Boxing Mad Magazine November 1st issue | Page 40

” x ” Campillo, Cornelius White, Ismayl Sillah, Cedric Agnew and Blake Caparello, all by stoppage, all within the distance. That’s no easy feat, but the opponents do often get dismissed. This truly is one of the most anticipated and intriguing matchups in recent times and the reason why is simple, there are so many questions that nobody knows the answers to until the final bell rings: can Kovalev keep up with the boxing smarts of Hopkins? Can Hopkins, at his age, take Kovalev’s power? Can Kovalev even land enough with that power? Will Kovalev gas? And is Hopkins truly an Alien? I say yes, undoubtedly. A lot has been made of Kovalev’s power and comparisons have been made to Hopkins-Pavlik where Pavlik, a then undefeated banger, was a big favourite but Hopkins dominated the action throughout and won a lopsided decision. Kovalev, however, has a lot more than Pavlik. The ‘Krusher’ is more than just a big punch, his timing is exceptional. He cuts off the ring very well and adapts to opponents very quickly. It is true that Kovalev hasn’t faced anyone as good as Hopkins and Hopkins’ form has been brilliant recently, but, Cloud, Murat and Shumenov really are not on the level of Kovalev either and the defeat to Dawson really wasn’t too long ago to dismiss yet.  040 NOVEMBER 2014 issue #14 I don’t think this will be a fight of the year contender, but rather an intriguing battle of wits in the centre of the ring, a series of adaptations, at least for as long as Hopkins can take Kovalev’s power; Hopkins has always had a terrific chin, but with Kovalev it doesn’t matter, even blocking the punches doesn’t matter! Approaching 50 years old this could be a potentially dangerous fight for Hopkin’s health and career, it’s entirely possible that Kovalev could just dominate and stop him, but Kovalev is also in a lose-lose situation: if he wins they’ll say age finally beat B-Hop, not Kovalev, and if he loses then he lost to an old man. Will the torch be passed to Kovalev? Or will the Executioner turned Extraterrestrial continue to defy the clock en route to achieving his goal of becoming the undisputed champ at 50 years old? Either way, this is a can’t miss event so make sure you tune in! issue #14 NOVEMBER 2014 041