Bernard Hopkins Lives Up to 'Ageless Wonder' Billing in Clinical Victory

Forget, if you can, the numbers on his birth certificate.

Because only then, in the absence of such age-related qualification, can the 21st century accomplishments of 20th century relic Bernard Hopkins truly be appreciated.

From the time he was chased from the middleweight division following two straight 2005 losses to Jermain Taylor, all the former 20-defense 160-pound kingpin has done is go 8-2-1 in 11 fights and defeat seven current or former world champions in a weight class 15 pounds beyond his former fiefdom.

Oh yeah, and hes 49 years old, too.

The Philadelphian piled another sheaf of commendations atop an already incredible story Saturday night in Washington, D.C., where he took a decisivethough dubiously splitdecision over 30-year-old Beibut Shumenov to capture the WBAs sliver of the light heavyweight championship.

Two judges gave Hopkins the decision by correctly wide 116-111 margins (equal to 8-4 in rounds), while a third official somehow awarded Shumenov a 114-113 verdict, finding seven of 12 rounds in his favor even though he was out-landed over 12 rounds by a 186-124 margin and dropped in the 11th round with a quick, snapping right hand.

This Bleacher Report scorecard had it 117-110 for Hopkins.

(Trainer) Naazim (Richardson) had been begging me to throw that short right hand. It was there the whole fight, Hopkins said. I've been around 27 years, I've seen everything. I just had to make some adjustments.

The Kazakhstan natives former jewelry pairs nicely with the IBF version of the championship that Hopkins had carried into the DC Armory ring with him, and itll be those two belts the old man will presumably have with him as collateral when he faces WBC title claimant Adonis Stevenson sometime before he officially reaches the half-century mark on Jan. 15, 2015.

I want to be the undisputed light heavyweight world champion this year, period. Hopkins said.

Rob Carr/Getty Images

If he can pull that one off, the sports writing world may finally run dry of superlatives.

In Stevenson, a Haitian-turned-Canadian wholl defend his title next month in Chicago, Hopkins faces another dramatically younger (Stevenson is 36) and presumably more devastating (he hasKOs in 83 percent of his fights) foe wholl be expected to overpower an old man whos used to fighting at his own pace and whos not scored a stoppage since Oscar De La Hoya 10 years ago.

But if bravado is predictive, its sure to be a far closer proposition.

Stevenson, I am coming to Canada, he said. I am getting my papers together.

Against Shumenov, whod won 14 of 15 fights and scored KOs in nine of his wins, Hopkins could have been mistaken for the younger and more energetic combatant, thanks to his consistently better footwork and quicker, cleaner punching.

He had Shumenov consistently caught between all-out aggression and safety-first counterpunching, leaving him in a no-win limbo in which he was outclassed by a man who turned professional nearly 26 years ago.

Can Bernard Hopkins beat Adonis Stevenson?Can Bernard Hopkins beat Adonis Stevenson?

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And it seems on the surface to be less likely that the Canastota-bound Alien will be able to perform the same dizzying magic on a foe whos overwhelmed 10 straight foes in 48 total rounds.

But then again, weve all said that before, havent we?

Everybodys got a game plan until they get in there, Hopkins said, But when its Mayweather or Hopkins, then it's different.

All quotes were obtained firsthand.

Source: http://bleacherreport.com/articles/2035539-bernard-hopkins-lives-up-to-ageless-wonder-billing-in-clinical-victory