Date: Saturday, November 21, 2015
WBO SUP. MIDDLEWEIGHT CHAMPIONSHIP TITLE BOUT
Location: Tui Arena, Hannover, Niedersachsen, Germany
Promoter: Sauerland Event
Supervisor: Francisco Valarcel, Esq.
Referee: Benjy Esteves Jr.
Judges: Clark Sammartino (116-111); Rose M. Lacend (115-112); Jerry Jacubko (112-115)
Results: The Champion Arthur Abraham retained the WBO super middleweight title on split decision scores of 115-112, 116-111, and 112-115.
TV: Germany SAT.1
ATLANTIC CITY, N.J. – Following 11 rounds of utter domination, the only thing left for Sergey Kovalev to accomplish early Sunday morning was to become the first opponent in Bernard Hopkins’ 26-year career to knock him out.
If Kovalev had 10 more seconds at his disposal in Round 12 of their light heavyweight title unification fight at Boardwalk Hall, he might’ve accomplished that feat, too.
The Russian knockout artist instead settled for handing Hopkins the most lopsided loss of his Hall-of-Fame career, a 12-round unanimous-decision defeat so thorough the 49-year-old Hopkins acknowledged afterward that it’s “50-50” whether he’ll fight again. Regardless, as Hopkins’ legendary career nears its conclusion, the most impressive victory of Kovalev’s five-year pro career should thrust him toward stardom.
“He did just what I knew what he would do,” said John David Jackson, Kovalev’s trainer. “Tonight he was the teacher.”
Kovalev (26-0-1, 23 knockouts), who hadn’t boxed beyond eight rounds in any of his first 26 professional fights, easily demonstrated that he was prepared to win championship rounds against the most accomplished, experienced opponent he has faced. All three judges – New Jersey’s Lawrence Layton (120-106), New York’s Carlos Ortiz (120-107) and Rhode Island’s Clark Sammartino (120-107) – credited Kovalev with winning each of the 12 rounds.
Kovalev took Hopkins’ IBF and WBA light heavyweight titles and retained his WBO 175-pound championship. He also won the respect and admiration of boxing experts who wondered whether his record was more the byproduct of his opposition than Kovalev’s skills and power.
“I don’t care how old he is,” Oscar De La Hoya, Hopkins’ promotional partner, said. “To beat somebody like Hopkins, Kovalev did a tremendous job. He executed his game plan perfectly, and that’s not easy to do against a legend like Bernard Hopkins.”
Kovalev, 31, dropped Hopkins with a right hand to the side of his head with a little less than a minute to go in the first round. Hopkins reached his feet quickly and made it to the end of the round, but mostly employed a cautious approach for the rest of the fight. Hopkins opened up in Round 12, but his aggression only encouraged Kovalev to unload an array of power punches that hurt him, left him stumbling all around the ring and pushed the Philadelphia native dangerously close to getting knocked out.
“I’ve just got a great chin,” Hopkins said. “I can take a punch.”
Hopkins (55-7-2, 32 KOs, 2 NCs) took 166 of Kovalev’s 585 overall punches, according to unofficial CompuBox statistics. Kovalev landed 38 punches in Round 12 alone, the most connected on Hopkins in any single round of the 41 Hopkins fights CompuBox has worked.
“He’s 49 years old,” Kovalev said. “To go 12 rounds with me, I was very surprised. … Really big respect to him.”
Hopkins now respects Kovalev’s boxing ability, not just his vaunted power.
“He had a really good game plan,” Hopkins said. “When he got hit with some of my shots, he would step back. But he used his reach and distance and that was the key to his victory tonight. He has very good mechanics and patience. Because after I hit him, he would step back. That would cause me to have to reset. He had a good game plan, I’ll give him that. He’s a good technical fighter. He would counter his right hand over my jab. I give him a lot of respect.”
El púgil ruso Sergey Kovalev venció por decisión unánime al veterano estadounidense Bernard Hopkins y unificó los tres títulos del peso semipesado, versión de la AMB, la FIB y la OMB. (AFP / Don Emmert)
Houston – El púgil ruso Sergey Kovalev venció la pasada noche por decisión unánime al veterano estadounidense Bernard Hopkins y unificó los tres títulos del peso semipesado, versión Asociación Mundial de Boxeo (AMB), Federación Internacional (FIB) y la Organización Mundial (OMB).
El combate más esperado del año dentro de la categoría de los pesos superiores sirvió para confirmar el gran momento por el que atraviesa Kovalev, y que sus 18 años más joven también fueron al final el factor que hizo que la balanza cayese de su lado.
La cita fue en Atlantic City y ninguno de los dos defraudó con su entrega y boxeo, aunque fue Kovalev, de 31 años, e invicto, el que impuso siempre su poder de puños, rapidez y mayor fondo físico.
La superioridad de principio a fin de Kovalev quedó reflejada en las tarjetas ofrecidas por los tres jueces que le fueron ampliamente favorables.
Carlos Ortiz Jr. y Clark Sammartino le dieron ganador con cartulinas de 120-107 y Lawrence Layton lo tuvo todavía más claro y puso una puntuación de 120-106 favorable a Kovalev.
El gran triunfo moral para Hopkins, de 49 años, que el próximo enero cumplirá 50, fue que al final, en los 26 años que lleva de profesional, nunca ha perdido por nocáut.
