Sergey Kovalev dominated Bernard Hopkins in Atlantic City, New Jersey. At one particular stage of his career, this seemed as an impossible feat to accomplish. Kovalev was once a fighter who fought professionally for free, as no promoter wanted to sign him. It wasn’t until Kathy Duva took the risk of signing him, that he finally got the opportunity to perform under the brightest of lights.
From the opening bell, Kovalev asserted his dominance. He continuously stalked Hopkins, trying to cut off the ring, and to set traps for the 49 year old veteran. Towards the end of the first round Kovalev managed to catch Hopkins against the ropes and landed a big right hand that caused a knockdown. This dictated the pace for the rest of the fight.
Kovalev continued cutting off the ring, throwing body shots, mixing in feints, and landing a few big punches every round. Kovalev was very consistent throughout the bout, while Hopkins was extremely inactive because of his refusal to take many risks due to the respect he had for Kovalev’s power. This caused him to be outworked every single round.
At times Hopkins would land a few counterpunches, but it never seem to bother Kovalev. In the 8th round Kovalev landed a big right hand that wobbled Hopkins but being the crafty veteran that he is, Hopkins managed to survive the round.
In the last three minutes of the fight, a bit of drama was delivered. Naazim Richardson told Hopkins that he needed a knockout in order to win the fight. Hopkins came out off his stool and landed a right hand, and Kovalev almost touched the canvas and the crowd erupted. It appeared to most observers Kovalev was stunned, but it was just another case of bad balance. Shortly after, Kovalev increased his aggression and landed multiple shots on Hopkins as he laid against the ropes. In the final seconds, it seemed that Hopkins was on the verge of being knocked out, but time had run out.
Kovalev walked away with a wide margin of victory. All three judges had Kovalev winning every single round.
Kovalev proved in this fight, he is not only a “Krusher,” but also a fighter with great ring intelligence. Kovalev certainly lived up to the hype and is a force in the light heavyweight division. As for Hopkins, it remains to be seen if he will retire or aim to challenge another title belt holder at the age of 50. He did not look too good against Kovalev, but it was mostly due to the fact that Kovalev’s power kept him at bay throughout the entire night. Retirement or not, Hopkins certainly deserves a lot of respect for all the great things that he has accomplished in the sport and for facing such a dangerous fighter at the age of 49.
