Bernard Hopkins vs. Jean Pascal: How Many Upsets Does The Executioner Have Left? | News, Scores, Highlights, Stats, and Rumors
Emily Wong Nine years ago, Bernard Hopkins was 36 years old and many boxing analysts thought that he was fading.
He signed on to fight the undefeated world champion, Felix Trinidad. Odds makers had Bernard Hopkins a 3:1 underdog, giving him little to no chance to win the fight. Hopkins ended up beating Trinidad nearly every round, and TKO’d him in the eleventh.
Since then The Executioner has earned himself a reputation as a fighter we should never write off, no matter how old he is. He also upset Antonio Tarver in 2006 and more recently Kelly Pavlik in 2008. In both fights he was a heavy underdog, and was expected to lose and finally put the Bernard Hopkins legacy to rest.
Hopkins has signed on now to fight the light Heavyweight lineal champion, Jean Pascal. In this fight he will once again be expected to lose. If the odds weren't already lopsided enough, he will be fighting Pascal in his own backyard. The fight will be taking place on December 18th at the Pepsi Coliseum in Montreal, Quebec, Canada.
If his past is any indication of what will happen in this fight, he will once again defy his age as well as the odds.
Jean Pascal claimed the lineal championship in August against a very talented, undefeated, Chad Dawson. Dawson was the favorite in the fight, but Pascal kept him guessing the whole fight and beat him to the punch nearly every round.
Stylistically Jean Pascal is unorthodox and reminds us of a younger Roy Jones Jr. He is very entertaining, often lunging in with power punches that come from difficult angles.
Bernard will have to out box the younger, stronger Pascal, and beat him to the punch if he wants this victory. If there is anybody that can deliver this upset to us, it is The Executioner. I will be watching this fight very intently to see how much he still has left in the tank.
If Bernard Hopkins should lose, then this might finally be the end to his tremendous reign. Among other big accomplishments, he holds the record for middleweight title defenses. Bernard Hopkins will no doubt become a first ballot hall of famer.
December 18th will be one of the most intriguing dates in the near future for boxing. Can Bernard “The Executioner” Hopkins shock the world again?
