighter, but not a great one.” At the end of his interview, Quillin called some names; notable among them were Golovkin and Martinez. The mega bout between Golovkin and Chavez is not finalized yet.
