BERNARD HOPKINS NOTES

LIGHT HEAVYWEIGHT CHAMP

WITH ND 2 VS.  DAWSON, HOPKINS AT AGE 46 YRS., 272 DAYS, BECAME THE OLDEST CHAMP TO RETAIN A TITLE
(George Foreman was 46 yrs., 113 days when he successfully defended vs. Axel Schulz on 4/22/95)

FORMER UNDISPUTED MIDDLEWEIGHT CHAMPION  (’95-’05)

SUCCESSFULLY DEFENDED MIDDLEWEIGHT CHAMPIONSHIP A RECORD 20 TIMES
(RECORD FOR ALL WEIGHT CLASSES, 25,  JOE LOUIS, HEAVYWEIGHT)

ONLY JOE LOUIS (Heavyweight- 11 yrs., 254 days), JOHNNY KILBANE (Featherweight- 11 yrs., 103 days) and JOE CALZAGHE (Super Middleweight- 10 yrs., 353 days) HELD TITLES LONGER THAN HOPKINS (10 yrs., 82 days)

WAS UNDEFEATED FOR OVER 12 YEARS PRIOR TO FIRST TAYLOR LOSS (7/16/05)

21-3-2, (1 nc, 1 nd), 13 KO’S IN CHAMPIONSHIP FIGHTS

HAS FOUGHT 16 CURRENT OR PAST WORLD CHAMPIONS (13-4-1, 6 ko’s (1 nd) vs. 16 champs)

HOPKINS IS 5-1, 3 ko’s IN REMATCHES.  HE DEFEATED ROBERT ALLEN IN THEIR THIRD FIGHT AS WELL. (see graphic)

61 FIGHTS HAVE LASTED 446 ROUNDS AND AVERAGED 7.3 ROUNDS 

HAS 32 KO’S IN 61 FIGHTS (53%) 

HAS 13 FIRST ROUND KO’S  (NONE SINCE 1/27/96)    

KO’S BY ROUND-1ST-13; 2ND-1; 3RD-3; 4th-2; 5TH-1; 6TH-1; 7TH-4; 8TH-1; 9th-1; 10TH-2; 11TH-2; 12TH-1  

HAS 3 KO’S PAST THE TENTH ROUND 


BERNARD HOPKINS NOTES

10/15/11  NC 2  CHAD DAWSON (After an uneventful first round, (Hopkins landed 5 of 13 total punches, Dawson 5 of 31), the bout entered the second, where it ended in controversy. After landing 6 of just 16 total punches, Hopkins missed with a right hand, and wound up off balance, leaning atop the back of Dawson, who had landed just 2 of 24 total punches.  Between 2:40 and 2:41 of round two, Dawson picked up Hopkins, briefly hesitated, then threw Hopkins to the canvas. Hopkins landed on his back, with his left elbow, left shoulder, and head landing on the canvas under the ring ropes. Hopkins rolled over screaming in pain, claiming a left shoulder injury. Referee Pat Russell stopped the clock and called the ringside doctor to check on Hopkins. Russell subsequently asked Hopkins if he wanted to continue, and Hopkins indicated he did, though he would only be able to do so with the use of one arm. Referee Russell then signaled the end of the bout and awarded Dawson a KO win. On December 13, 2011, the California State Athletic Commission changed the result from a TKO for Dawson to a no-contest.)

5/21/11 W 12  JEAN PASCAL (no doubt about winner in rematch, as Hopkins, 46, became the oldest fighter to win a title.  Hopkins landed 131 of 409 total punches (32%-34 thrown per round) to 70 of 377 (19%-31 thrown per round) for Pascal.  Hopkins had a 80-51 edge in power shots landed.  As usual, Hopkins blunted his opponents attack, as Pascal landed in single digits in total connects in 11 of 12 rounds.  In a show of his youthfulness, Hopkins did pushups in his corner prior to the start of round seven. Scoring: 116-112 H; 115-114 H; 115-113 H.) 

12/18/10  D 12  JEAN PASCAL (Hopkins down in rounds one and three.  Hopkins rallied in last four rounds, outlanding Pascal 67-33 in power shots in rounds nine thru twelve.  Hopkins landed more punches in 11 of 12 rounds.  Overall, Pascal landed just 86 of 350 total punches (25%-30 thrown per round, 24 less than light heavyweight avg.) to 153 of 502 (30%-42 thrown per round) for Hopkins.  Hopkins landed 129 of 311 power shots (41%) to 67 of 202 (33%) for Pascal.  Scoring: 114-112 H; 114-114 & 113-113.)

