Bernard Hopkins, Can He Beat Tomasz Adamek?
by James Slater - The fight has not been signed as of yet, but strong indications from various sources on the internet say IBF cruiserweight champion Tomasz Adamek of Poland will meet Philly legend Bernard Hopkins this summer. The date being talked about is July 11th, and the fight may take place at Madison Square Garden, N.Y. Once again showing he is a real legend, one who is willing, even at the age of 44, to meet the best, "B-Hop" will take yet another risky challenge. Can he win?
Adamek, as we know, is not a pure boxer, but he is incredibly tough, can hit hard and he has great stamina and desire to win. And he has yet to lose a fight as a cruiserweight.. Yet Hopkins, as he has proven to us time and again, is no ordinary fighter. How many times has he made us eat our words now? I've lost count. As such only a fool would bet against 'Nard picking up a belt at cruiserweight and adding it to the other titles he already has on his quite amazing resume.
On the other hand, at age 44, Hopkins, by continuing to fight the best, is pushing his luck each and every time he climbs through the ropes. Even as astonishing a fighter as he cannot go on forever. We saw how tired Hopkins looked in the latter stages of his last fight against a physically stronger opponent who was able to make it his kind of fight last April, when Bernard lost a spilt decision against Joe Calzaghe. Will Adamek, the twelve year younger man and the natural cruiserweight, be able to tire out the better boxer if and when they meet in the summer?
Against Kelly Pavlik, in his most recent fight in which he tore up the formbook, Hopkins was very much able to make it his kind of fight, and this may have been at least partly due to the fact that against "The Ghost" it was he who was more suited to the weight the fight was held at. Adamek, who will not be pushed around at 200-pounds, will surely be a totally different story, even though it's debatable as to who the better fighter is between he and Pavlik.
Hopkins' game-plan will definitely be to out-smart and out-point Adamek, as opposed to going out for a KO or stoppage. As iron-jawed as he is, Hopkins stopping the Polish warrior really would be something that would send shockwaves around the sporting world! But Adamek will look to counter his opponent's tactics of picking up points by out-working him in every single round. In other words, Adamek will look to tire the old man out by refusing to let him breath for a single second of a single minute of a single round. As we have yet to see how Hopkins will carry the 200-pound weight limit, we don't know how strong he will be boxing at the highest poundage he will have entered the ring at in his entire, 21 year, pro career.
If he is bullied, out-punched and ultimately out-scored, fans everywhere will be saying Hopkins did push his luck too far when he could easily have retired with nothing more to prove. Any fight for any fighter is something of a gamble; for the great Bernard Hopkins, in taking on the wannabe great Tomasz Adamek, this fight is surely the biggest gamble yet taken in an incredible career!
http://www.eastsideboxing.com/news.php?p=19179&more=1
