Legendary future Hall of Famer and Two-Division World Champion Bernard Hopkins arrived in Québec City, Canada today, moving one step closer to his quest to defeat WBC, Ring Magazine and IBO Light Heavyweight World Champion Jean Pascal and become the oldest fighter in the history of boxing to win a prominent world title.
“This goes beyond being a champion,” Hopkins said when he arrived at Jean-Lesage International Airport in Québec City. ”This is a grand opportunity. It is a situation I don’t take for granted. Saturday night you will see something unique. A 45-year-old man in a young man’s body is an amazing thing. I am here to prove that I can still compete and that I am something special.”
The age-defying, 45-year-old Hopkins will challenge Pascal THIS SATURDAY, Dec. 18, LIVE on SHOWTIME® at 10 p.m. ET/PT (delayed on the West Coast) from the Pepsi Coliseum in Québec City.
“What do I have to lose?,” Hopkins continued. ”He [Pascal] has 16,000 fans coming to see him. That many people make a lot of noise and I am going to use that to my advantage. The crowd is my inspiration. I think I am going to gain some Canadian fans when they see what I do against Pascal. I am 100 percent ready and it is going to be an amazing fight.”
Hopkins won the World Middleweight title on SHOWTIME in 1995 and successfully defended it 20 times, solidifying his place as one of the most prolific 160-pound world champions in history. He created a dynasty over his incomparable 22-year career, boasting a resume with signature victories over, among many others, Oscar de la Hoya, Felix “Tito” Trinidad, Antonio Tarver, Winky Wright and Kelly Pavlik.
The Philadelphia native will face an emerging superstar coming off a career-best, upset victory over Chad Dawson, who was considered a top-five pound-for-pound fighter and the best light heavyweight in the world prior to the loss.
The 28-year-old Pascal, who was just five years old when Hopkins turned pro in 1988, is hoping to start a dynasty of his own. This will be the fourth defense of the WBC crown for the popular local favorite and his first for The Ring Magazine Light Heavyweight Championship.
“Dynasty: Pascal vs. Hopkins” is promoted by Groupe Yvon Michel Inc. and Golden Boy Promotions and presented by the Casino de Montreal, The City of Québec Tourism, Coors Light and Videotron. In addition to airing live on SHOWTIME, the event will be distributed live on pay-per-view in Canada on Canal Indigo, Bell TV, Shaw TV and Viewer’s Choice in French and English at 7:00 p.m. ET.
WBO Cruiserweight Champion Marco Huck (30-1, 23 KOs) will wrap up his preparation in Kienbaum this weekend and return to Berlin, where he faces mandatory challenger Denis Lebedev (21-0, 16 KOs) at the Max-Schmeling-Halle on December 18th. Boxen.com has caught up with the hard-hitting German ahead of what many believe will be the toughest fight of his career.
Credit: Photo Wende
Q: Marco Huck, you have already defended your title four times. Will the fight against Lebedev be the toughest one yet?
MH: “You never know. But I have a feeling that this fight will be my toughest test to date. Lebedev is believed to be very strong. He might very well be the best cruiserweight out there after me. Then again, maybe it will be a very easy fight for me. Who knows? It is impossible to tell before a fight. I am highly motivated, so let´s see how it goes.”
Q: Your teammate Arthur Abraham lost his last fight. Has that been on your mind?
MH: “Yes, of course. Arthur and I are teammates and training partners. I was very sad to see him lose. But it does not affect my performance in training or inside the ring. I want to make sure that my coach, my manager and everybody at Team Sauerland will have a good Christmas time, and my present will be a victory on December 18th.”
Q: Have you trained harder than ever before?
MH: “I have been more concentrated than ever before.”
Q: Denis Lebedev said you were nervous. Is he right?
MH: “Yes, he is right. But being nervous is a very good sign. It shows that I take the fight seriously and it makes me cautious.”
Q: Mandatory defenses are always special. Lebedev comes off a spectacular win over Alexander Alexeev. What kind of a fight do you expect?
MH: “I think the fans will witness an exciting clash. We have both proven that we are capable of finishing our opponents. It will be an exciting night.”
Q: What are Lebedev´s strengths?
MH: “He has a lot of KOs. And he is a good boxer with a good punch.”
Q: On top of that, he is a southpaw. Will that be a problem?
MH: “When I started sparring, it took me some time getting used to. But right now I am very well prepared. My last opponent, Matt Godfrey, also used his southpaw stance most of the time. It´s not a problem for me.”
Q: How much of a factor will the Berlin fans be?
MH: “They will be very important for me. My home fans always give me a special boost. They give me the extra motivation I need. And I will not disappoint them. December 18th will be a spectacular evening.”
The 2011 season starts today. I know that may seem odd, especially with the yet to be announced bowl game looming (hopefully on January 1), but the foundation for the 2011 season will be set during these bowl practices and continue on into the Spring.
Playing in a bowl game is not the honor it once was. In today’s bowl landscape, if you are 6-6, chances are you are going bowling. If you believe a 6-6 team should be bowling is a discussion for another day. We are hear to talk about practice (man).
Most teams use bowl practice to prep for the following season. It’s during these practices that players will switch positions, either on a permanent or temporary basis, in preparation for the following season. Penn State struggled to a 7-5 record this season. The number one culprit was the defense. It’s been touched on all year long. The defensive line can’t get consistent pressure on the QB. The linebackers are a step slow (no matter which direction they were going), and the defensive backs are inconsistent and don’t create turnovers.
