Tonight at 10:30 p.m. ET from Boardwalk Hall in Atlantic City, New Jersey, 49-year-old Bernard "The Alien" Hopkins, the WBA, IBF and IBA light heavyweight champion will put his belts on the line against WBO champion Sergey "Krusher" Kovalev in a unification bout. Watch the fight on HBO or follow online by clicking this link.
In an interview with Sports World News, Kovalev offered respect to Hopkins for choosing him instead of WBC champion Adonis Stevenson. "Bernard is a smart man, or sorry, a smart Alien," Kovalev joked. "He thinks forward. A fight against me will be the most interesting right now this year. It's a better fight than against any champion in my division."
Kovalev also derided Stevenson for sabotaging their own fight by moving to Showtime, where he thought he'd be able to challenge Hopkins. I want to say that Stevenson turned to Showtime not for a fight against Hopkins, he just wanted to avoid me."
Kovalev's built his name on his knockout power. He's won nine straight fights by KO or TKO, and 23 of his 25 victories are by knockout. On a conference call with media though, Hopkins warned that Kovalev is more than just a hard puncher.
"To me he's not one-dimensional. He only had to be one-dimensional because the guys he fought he knocked out," Hopkins said. He then told reporters that Kovalev's never been in the ring with someone as intelligent as he is, comparing himself to the great jazz musician Miles Davis.
"Now he is stepping up to a different level with the professor. The alien. This neighborhood is kind of strange. When I beat him, don't be upset. Enjoy the artwork. Enjoy Miles Davis. Enjoy. The concert's gonna be great."
Prediction: Kovalev def. Hopkins by TKO (Round 4)
It's not wise to underestimate Hopkins, but while his victories are impressive as he nears a half-century of life, his recent opponents don't measure up to Kovalev. He is the hardest puncher in the division, and like Hopkins said, he isn't one-dimensional. This is an opportunity for Kovalev to vault into boxing stardom, and he will take it.
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