Bernard Hopkins schools Shumenov to unify titles. Shawn Porter dominates Malignaggi, moving closer to Pacquiao showdown.

12 Submitted by on Sun, 20 April 2014, 01:49

At the DC Armory in Washington, D.C., Showtime championship boxing featured a night of title fights and lots of action. The co-main event of the card featured a clash between IBF welterweight champion, Shawn ‘Showtime’ Porter (22-0-1, 14 KO) and Paulie Malignaggi (33-6, 7 KO). Both men came into the fight riding impressive victories. Malignaggi was coming off a win over Zab Judah, while Porter was coming off his title winning fight with Devon Alexander.

The bout started very quickly with both fighters not looking for any sort of feeling out process. Early in round one, Malignaggi received a cut under the eye from a crisp jab by the unbeaten Porter. Rounds 2 and 3 saw both men going toe to toe, with Porter landing the heavier shots. ‘Showtime’ Porter was bringing a very high paced, physical attack and surprisingly Paulie engaged in the affair.

The end would start early in the 4th round as Porter kept pushing forward and landed a clubbing right hand on the side of Malignaggi’s head which sent him to the canvas. It was clear that ‘The Magic Man’ was just not able to deal with the strength of Porter, as he got up he attempted to clinch – but it was too late. Shawn Porter instantly swarmed Malignaggi and landed a hard combination against the ropes which sent the Brooklyn boxer to the floor once more – this time forcing the referee to wave off the action. Porter TKO 4.

With the win over Malignaggi, Porter finds himself in a unique position in the welterweight division and could have some interesting options going forward. A promotional free agent, Porter can fight for either network, and if ‘Showtime’ can get by his mandatory obligation in England’s Kell Brook, he might find himself in the running to land a potential Manny Pacquiao fight in the fall. Porter, who served as a sparring partner for Pacquiao in the past has grown a lot in recent years, and after his career best performance tonight, those big fights are not too far off in his future.

In the main event, former undisputed middleweight champ and current light heavyweight champ, Bernard ‘Alien’ Hopkins (54-6-2, 32 KO) would face IBF light heavyweight champion, Beibut Shumenov (14-1, 9 KO) in a title unifying bout.

The fight started off in a very slow pace, which clearly favored the 49 year old Hopkins. Neither man wanted to over commit to any big punch, so both worked on the outside for the first round. Round 2 and 3 saw both men open up their attack slightly, Hopkins attempted to land a lead right cross but didn’t connect cleanly. Shumenov had a slightly higher work rate and it could be argued that he could have taken some of the early 3 rounds.

The 4th round was pivotal in the fight, as it set the pace for the remainder of the bout, with Hopkins landing cleaner shots and fending off any attacks from Shumenov. The main shot that Hopkins was landing was a quick right cross, which often times he would throw as a lead punch. In round 5 he gave Beibut Shumenov the first real taste of his power with the lead right.

The next rounds followed a similar trajectory. Beibut’s attacks became predictable and he left openings which ‘The Alien’ exploited, landing counter shots and rolling off any danger that came his way. There was no doubt of who was commanding the fight.

Perhaps the most exciting moment of the fight came in the 11th round when Bernard Hopkins used a jab to set up a perfect, short straight right which knocked Shumenov off his feet. Hopkins – who had not scored a knockout since 2004 – sensed an opening, but did not get reckless. Later in the round Hopkins launched a left hook which stunned Beibut, but he was unable to get his 33rd career KO.

As the 12th round approached, Hopkins was clearly way ahead in terms of points and just needed to ride out the round to seal off the win – which he did. He closed the night by doing more of what he had done for he vast part of the fight, and that out boxing Beibut Shumenov and showing that his skills are still sharp at age 49.

In a fight that was seemingly one sided, there was some drama in the end, as Jimmy Lennon Jr. announced to the crowd that there was a split decision, and one judge, Gustavo Padilla inexplicably had a score of 114-113 for Beibut Shumenov. The card was over ruled by the other judges that both had it 116-111, and Bernard Hopkins secured his 55th win of his historic career.

At age 49 Bernard Hopkins is living proof what a person can do when they truly master their craft, and while he does not have the same speed and reflexes that he had in his first reign as champion, he is without a doubt a better fighter today, than he was in his “prime.” The future for Hopkins is looking as bright as ever, as he has won over the boxing fans, and is looking at yet another unification fight in the fall against Adonis Stevenson. He might be on the verge of being AARP eligible, but that doesn’t mean he is anywhere near the end, after this Saturday night he is not even close.

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12 Responses to "Bernard Hopkins schools Shumenov to unify titles. Shawn Porter dominates Malignaggi, moving closer to Pacquiao showdown."
  1. jr says:

    pac vs porter………useless,insignificant fight……….arum is an asshole if he tries to press this….

  2. alfonso V says:

    I say, that is an interesting fight (PAC and PORTER), if it can be made. If Porter is a free agent, he should consider that after the Brook fight. But given PAC, unfortunately would fight what Bob will put in from of him, I think Porter will be fighting Bradley first then PAC.

    Don’t get me wrong, I don’t like the PAC and possible JMM fight but let’s face it, PAC will take that fight first, if JMM get’s past Alvarado, which I’m hoping will not happen even if its unlikely.

  3. Johnny Lim says:

    Hi risk low reward.
    No, Pac would definitely not do it vs Porter.

    Porter-Bradley would be fitting.

  4. Barry Gil R. Pilar says:

    …lol, pAc vs porter? people hEre are out of there minds! shAwn fought pAulie who was an arrogAnt b-level fighter, he’s mouth was faster than his hAnds that is why i thank shAwn for knocking his ass out! however, mAnny is not pAulie fellas, pacquiao is faster than shAwn and i believe mAnny will knock him out if he goes toe to toe agaisnt the pacman!

  5. PACMANUSA says:

    I’m all for Pacquiao getting revenge on the piss drinker ! PAC fighting Porter or Alvarado is pointless IMHO !

  6. Antawn says:

    With a couple of fights left from the Pac-man, a fight with Porter seems pointless, better go with Marquez 5 or go for that-impossible-fight-to-happen with Mayweather jr.

    Young fighters need to create their own legacy between themselves, it would be such a waste for young contenders or champions to get career-damaging beating from the old guys

  7. Rodney says:

    I wouldnt advise PACMAN to fight porter because porter is way too strong. Malignaggi has a great chin and he got smashed in 4 rounds. Imagine what would happen to pacquiao? 1 + 1 = 2. Porter is a rising star, we’ve seen what happens when rising stars fight aging legends, the legend gets beat down hard.

    If you cant do the math on that, then i cant help you.

  8. Noel Ponce says:

    There is No way shawn would Go after pacquiao… hes a former sparing partner and his been down twice w/bloody nose when they spared boxed with pacquiao…

  9. Dante Craig says:

    I’m tire of Bhop taking these easy ass fights, it is too many killers at 175, he needs to fight Stevenson next.

  10. James TD Grant says:

    I don’t envy Manny. I feel he could get hurt bad if they fight

  11. Papo Rodriguez says:

    What fight was Padills scoring.

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