Much has been made of Penn State’s 2009 and 2010 recruiting classes. We’ve already seen members of the 2009 class show what they can do (Curtis Drake, Devon Smith, Stephon Morris – the 2009 version, Sean Stanley, Malcolm Willis, Justin Brown) and some of the 2010 kids (Silas Redd, Robert Bolden, Khairi Fortt). Well it will be during these four weeks that the redshirted kids of 2010 and the 2009 backups get an opportunity (their first of three) to crack the two deep for next season.
Five Players Penn State needs to step up during bowl practice:
1. Robert Bolden – QB: Bolden became the first true freshman to start a season opener during the Joe Paterno area. Fans were excited that the coaches were going to play the ”best option”, regardless of their age. Bolden had an up and down season, and though he did show promise, he also showed he needed to improve his decision making (7 INTs). It’s easy to forget that he walked off his high school graduation stage in June and onto Penn State’s campus – no spring workouts, no time in the weight program, minimal exposure to the playbook. Bolden showed he has the physical tools and, thanks to the local and national media, poise. Plugging in Bolden for a series or two during the final games would have been a mistake. These bowl practices are his first real chance to regain his starting position. Put will Mr. Moxie himself (McGloin) let him.
2. Kevin Newsome – QB?: When Newsome committed in 2008, fans rejoiced. The loss of Pat Devlin stung, but the highly touted, but raw Newsome would fill in our QB hole. Most assumed he would sit behind Daryll Clark and then assume the starting spot in 2010. Well that didn’t happen, not even close. Newsome is an outstanding runner, but as a passer, his mechanics, field vision, and pocket patience leave much to be desired. With the emergence of Rob Bolden and Matt McGloin, Newsome quickly fell to third on the depth chart. And with Paul Jones coming off his redshirt season, third can quickly turn to fourth. So what does Penn State do with Newsome? Because of the depth at his current position, many fans think Newsome will take the Devlin and Jeff Hostetler route and transfer to another school. Another option, if Newsome wishes to remain a Nittany Lion would be a position change. Newsome has great size (6-2, 220) and speed, which makes a position change possible. Penn State is stacked at WR and RB, but CB, S, or LB could be an option. A dark-horse position would be defensive end, ala Brad Scioli (converted QB to TE to DE). Newsome still has a redshirt season to use. He could take that time to bulk up or learn his new position.
3. Mike Hull – LB: Penn State has been spoiled with athletic, instinctive linebackers. 2010 showed we do recruit mortals every once in a while. Chris Colasanti was a great kid, waited his turn, and kept his nose clean. Being a hard worker is great, but Chris was a step slow and not nearly as quick as diagnosing a play as a MLB needs to be. Hull took his redshirt in 2010, and I hope he ate plenty of protein and carbs to bulk up his 211lb frame. Hull could potentially provide the speed necessary to eliminate any black holes in the middle of our defense, especially on passing situations. Hull should start tackling Cutis Dukes early and often, especially if he is going to have any chance of stopping Alabama’s Trent Richardson (something Penn State didn’t do so well with in 2010).
4. Evan Hailes – DT: Halies has been a BSD favorite ever since this video hit youtube:
Hailes, already listed at 307lbs, took his redshirt season in 2010 to turn some of that baby fat into pure Larry Johnson, Sr man muscle. The defensive line was pretty lackluster all season long. Ollie Ogbu struggled to be “the man” without Jared Odrick taking on the double teams. Devon Still had his moments, but was not consistent enough in his first year of real playing time. Hailes will have to work his way into the rotation, which shouldn’t be a problem considering the lack of success the defense had in 2010. Halies needs to show enough promise in the winter to prove to the coaches he can be relied on next season.
5. Miles Dieffenbach – C: Penn State will again be rebuilding their offensive line in 2010. The entire right side of the line and center are finished at Penn State. Doug Klopacz was serviceable at center, regardless of the vomit inducing tattoos on his left arm. Dieffenbach will battle Ty Howle for the vacated Klopacz spot. Miles has the desired size (6-3, 290) and was heavily recruited out of the Pittsburgh area. Penn State hasn’t had a freshman anchor the offensive line since Joe Iorio did it as a true freshman walk-on in 1999. Dieffenbach and company will need to be firing on all cylinders from day one, especially with a question mark at QB. Silas Redd is a different type of runner then Evan Royster. He has more moves then Brandon Ware at the Old Country Buffett and his running style will allow the offensive line to get away with things they weren’t able to with Royster at RB.
PRESS RELEASE / NEW YORK (Nov. 30, 2010) – Fresh off his fifth straight victory less than two weeks ago, former University of Tennessee standout linebacker turned rising Mixed Martial Arts star Ovince St. Preux will re-enter the cage to face hard-hitting Benji “Razor” Radach this Saturday, December 4, at Scottrade Center in St. Louis, [...] Five Ounces of Pain
Heavyweight prospect Daniel Cormier won’t waste any time following up on his five wins in 2010, as he is expected to compete a week into the New Year at a yet-to-be-announced “Strikeforce Challengers” event. News of the bout, scheduled for January 7, was first reported by Five Ounces of Pain. The site has now confirmed [...] Five Ounces of Pain
It appears the first bout featuring soon to be former WEC fighters inside the Octagon will take place before 2011 at The Ultimate Fighter 12 Finale on December 4th. On tap for the card is striker Leonard Garcia and relative new comer to WEC Tyler Toner. The bout will serve as the first featherweight contest [...] Five Ounces of Pain
