After Sergey Kovalev’s one-sided domination of ageless wonder Bernard Hopkins in Saturday’s light heavyweight title unification bout from Boardwalk Hall in Atlantic City, New Jersey, here are five things we learned:
1. Kovalev is who we thought he might be.
It was easy to question whether Kovalev (26-0-1, 23 KOs) was everything his gaudy knockout percentage led you to believe entering the fight. But despite his never having been past eight rounds as a professional or having faced an elite opponent, the Russian destroyer finally earned the critical respect he has coveted. In fact, he might even be better than we thought. Facing a durable, difficult opponent who was able to take the fight into the championship rounds, Kovalev showed us there was far more to his craft than a big right hand. After making a statement by knocking the 49-year-old Hopkins (55-7-2, 32 KOs) down in the opening round, Kovalev nearly bookended the feat by coming dangerously close to becoming the first fighter to finish Hopkins in the closing seconds of the final round. In between, it was all Kovalev, all the time, in a performance that solidified him as for real.
2. There are plenty of wrinkles in Kovalev’s game.
Through 26 professional fights entering Saturday night, Kovalev hadn’t been in too many situations in which he needed to prove he can box. His power has been more than enough. But Kovalev made a statement with both his poise and his accuracy in the way he systematically dismantled Hopkins. The “Krusher” was never in a hurry and held back from emptying the tank until the final minute of Round 12. He was prepared to box for 12 full rounds and did that by using his jab and footwork to constantly corner Hopkins. Even when he had Hopkins in compromising situations, Kovalev never overextended himself, and by doing that, he avoided falling into any traps. His head movement was strong. There was a thought coming in that if Hopkins could make Kovalev think instead of react, the wily veteran could gain control. But Kovalev not only never gave him that chance, he proved he has both power and polish. And that’s a dangerous combination.
3. Give Hopkins full credit for taking the fight.
Hopkins entered the ring less than two months shy of 50 (50!!!). Sure, you already knew that. Hopkins’ age was -- rightfully so -- the major selling point for the fight, as “The Alien” once again looked to defeat a younger fighter in his prime, who they said he couldn’t beat. But this was a fight Hopkins didn’t need to take. It was an old-school gesture from a guy who wrote the book on daring to be great. It was a gift for the sport in a year when more often than not, the best refused to face the best. Hopkins ended up spending the majority of the night in survival mode amid Kovalev’s constant onslaught. He needed every inch of his legendary chin to make the final bell. But he took on a dangerous challenge against arguably boxing’s biggest puncher to find out how great he can be. That’s how things used to be. And that’s how they still should be.
4. The fight was a passing of the torch.
Adonis Stevenson might still be, from a lineal sense, the champion of the world at 175 pounds. But Kovalev’s shutout victory proved he is very much the division’s most dangerous fighter. Saturday’s fight was also a passing of the torch in a way that is bigger than simply the light heavyweight division. Historically, a new star in boxing doesn’t fully begin to shine until he takes out an established name. Kovalev did just that against Hopkins, and a new star was born -- a humble knockout artist with a big smile and unique sense of humor.
5. Sadam Ali had a coming out party.
Unbeaten welterweight Sadam Ali had the glossy record and strong amateur pedigree as a 2008 U.S. Olympian entering his step-up fight with hard-punching Luis Carlos Abregu. But what he sorely lacked was experience against an established name. To make matters worse, he was coming off a shaky split-decision win in his latest bout. All of that quickly became null and void once Ali (21-0, 13 KOs) entered the ring in the co-main event. After boxing circles around the surprisingly cautious Abregu (36-2, 29 KOs) in a fight that thoroughly lacked excitement, Ali stepped forward to make a statement in Round 6 by flooring the durable Argentine with a big right hand. Ali continued to pour it on in Round 9 to score a breakthrough stoppage that announced him as a welcome new name to a loaded division at 147 pounds. We knew Ali could box, but we didn’t know he could punch -- at least not on this level. But his performance has many taking notice.