Next Up For Bernard Hopkins?...The Executioner's Options

Spinning off from his Friday story...Bernard Hopkins & Roy Jones - One of a Kind, Jeff Pryor takes a look at who might be next in line to face Hopkins, and examines the pros and cons behind each potential match-up.

Now at the end of their careers Roy Jones Jr. and Bernard Hopkins have starkly different codas to play out. Jones may already have put the final sad flourish on his brilliant career with help from Aussie slugger Danny Green. Hopkins has yet a stanza or two to try and finish his opus. Whether it wraps up with a crescendo or a dissonant note, may depend on what opponents he ultimately chooses to fight.

Hopkins has several options, spanning fighters from at least five divsions...

After his early destruction of Librado Andrade, Bute is riding high and put forth his claim to the top of the Super Middleweight division. A bout with the Super Six's eventual winner should settle the debate of who is atop the divison, but as that's a long way off, high profile punching partners are few and far between for the Montreal mauler.

Reasons to execute:

A Hopkins-Bute face off, would be a big ticket seller in Canada both in live gate and on PPV, but here's why Hopkins might find the bout attractive, aside from the money; Bute is considered by many to be the top Super Middleweight in the world and another divisional conquest would be no doubt attractive to The Executioner.

Also, Bute is a southpaw... Hopkins has faced many of the worlds best lefties over the last several years, and has used it well to his advantage. Though Bute delivered an eye opening knockout to an otherwise impervious opponent, there were still signs that he was vulnerable, and it appeared that Andrade was having greater success earlier in the rematch than he did in their first go around. Bute looked a little skittish at times, and was starting to get tagged clean by the plodding, but relentless Mexican.

Andrade played rough on the inside and was starting to get it going, before two beautiful punches ended the night. Hopkins has made a living of making it rough in the clinch, he's one of the games premiere inside fighters, and if Bute thought Andrade was a handful to tangle with up close, Hopkins would open his eyes to all new horrors.

Bottom line, Hopkins would relish facing a champ who very well has some lingering psychological residue from the beating he took in his traumatic breakdown against Andrade.

Reasons to waive off:

First and foremost, though he may be able to rough Bute up, it might be hard to win a decision or count on a knockout. On several recent occasions Canadian judging has proven to be incompetent at best, biased and at worst, corrupt either on an individual level or, more unlikely but still possible, on a conspiratorial level.

For a fighter who has the mentality of saving his bullets, if he doesn't "need" to use them, Hopkins would likely be deterred by the high likelihood that he would be screwed on the cards should the fight be remotely close. Having already suffered highly questionable losses against Taylor twice and Calzaghe, he would justifiably be reticent in stepping in with such a disadvantage already looming over the match.

The other key deterrent, and probably the deciding factor, is that Hopkins has his eye on a prize further up in weight. Unless Bute is willing to come to 175 (or a catchweight), there isn't much chance the fight would happen, as Hopkins wont want to cut weight which would be detrimental to his favored fight (more on that one later). Of course if Bute agreed to go to Light Heavyweight for the fight, that would also negate Hopkins chance for another divisional belt. So with all these sticking points, the real advantage to this fight would be the money it would generate in Canada.

That may be enough to entice Hopkins, but there are other fights which would probably provide a similar financial reward, and move him closer to his ultimate goal, a heavyweight championship, all in one go.

Paul Williams

A Punisher-Executioner showdown has been bandied about for the last year, now after his war with Sergio Martinez there is an opportunity to put it together if all the parties are willing.

Reason to Execute:

Paul showed unbelievable heart and determination in his victory against the equally tough and skilled Martinez. What Williams also showed is that he is wide open for a good counter puncher to land bombs from either side. Hopkins had to have watched the fight with a grin on his face if he truly considers Williams a possible foe.

