Tavoris Cloud deserves an assist for his performance Saturday
night; he did what his style dictated he would do and allowed us to once again marvel
at Bernard Hopkins. It was one thing to be my cynical self but it was completely
another to enjoy watching a fellow old guy defy the odds; I got caught up in
the moment just like you. Bernard was the quicker man, and he showed why he is
a marvel to us all, the ride was historic and I loved being on it-until he
opened his mouth. Immediately afterwards Hopkins, one of the most calculating
figures in the sport went to Andre Ward (ironically subbing for Roy Jones Jr.)
and pronounced his undying respect and the “fact” that no amount of money would
put the two in the ring together. 15 million Dollars to a man who is hell-bent
on getting every penny he believed was denied him in his prime is not enough to
step in the ring with a Golden Boy of Wards credentials- a kid who in Bernard’s
youth represents everything that kept him obscured. A young man in his prime, a
young man too skilled and poised to fall for any of what Bernard put on Cloud
and will put on Nathan Cleverly of Wales. The kid who dismantled Chad Dawson,
who let’s face it gave Hopkins the heebie geebies despite his fragile mental
make-up. For someone who made his brand on authenticity we seem to give him a
pass when he isn’t necessarily keeping it real, because he is doing something
we won’t ever see again.
And that’s OK, because that’s where I get an opportunity to keep
it real with boxing fans.
Bernard Hopkins WANTS NO PART OF ANDRE WARD
I remember growing up there was a bully named “Stacy” who
liked to beat up guys he knew had zero chance of defending themselves; he also
liked to bark a challenge to the bystanders and anybody else who “wanted some”.
One night, in rare form he beat up another lamb and went into his act when my
cousin Troy ( a real tough guy) happened to be walking by, when he asked the
crowd if anybody wanted “some” Troy spoke up; “I want some” and without missing
a beat Stacy replied “I’m not talking to you”. Bernard Hopkins beat a tough,
limited, straight ahead Champion (I won’t short him) and announced that he knew
Cloud would be Champ again, and then seconds later contradicted and crowed “ I
destroy young fighters” via the microphone. Clearly, like the bully from my
childhood he wasn’t talking to Ward, he was talking to Nathan Cleverly and his
ilk because Ward would end his career if they ever met. That is why 15 Million Dollars
isn’t enough, because that money would represent more than a Payday, it would
represent a retirement package and a lifetime bloody images on the Internet.
Yes I know, “Hard Nard” isn’t “scurd” of nobody but understand this, “Real
Recognize Real” and Bernard has decided it’s best to Love Ward than to put
himself in a situation that could end very badly. Kobe likes to say “these
young boys can’t fuck with me” but ask yourself something; do you think he’s
talking about LeBron? and if so how has that worked out for him over the last 4
years?.
I'll give you a few minutes.
The Sad Part is “Love” won’t pay Wards Bills
Lennox Lewis made a lot of “step aside” money in his day but
Ward is the man in another division (168 lbs.) who happens to be the best Light
Heavyweight in the world. Clearly “SOG” can take Roy Jones’s job (sorry Roy) at
HBO tomorrow but he’s still in his athletic prime with a lot of fighting ahead
of him. The kind of “love” Bernard is showing is the kind that starts in his
mirror, it says I love “me” so much that I won’t allow this kid to put me on
his resume, I most certainly don’t love Boxing enough to facilitate the coronation
of the next “guy”. Bernard loves history when it suits his mythology, being only
the “Archie Moore” who beats Yvon Durelle not the one cooked in harsh light of
exposure provided by young Cassius Clay. He’s no longer the rebel, and like
most rebels he became a part of the establishment that kept him in obscurity
and he’ll do no favors for Andre Ward. Post-Fight he made everything about
upending a Dictator ( Don King) who was long faded much like he kicked over the
urn of what was Roy Jones-anything to make you think he’s still the Che’ Guevara
of Boxing. 15 Million Is a grandiose figure, and if you’re a macro thinker not
really a lot of money to a notoriously thrifty guy who can see the cost of a brand
identity lost. Remember, his “brand” isn’t about winning but the inability of
the next generation to kick his ass- Andre Ward can do that for him and he
knows it. 5 Million Is a lot to a young Champion who deserves to break through
to the PPV bracket and I’m sure HBO is itching to get Ward exposed to a larger
audience in light of the Mayweather defection. Hopkins likes to say “the ring
retires fighters”, this is true but part of this axiom is smoke and mirrors if
you know who not to get in the “ring”
with.
The same thing is going on with Adrien Broner and Floyd Mayweather,
& hopefully Broner's jump to Welterweight can expose the class subjugation
that threatens to slow the natural evolution of a great sport. Hopkins is using
political power, false admiration and financial deprivation to make Andre Wards
life as a Boxer that much harder because he can-and his track record as a warrior allows him to get away with
it. Reputation is everything in Boxing, and now older fighters are leveraging
it to commit infanticide on a generation of young studs who I believe can take
them RIGHT NOW. No other sport allows
this manipulation of the narrative (Brett Favre came close); every other sport forces
older athletes to exist on merit alone or be overtaken by young lions. Boxing
used to have that kind of ecosystem despite historic corruption, even the
greatest fighters we’ve ever seen had to suffer the indignity of a newer (sometimes
inferior) lion pushing them over the cliff. But back then it was the old guy
that needed the money, not the other way around- in ways this resembles our
current economy where old financial masters get richer and college grads move
in with mom. Hopkins is no worse than the 4th (I think Lucian Bute
beats him) Light Heavyweight in the World! And that is a huge accomplishment,
but anything that detracts from Andre Wards development as a “name” in our
sport is a detriment to our sport. I don’t
care about Bernard’s “respect” for Ward, if he respected him and his own #15
Pound for Pound ranking he would make the fight- and if he respected our intelligence
he wouldn’t bullshit us about his reasons for not fighting Ward.
When he was a hard young man he overcame politics and dished
out executions, now that he is “the man” he can use politics and PR to issue
out his own stay of Execution- and that’s mighty “Golden” of him.
