Scoop: First of all, what a wizard-like performance by Bernard Hopkins. Assess this performance by Hopkins. Were you surprised that the 45-year-old “old dog” was able overcome early adversity and over 16,000 fans and turn the tables on the young “pit bull” as Pascal called himself pre-fight? He made the pit bull look, at times, like a scaredy cat the second half of the fight.
Richard Pierson: Yes I was surprised that the old, cerebral, bald Eagle overcame adversity but I was also disgusted in the scoring of the fight, I believe Bernard pulled off a split decision. As for Pascal being a “pitbull” I guess he is mixed with chihuaha because he was more bark then bite.
I was told I have no time to waste and I’m only 30-years-old but from what I’m seeing in boxing, myself and Bruce Vega, both agree that we would rather fight the young lions, tigers, and bears, that we have been fighting instead of fighting the old bull, the old ram, or the old bald eagle.
Glen “The Road Warrior” Johnson mopped up the floor with a much younger Allan Green. Juan Manuel Marquez put on a masterful display of destruction against Michael “The Great” Katsidis. Now we have Bernard Hopkins going from being Pascal’s peer in the first four rounds – to advancing to becoming Pascal’s personal teacher, giving him great tutoring classes in rounds 5, 6, 7, and 8. Once the 9th opened up Bernard started to give his pupil lessons in all subjects, failing Pascal in skills, guts, will, heart and determination, passing him with flying colors in lunch and recess as Pascal the younger fighter ate any type of knuckle sandwich Bernard Hopkins put together. And once he ate, he ran around like a lil boy that got popped on his behind by his father.
Scoop: Another factor of this fight – Pascal’s corner was disappointing. Their advice late in the fight was: round 11: “Keep attacking. I want more. If he gives you two I want three, if he gives your three I want four. Keep working champ.” round12: “You have to work like you never worked before. Stay active. Use your jab. Keep him at a distance. You need this round.” No specific ideas on what to do. I’d give Pascal’s trainer an F+ on his report card. Your comments? Judging by that advice it looks like they had no specific gameplan, Pascal just has succeeded to this point by guts, heart, strength and an iron will. If he only had a real technical trainer. Or maybe am I being too harsh? What grade do you give Pascal’s trainer Marc Ramsey?
Richard Pierson: In my previous blogs I talked about boxing having no true teachers. Pascal corner gave him nothing between rounds, Pascal’s trainer is nothing more but another hype-man just like Flavor Flav the only difference is Flavor Flav knows what time it is. How can you tell a man, I mean a chihuaha, that only came forward when the old eagle got tired of flying and landed on the ropes, to keep attacking, or that you want ‘More!’ More of what!? Pascal did nothing but a lot of nothing! How can you tell a power puncher, well, a body builder, that believed he would KO the greatest old man with one punch if he gives you three, I want four, knowing you didn’t train him to throw more then one. When Bernard threw one, Pascal closed his eyes and threw them looping, scared, get-away-from-me shots [laughs]!
Boxing is becoming comical. We have fighters closing their eyes without even being knocked out. His trainer had no advice because he is a hype man, a male cheerleader, I cant give the trainer Marc Ramsey the F because it was Pascal who got taken to school, we all know what happens when the cheerleader tutors the athlete. Ramsey had the same advice the people that walked me into the ring in my past had – “Hit him hard so we can go home early.” That’s why I don’t depend on nobody but my body. I depend on my power or speed, its all mental with me, if I get the KO I get it, if not just let me get the “win.” Nothing else matters. I want no draws, no no-contests, or losses to a 46-year-old man that shouldn’t be in the ring after he promised his late mother he would retire six years ago!
Scoop: Unfortunately for Pascal, he might have been in the ring with the greatest fighter in history. Ali, Leonard, Robinson, Louis all took beatings and got KOed in their 30s. Still going strong, Hopkins is so good, so smart, he has never really lost a fight decisively, let alone get beaten up or knocked out. And he does it with not blazing speed or freakish power, he does it with mind and intelligence, like a scientist. How do you rate Hopkins all time?
Richard Pierson: Bernard is 46-years-old still doing what he do and in his last few fights I haven’t seen the dirty fighting, it seems as if the older he gets the cleaner he fights. The boxing world shouldn’t consider Bernard “The Executioner” Hopkins a teacher or student of the game – he is the Principal of the whole sport, even though he got jerked, he is ‘The Greatest’ in my eyes. Bernard does not box, he deals with the sweet science and its a big difference between the two. That’s why I’m applying for any and all old school training camps. I’m with the sweet science and the civil rights movement, hip-hop had a baby by the sweet science and the child’s name is Boxing. Before boxing we had Ali, Leonard, Robinson, Duran – now we have Mayweather, Berto, Klitschko, and Cotto. Bernard is the greatest when the odds are against him, and that’s all the time.
(Richard Pierson is a New Jersey-based middleweight boxer who was called by Kelly Pavlik a “future world champion” after their sparring work before the first Jermain Taylor fight.)