While Martinez was able to knockdown and stun Williams, he isn't a real heavy handed guy. A fight between Hopkins and Williams would probably come down to how effectively Hopkins could cut down Paul's output, with a steady barrage of clean lead rights, which is his signature punch. Likely a bigger puncher than Martinez, he would have a good shot of hurting Williams at some point, and mauling him on the inside, where the lanky division hopper is largely ineffective.

Reasons to waive off:

Hopkins age is always the X-factor, particularly if he were in with Williams whose sheer output and pressure might wear out the soon to be 45 year old fighter.

The other factors to consider are that Williams has never had a big following, and though this last fight may go some way towards changing that, he still likely does not bring the proper risk/reward ratio for Hopkins. Also, the fight would likely be fought at 175 or lower. As in the case with Bute, the lower weight may not fit into Hopkins' plans at this point.

Chad Dawson

With his recent dominating rematch victory over Glen Johnson, and a second win against Tarver, the high profile fights have been mined in the light heavyweight division. Facing Hopkins would be a passing of the torch matchup.

Reason to Execute:

Hopkins has extinguished torches before... taking down Dawson, like his victory over Pavlik, removes any lingering debate over whether his Middleweight run benefited from the lack of good young competition to press him. And now that Johnson, Tarver, Jones and Calzaghe have fallen by the way side, the divisions top two are clearly Hopkins and Dawson. Dawson may turn out to be the next generations marquee talent, and notching his name this late in a career would further Hopkins' claim as the era's greatest fighter, one willing to take on the biggest and best challengers regardless of their youth or dangerousness, at a time when he has no need to prove anything.

Hopkins tends to get stronger as the fight goes on; Dawson the opposite. Even in victory Dawson has shown a tendency to fade over the distance. On the inside against Johnson in their first bout, Dawson was stung throughout the fight and pushed to the limits. Hopkins would be able to exploit any weakness there in Dawson.

Reason to Waive it Off:

Dawson is a very difficult opponent, but doesn't draw flies or bring money in. Top this off with his style, which has been criticized for being dull at times, and like Williams, the risk/reward ratio is not balanced enough to make the fight attractive to Hopkins.

Danny Green

After ending any lingering doubt over Roy Jones' current status as a fighter, Green has turned to Hopkins and extended an invitation to Australia.

Reasons to Execute:

Another weight class another belt, and though Tomasz Adamek would be the more respected opponent at Cruiserweight, technically he has moved on to Heavyweight and left the division without a clear leader. Green is on that short list. That said, the big reason Hopkins would take the fight is money. Roy by most accounts received around four million dollars to head down under. Hopkins has been quoted saying that the money Green's team has mentioned to him is in the six or seven million dollar region. That's more than he would see for nearly everyone else on the list.

The two men are the same height and Hopkins has been a master at sculpting his body; the size won't decide the fight. The matchup then comes down to Hopkins ability to befuddle the much cruder Green, using his intellect and ring I.Q. to keep Green from landing his Sunday punch. Of all the names on the list, Green is the most unproven fighter of all of Hopkins possibilities. Green brings the green, and he is green. The perfect combo for a low risk, high reward showdown that, like Adamek , would pave the way for a David Haye showdown later in the year.

Reasons to Waive it Off:

Pedigree is valuable, but power can overcome any deficiency there in a flash, and while Green doesn't have a resume brimming with recognizable names, he does have the power to add Bernard's should this era's Archie Moore find the gas tank empty. Hopkins' dangers in the ring with Green are the same as with any of the others... if he gets old, he's in trouble and it would be a disaster to be stuck in the ring with a wild swinging heavy hitter who sees a shot to add another Hall of Famer to his resume.

Of all the men considered for Bernard's next fight, Green holds the least esteem within the boxing community, and adding Danny's name to his win column would be the least glossy of the fighters in the running.

Tomasz Adamek

The Cruiser weight champion brawler, is now fighting at heavyweight, but his management has stated he would come back down to defend against Hopkins.

Reason to Execute:

In Adamek, The Cruiser-weight Ring Champion, Hopkins has a straight forward fighter and a  great opportunity to walk away with another legitimate championship in a new division.

