Bernard Hopkins, the oldest world champion in boxing history at age 49, became the oldest fighter to unify world titles on Saturday when he defeated Beibut Shumenov in a light-heavyweight showdown.
Two judges gave ageless wonder Hopkins a split-decision victory by the same score, 116-111, while the out-voted third saw Shumenov as a 114-113 winner.
“I had a great night,” Hopkins said. “I’m special. Special is what it is. There is no definition for special.”
Photo: Geoff Burke, USA TODAY
Hopkins, who knocked down his younger and larger foe in the 11th round, kept his IBF crown and took the WBA title from Kazakhstan’s Shumenov.
Now his aim is to add the WBC title and become an undisputed champion before turning 50 in January.
“My job is not to worry about the judges. My job is to get ready to unify the championship before 50,” Hopkins said.
Photo: AFP
Hopkins improved to 55-6 with two drawn and 32 knockouts, while Shumenov fell to 14-2 before 6,823 at the DC Armory.
“I wasn’t concerned with the scorecard. I was concerned with the fighting,” Shumenov said. “I chose the wrong strategy. I’m quite angry. It didn’t happen that I could get the victory, but I am a true warrior.”
Hopkins used a left jab to set up a hard right that dropped Shumenov and summed up a masterful performance by Hopkins of wearing down a fellow champion physically and mentally.
“He ran right into it because he likes to spin into it,” Hopkins said. “It was there the whole fight. I finally clicked in there and got it.”
Fans chanted: “B-Hop, B-Hop” in the final round, when Hopkins dropped his hands, leaned toward Shumenov and smiled, then attacked after his rival showed frustration.
“I’m a 15-round fighter,” Hopkins screamed from the ring. “I’m a throwback.”
It was the second title defense for Hopkins, who took the IBF title from Tavoris Cloud in March last year. Hopkins decisioned Karo Murat in October last year.
Hopkins defended his middleweight crown 20 times in his prime, but has made his fame in recent years by defying Father Time.
Hopkins wore a green alien mask when he walked into the ring, having nicknamed himself “Alien” due to his longevity.
A tentative start saw each champion try to lure the other into mistakes and counterattack, with mixed results.
In the third round, Shumenov looked irritated as Hopkins backpedaled away repeatedly, but Hopkins then pressed the attack, finding ways to work inside his rival’s longer reach.
“Boxing is a science,” Hopkins said. “If you don’t have to get hit, don’t. You don’t want anybody else counting your money.”
Hopkins would lure Shumenov into lowering his fists, although it often meant he had to take a good punch in the exchange before they clinched.
In the fourth, Hopkins stuck out his tongue at Shumenov, disrespect that enticed the Kazakh fighter into a hasty charge, just as the crafty veteran desired.
Hopkins stung Shumenov with a hard right to the head in the fifth and landed an early combination in the sixth, then taunted Shumenov with quick tongue flicks.
Hopkins evaded and tied up to avoid Shumenov’s attempts to land a powerful blow and was able to strike with quick single punches to keep the European guessing and frustrated, dancing to the American’s tune.
Shumenov, who had been past the ninth round only once since 2010, began attacking and pulling back in the eighth round to better position himself for more punches and avoid clinches.
Hopkins answered with counterattacks and worked inside more frequently in the later rounds, Shumenov at one moment looking annoyed at an evasive move and in the next finding himself in an exchange against the ropes that favored the wily Hopkins.
PORTER-MALIGNAGGI
AFP, WASHINGTON
On the undercard of the light-heavyweight unification bout between Bernard Hopkins and Beibut Shumenov on Saturday, undefeated Shawn Porter stopped former world champion Paulie Malignaggi in the fourth round to retain his IBF welterweight crown.
Porter improved to 24-0 with one draw by hammering Malignaggi before the all-American showdown was stopped 74 seconds into the fourth round, his 15th triumph inside the distance.
“I definitely needed this victory,” Porter said. “To get it like that, to beat this guy, meant a lot.”
Malignaggi, 33, fell to 33-6 in what might have been his final career bout.
“A really great fighter beat me,” Malignaggi said. “If this is my last fight, I lost to a great champion.”
Porter, 26, made the first defense of the title he took from countryman Devon Alexander in December last year.
“I knew everything he was coming with,” Porter said. “He asked some questions and I got the job done.”
Porter stunned Malignaggi in round two, bloodying his nose during a furious exchange in the center of the ring and later staggering him with a hard left to the head that Porter followed with a series of blows against the ropes that left “The Magic Man” lucky to escape the round.
In the early seconds of the fourth round, Porter sent Malignaggi to the canvas with two hard rights and a left, then moments later, landed a pair of staggering rights that sent Malignaggi up against the ropes.
From there, Porter landed punches at will until referee Sam Williams stopped the punishment.
“We knew the right hand was going to be there all night. It was right there,” Porter said.”He wished me the best. He said no doubt he lost to a great champion.”
In another world title fight on the undercard, unbeaten Peter “Kid Chocolate” Quillin kept his WBO middleweight title with a unanimous decision triumph over Czech Lukas Konecny.
Quillin made his third title defense, improving to 31-0 by near-perfect judges’ scores of 120-108, 119-109 and 119-109.
“We can always throw more jabs. I can always move my head a little bit more,” Quillin said of what needed improvement. “I was able to get in there with a tough customer. He came to fight.”
Konecny, who also lost his two prior world title fights, fell to 50-5.
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