El ruso, sin embargo, conectó temprano una derecha en la cabeza de Hopkins que hizo que éste tocara la lona en el primer asalto y recibiera la cuenta de protección por parte del árbitro de la pelea David Fields.
Pero, una vez más, Hopkins, hizo honor a su condición de luchador incansable, inteligente y mañoso, que le permitió hacer el milagro de concluir los 12 asaltos sin volver a la lona y quedar el combate concluido por la vía rápida y más en una pelea de la categoría de los semipesados y ante un rival de una gran pegada.
Por si lo anterior no hubiese sido ya todo un logró para Hopkins, en el duodécimo asalto, Hopkins quiso vender cara su derrota y se enfrascó en un durísimo intercambio de golpes que pasará a la historia como uno de los más espectaculares que se haya podido ver entre dos púgiles con 18 años de diferencia.
“Es un hombre duro”, declaró Kovalev al concluir la pelea. “Hay que respetarlo, pero ya tiene que parar de pelear. Ha hecho mucho por el boxeo y es hora de que le de paso a los jóvenes que vamos subiendo”.
Kovalev campeón invicto de la OMB (26-0-1, 23 nocáuts), ahora posee también los cinturones de la FIB y de la AMB, que estaban en poder de Hopkins, que los logró a la edad de 48 y 49 años, respectivamente.
Pero Hopkins, que dejó su marca en 55-7-2 y 32 combates ganados por la vía del nocáut, dijo que hasta el final tuvo la posibilidad de haber conseguido la victoria.
“La clave de la victoria estuvo en que mi rival llegó con un gran plan, golpeaba y se iba para atrás, además de tener una gran derecha que la combinó a la perfección”, señaló Hopkins. “Lo que hice en el último asalto fue de loco, pero se lo merecían los aficionados que quieren ver buenas peleas”.
El propio Kovalev, aunque dijo que a Hopkins ya le había llegado la hora de la retirada, también reconoció que es mucho mejor que el actual campeón del Consejo Mundial de Boxeo (CMB), el canadiense Adonis Stevenson, que ha evitado en varias ocasiones enfrentarse al monarca ruso.
http://www.elnuevodia.com/kovalevacabaconelsuenodealienhopkins-1888756.html
Date: Saturday, November 8, 2014
WBO/WBA/IBF LIGHT HEAVYWEIGHT CHAMPIONSHIP TITLE BOUT
Location: Boardwalk Hall, Atlantic City, New Jersey, USA
Promoter: Golden Boy Promotions (Oscar De La Hoya) / Main Events (Kathy Duva)
Supervisor: Francisco Valcarcel, Esq.
Referee: David Fields
Judges: Larry Layton (120-106); Carlos Ortiz Jr. (120-107); Clark Sammartino (120-107)
Results: WBO Champion Sergey Kovalev retains the WBO Light Heavyweight Title and obtained the IBF/WBA belts against Bernard Hopkins by Unanimous Decision. The WBA Champion Hopkins down in round 1.
TV: USA HBO
World Boxing Organization (WBO), by president Francisco “Paco” Valcarcel, announced today the officials who will work this Saturday, November 8, in the fourth title defense of the light heavyweight champion Sergey Kovalev, from Russia, against Bernard Hopkins, from United States, to be held at the Boardwalk Hall in Atlantic City, New Jersey, United States, in a Main Events presentation.
For this fight, when Kovalev (25-0-1, 23 KOs) will defend his WBO 175 pounds belt in an unification bout versus the WBA and IBF champion Hopkins (55-6-2, 32 KOs), the referee will be David Fields, from New Jersey.
Meanwhile, the judges for the Kovalev-Hopkins will be Carlos Ortiz Jr., from New York, Clark Sammartino, from Rhode Island, and Lawrence Layton, from New Jersey.
The WBO supervisor for this fight will be the President Paco Valcarcel.
Kovalev, selected the WBO Boxing of the Year, won his title on August 17, 2013, with a fourth round TKO win over Nathan Cleverly, and got victories over Ismayl Sillah (KO2), Cedric Agnew (KO7) and Blake Caparello (TKO2) on his tree defenses.
This fight will be broadcasted on HBO at 10:45 p.m. (ET).
http://www.boxingnews24.com/2014/11/hopkins-kovalev-officials/
Date: Saturday, March 1, 2014
WBO Super Middleweight Championship
Location: Magdeburg, Leipzig or Dresden, Germany
Promoter: SES Boxing; Sport Events Steinforth
Supervisor: Francisco Valcarcel, Esq.
Referee: Genaro Rodriguez
Judges: Michael Pernick (112-113); Clark Sammartino (114-111); Paul Thomas (115-110)
Result: Arthur Abraham regained the WBO Super Middleweight title beating Robert Stieglitz via split decision.
Date: Saturday, March 1, 2014
WBO Super Middleweight Championship
Location: Magdeburg, Leipzig or Dresden, Germany
Promoter: SES Boxing; Sport Events Steinforth
Supervisor: Francisco Valcarcel, Esq.
Referee: Genaro Rodriguez
Judges: Michael Pernick (112-113); Clark Sammartino (114-111); Paul Thomas (115-110)
Result: Arthur Abraham regained the WBO Super Middleweight title beating Robert Stieglitz via split decision.