4/3/10  W 12  ROY JONES (dreadful rematch.  Hopkins landed 184 of 526 total punches (35%-44 thrown per round to 82 of 274 (30%-23 thrown per round) for Jones.  Scoring: 118-109 H & 117-110 H 2x.)

10/18/08  W 12  KELLY PAVLIK (totally took the previously undefeated and heavily-favored Pavlik to school.  Hopkins landed 172 of 530 total punches (32%-44 thrown per round) to just 108 of 463 (23%-39 thrown per round and 9 landed per round) for Pavlik.  This was the same Pavlik who averaged 24 punches landed and 73 thrown in his previous four fights.  148 of
Hopkins 172 punches landed were power shots.  The tamed Pavlik landed just 21 total punches over the last three rounds.  Scoring: 119-106; 118-108; 117-109.)

4/19/08  L 12  JOE CALZAGHE (slowed down Super Joe, but not enough to win the fight, because as was the case vs. Taylor, he didn’t punch enough.  Hopkins avg’d just 39 punches thrown per round dropping Calzaghe for a flash in round one.  Calzaghe recovered and avg’d 59 punches thrown per round, some 20 less than his norm.  Calzaghe had a 232-127 edge in total connects and a 187-116 edge in power connects.  Calzaghe’s 232 punches landed were the most by a Hopkins opponent in 22 of his fights tracked by CompuBox. 
Calzaghe outlanded Hopkins in total punches and power punches in ALL twelve rounds, yet one judge (Adalaide Byrd) gave Hopkins the fight 114-113.  The other judges voted Calzaghe 115-112 & 116-111.)

7/21/07  W 12  WINKY WRIGHT (Made Winky fight his fight.  Blunted Winky’s offense, out- throwing Winky 640-618 (that’s 52 punches per round for Winky, who avg’d 64 per round vs. Taylor, Quartey and Soliman.) in total punches.  Hopkins had a 143-80 edge in power connects, holding Winky to single digit connects in power shots in 11 of 12 rounds.  Hopkins threw 549 power shots to just 328 for Wright, who lost for the first time in over 7 ½ years.  Scoring: 117-111 H 2x & 116-112 H).

5/20/06  W 12  ANTONIO TARVER (bulked up to 174 lbs. and did what Rocky Balboa could not do- shut down Mason Dixon.  Controlled pace of fight despite averaging just 35 punches thrown per round, landing 32%.  Also landed 37% of his power shots, outlanding Tarver 133-78 in total punches and 126-48 in power shots.  Tarver landed a miserable 7 total punches per round.  Tarver landed in single digits in total punches in 10 of 12 rounds.   Tarver avg’d just 36 total punches thrown per round after averaging 65 thrown per round vs. Jones III and Johnson I & II.   Tarver down for a flash knockdown in 5th. Hopkins closed show by outlanding Tarver 42-11 in power shots over last three rounds.  Scoring: 118-109 H 3x).

12/3/05  L 12  JERMAIN TAYLOR  (second verse, same as the first.  Rematch again more about what Hopkins didn’t do than what Taylor did.  What Hopkins did in the rematch was average 25 punches thrown, 7 connected over the first 6 rounds-slighty more productive than his 19 thrown, 5 connected in the first fight.  Taylor was more conservative the second time around, averaging 29 thrown per round, 9 connected over the first 6 frames.  Taylor had enough left in the tank to thrown 44 punches in the pivotal 11th round, his high total for the fight- winning that round on all 3 cards.   Hopkins responded with 36 punches thrown.  When the counting was done, as was the case in the first fight, Hopkins again outlanded Taylor, this time 130-124, with Taylor throwing 391 total punches to 371 for Bernard who was outjabbed Bernard 64-29.  Scoring: 115-113 3 times.)

