Don't Call Him Old News: Bernard Hopkins Takes on Jean Pascal

Photo credit: Luc Grenier

Let us let Bernard Fernandez of the Philadelphia Daily News set not only the scene for Saturday's fight between Jean Pascal and Bernard Hopkins, but also the theme for today's post.

The boxing ring, like the jungle, can be a savage place. Old fighters are like old lions; at some point a younger, stronger lion is certain to challenge the aging king for leadership of the pride. More often than not, youth must be served. It is called survival of the fittest, and it is nature's way.

Hopkins, of course, is the old lion in Saturday's fight. But he is a cagey and capable one, which gives him a shot at breaking the record set 16 years ago, when George Foreman, 45, knocked out Michael Moorer to become the oldest-ever world champion. On fight night, Hopkins will be 38 days older than Foreman was then.

Here's Don Steinberg, writing for The Wall Street Journal:

Other fortysomethings have tried unsuccessfully to win crowns. Roberto Duran was 47 when he lost a bid to regain a middleweight belt in 1998. Evander Holyfield came up short in a challenge for the heavyweight title at age 46—and he's still active at 48. Saoul Mamby, a former junior welterweight champ, pulled a Minnie Minoso and came back for one fight at age 60—the oldest in a modern, sanctioned fight, though it wasn't a title bout.

These thoughts are not to give short shrift to the man facing Hopkins, the legitimate light heavyweight champion, Pascal. But Hopkins' quest for the championship is also a quest for history. Here's Jake Donovan of BoxingScene.com taking a look at the other side:

In that regard, Pascal’s involvement in such a historic event would be as the answer to a trivia question. Not surprisingly, Pascal’s view of this weekend comes from a much different perspective.

“It's going to be a good start for me to beat a legend to become a legend one day. Hopkins was the big name and that's why I chose to fight him… I want to fight the best to prove that I'm the best.”

Such proof should have come of his most recent performance, becoming the first to hang a loss on the career of rising young star Chad Dawson in their vacant lineal championship bout this past August.

Pascal tells Donovan that he actually welcomes the way the coverage has gone:

“For the first time, he has the pressure because if you read the magazines, if you read the newspaper, a lot of people in the States think that Bernard is going to defeat me,” Pascal points out. “Bernard has to back up his legacy. He's going out there with all the pressure.

“Even if I'm the champion, it doesn't matter because he's the legend. He's got the legacy. He has to back it up, his history. So, he has a lot of pressure over his shoulder and me, I'm going out there like the young lion with no pressure. I'm going to do my best to win this fight against a living legend, because I'm not supposed to beat a living legend.”

Ah, there's that phrase: the young lion.

By that law of the jungle mentioned by Fernandez at the top, the young lion needs to be able to take the old lion's place as ruler. It is not always just being younger (or the opponent being older) that leads to such a change. And so we leave with Adam Berlin's inside look at one young lion who delayed his challenge of an old lion. Berlin, writing for TheSweetScience.com, goes inside Alexander Povetkin's camp with a great look at the work trainer Teddy Atlas feels was so necessary that they declined a mandatory shot at heavyweight champion Wladimir Klitschko.

I have watched Teddy Atlas train Alexander Povetkin before and when I watch him I always think he is a teacher first. Working with Sasha in the ring, shouting out instructions as Sasha spars, stopping and starting the video session after each sparring session to go over the strengths and weaknesses of his fighter, pointing out openings, reinforcing lessons, revising the work, polishing it, Teddy Atlas does what the best teachers do. He teaches by repetition. He builds upon fundamentals. He molds and perfects, slowly, patiently, carefully. Atlas is literally hands-on...his hands are constantly on his fighter, demonstrating, guiding, maneuvering, relaxing.

Later:

Atlas puts his hand on Sasha’s shoulder and talks about the rounds, the translator earning his keep. “If you go by physical things that was your worst round. But it wasn’t. You were seeing, planning. Let’s not open the door and just look. Get to where you want to get to. Then do it. Do it with your feet. Do it with your upper body. Anticipate the next move. Anticipate the next position. Anticipate the next opportunity.” This advice is tailor-made for Povetkin, a tutorial based on the student’s strengths and weaknesses. Atlas’ analogies to make things vivid for his fighter, to create pictures that will clarify his boxing lessons, metaphors that will define the un-definable, open the door for more metaphors. Atlas as teacher, revising his student’s work. Atlas as sculptor, molding the clay, chiseling the rock.

Boxing is an exercise in seeing which sculpted figure will be made to shatter. Atlas is training Povetkin to fight in a way he feel will make Klitschko fall apart, whereas Klitschko has been chipping away at his opponents' wills for years now.

Saturday's fight between Pascal and Hopkins might not be a work of art. But we will either see a young artist or an old master taking control of the canvas.