April 19th, 2014. In Washington D.C., Bernard Hopkins unified the IBF and WBA Light Heavyweight straps after outclassing Beibut Shumenov. Though Hopkins took his foe to school for much of the bout, his efforts were dismally expressed by the judges who turned in a Split Decision.
Nonetheless, the 49-year-old wonder clocked up another win which included an 11th round knockdown courtesy of a right-hand. What planet is this guy from again?
The questionable scorecards came in at 116-111, 116-111, and remarkably, 113-114. This was a Magoo score if ever there was one. Hopkins plumps his veteran record to 55 wins, 6 losses, 2 draws, which includes 32 knockouts, while the defeated Shumenov now stands at 14 wins, 2 losses, with 9 knockouts to his name.
Though Shumenov was given a boxing lesson, it’s unlikely this loss will impact his career overwhelmingly. Yes, the fight was one-sided – no matter what those scorecards spoke – but the guy wasn’t humiliated, either. He had a good start out the gate, and with only 16 fights to his record, he has a great chance of bouncing back. (Hopkins vs Shumenov Highlights)
And what for Hopkins? He can likely gun for a top contender like Adonis Stevenson or Sergey Kovalev now. They seem like dangerous fights he should avoid, and ones the majority of boxing fans don’t want to see him involved in; Hopkins isn’t exactly scintillating to watch, after all. But since he remains a top dog in the division, who can really blame the man for chasing the number one spot?
Malignaggi vs Porter was a violent one-sided beat-down on the undercard, which saw Shawn Porter chop seasoned Paulie Malignaggi into pieces. Brooklyn’s ‘Magic Man’ was overwhelmed by his younger, stronger foe from the 1st bell. The referee waived off the count in the 4th round after seeing little movement from a horizontal, utterly bewildered Malignaggi. Shawn Porter’s pulverization of a top contender certainly sent a message to anyone campaigning at 147.
His performance could easily be likened to that in his previous bout against Devon Alexander where he used a rough-house, relentless game plan to bully, batter, and tear away the IBF title. Both performances were fascinating spectacles, but it’s likely a boxer-puncher like Kell Brook, or an equally relentless banger like Maidana, could slow this charging bull down.
Quillin vs Konecny was a more drab affair. Peter Quillin effortlessly fought off challenger Lukas Konecny, cruising to a Unanimous Decision. Quillin’s WBO Middleweight title remained intact after scores of 119-109 (twice) and 120-108 were announced. Boxing Base had the bout scored similarly at 119-108.
Let us know your opinions on Hopkins vs Shumenov in the comments below – Boxing Base is always keen to know the thoughts of our readers! And what of a matchup with the division’s two hardest bangers? How would a bout such as Kovalev vs Hopkins play out?
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