7/16/05  L 12 (spl) JERMAIN TAYLOR (controversial loss ended Hopkins’ 10-year-plus reign as middleweight cham.  Fight was more about what Hopkins didn’t do rather than what Taylor did.  Hopkins averaged just 19 punches thrown and 5 landed over the first 8 rounds while Taylor didn’t exactly burn up the Compubox computer during that same time, at least he was throwing, averaging 38thrown and 9 landed.  He won 7 of the first 8 rounds on Paul Smith’s (115-113 T) card and 6 of the first 8 on Duane Ford’s (115-113) card.  Jerry Roth (116-112 H) had the fight even thru 8. Then a fight broke out.  Hopkins, making his middleweight record 21st title defense, outlanded Taylor 56-23 in total punches over the last 4 rounds, averaging 44 punches thrown and 14 landed in rounds 8-12.  In the pivotal 12th round, Hopkins had a 12-5 edge in connects and had Taylor holding on throughout the round.  Nonetheless, Ford gave the round to Taylor.  Had he scored for Hopkins, the fights’s a draw and Hopkins retains his title.  Overall,

9/18/04  KO 9  OSCAR DELAHOYA (SuperFight a super chess match over first 4 rounds before Hopkins “warmed up” and began finding range with jab.  He averaged just 19 jabs in first 4 rounds, then 32 in rounds 5-8 and power shots followed.  He outlanded Oscar 39-18 over last 4 rounds in power department.  Liver shot put Oscar down for count and probably spared Golden Boy a royal whipping down the stretch as Hopkins’ size and power advantages began to surface.  Overall, Hopkins went 99 of 361 total punches (27%) to 82 of 315 (26%) for Oscar, most the shoe-shine variety.  Bernard landed 37 of 214 (17%) jabs, Oscar 37 of 164 (23%). Scoring thru 8: 79-73 H (Moretti); 78-74 H (Smith); 77-75 D (McDonald).   

12/13/03  W 12  WILLIAM JOPPY (seemed content punishing Joppy, who was softened up by Trinidad in May of 2001, rather than knocking him out.   Landed 419 total punches (51%), including CompuBox middleweight record 375 power shots (56%).  Joppy landed 195 of 590 (33%), including 99 of 254 (39%) of his power shots.  Scoring: 118-109; 119-109; 119-108.  )

3/29/03  KO 8  MORRADE HAKKAR  (finally caught up with joke of a #1 contender Hakkar, who landed 39 punches in eight rounds.  Hakkar would have been better suited trying out for French fencing team.)

9/29/01  KO 12 FELIX TRINIDAD (derailed the Tito express as 15,000 plus MSG fans watched in disbelief.  Fight postponed 2 weeks following 9/11.  Displayed offensive attack many didn’t think he possessed, as Tito’s straight-ahead style made fight easier for Hopkins, who landed 260 of 653 (40%) total punches and 44% of his power shots.  Tito landed just 129 of 329 total punches, an average of 11 landed per round.  He landed 22 per round vs. Joppy.)

2/6/99  KO 7  ROBERT ALLEN (finished job vs. Allen, landing 34% of his 51 punches per round.  Also landed 41% of his power shots.  Allen, who was down in 2nd and 6th rounds, landed just 20% of his 43 punches per round.  Scoring thru 6: 59-51; 59-52; 59-52.  Hopkins lost point in 4th for low blow.)

8/28/98  NC 4  ROBERT ALLEN (fight resulted in no contest as Hopkins injured ankle after ref Mills Lane pushed him out of ring attempting to break one of many clinches.  Threw just 28 punches per round, landing 53% of his power shots.  Allen landed just 20% of his 42 punches per round in a fight that featured more wrestling than punching.  Scoring thru 3: 29-28 H; 30-27 H; 29-28 A. Judge Mike Glienna gave Allen 1st & 3rd rounds.  Billy Graham gave Allen 1st round.)

4/29/95  KO 7  SEGUNDO MERCADO (won Jones-vacated middlweight title on U.S. soil. after first fight, 4 months earlier in Mercado’s Ecuador backyard, resulted in draw in fight many felt Hopkins won despite visiting the canvas twice – in fifth and seventh rounds.  Scoring in first fight:116-114 M- Colombian judge Francisco Hernandez scored 4 even rounds, including the 12th, which one judge scored 10-8 Hopkins, the other 10-9 Hopkins); other scores: 113-113; 114-111 H.

5/22/93  L 12  ROY JONES (Bernard’s last loss, prior to Taylor I...On undercard of Bowe KO 2 Ferguson at Washington D.C.’s JFK Stadium.   Outlanded 206-153 by Roy, who claimed to have broken right hand early in fight.  Avg’d 56 punches per round, landing just 23%  Jones landed 35% of his 50 punches per round.  Jones also landed 49% of his power shots.  Scoring: 116-112 3x)