Physically, the height and reach of the two men is almost identical. When Hopkins stepped in the ring against Antonio Tarver he weighed in at 182 pounds, and in the words of Jim Lampley, looked "immaculate", another ten or fifteen pounds would likely sit just fine on his frame. As for their ring styles, Adamek keeps his left low and relies on big right hands; it's not hard to envision Hopkins circling to his right, completely neutralizing the Polish Pugilists chief weapon, the right hand (just as Bernard did with Pavlik) while launching his own overhand rights atop the lowered left glove of his foe. Adamek takes more flush, head snapping, shots in an average fight than Hopkins has in all of his 57 fights combined. Hopkins would likely hold the speed advantage and the ring generalship he would employ could frustrate Adamek for huge stretches at a time.

How much higher can Hopkins' all-time status fly? Beating the Cruiser-weight champ, forty pounds above his best weight, at age forty five...unprecedented in the history of the sport.

Reasons to Waive it Off:

Fighting the Cruiser weight champ, forty pounds above your best weight, at age forty five? That's unprecedented in the sport... for a reason. Adamek s a big puncher and he's got the type of character that won't break or be discouraged by getting popped by clean counters for twelve rounds, he will keep coming until the end. If Hopkins gasses out as he did in the Calzaghe fight, Adamek can close the show. It's also impossible to know how a fighter will carry the weight up.

Though Hopkins looked good at 182 pounds for Tarver, at some point fighters moving up reach a limit. It's high risk, high reward. But at what point does the risk no longer make sense? If he's serious about chasing Haye, then this bout might be Hopkins best choice for his next bout, because it would set up a logical progression towards that matchup.

David Haye

The former Cruiserweight champ, now Heavyweight title holder is open to a bout with Hopkins... however, he has a looming mandatory challenger in John Ruiz.

Reasons to execute:

Though Haye has a big punch, conventional wisdom seems to think he won't be champ for too long, because questions about his chin still linger, he is undersized, and probably got a bit lucky in earning a decision against Valuev. Taking any fight that could jeopardize a matchup with Haye as soon as possible, might be unwise.

Also, Hopkins will need time to build his body into a legitimately sized Heavyweight fighter. He could train for much of 2010 and look to meet Haye in the fall.

The fight itself lends a few advantages for Hopkins; Haye doesn't throw a ton of punches, and so long as Hopkins can slip the big stuff, he should be able to work inside and make it rugged.

Hopkins strategy, unlikely as it seems due to his reputation for economy, would probably be to outpoint Haye simply by landing the more shots. Haye's defense is not great, and Hopkins could probably find a home for his lead right, over the top of Haye's dangling left.

The bottom line, is that a win would catapult Hopkins' legacy to a rarified level that few of his contemporaries could hope to lay claim to. A loss would do little to quell his recent accomplishments, since a forty five year old, long time middleweight, as good as he is, wouldn't be expected to win.

Reasons to waive it off:

Haye, even more so than Adamek, would provide the hardest hitting fighter Hopkins would ever face. He would also combine uncanny quickness for a big man. Should Hopkins' body finally act it's age he could be in serious trouble if one of those Haye-makers lands flush. For a fighter that has never had a busted lip, a cut, or any serious damage, Hopkins might be tempting fate at an age when there is no youthful safety net to fall back on.
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With all these high profile options, against some of the sports premiere fighters, one would be forgiven to think that Hopkins was running down 25 instead of 45. He's the anomaly in a sport where longevity is only a punch away from being down for the count.

Most of the stars of the last two decades are already gone or fading away...    If Jones was this era's "Superman", Hopkins has shown he is the true "Man of Steel"... But the question remains; how much longer?

Roy Jones' recent string of fights should serve as a cautionary tail to those who think they have Ring Immortality.

No matter who you are, eventually the gloves get hung up, one way or another.

e-mail Jeff Pryor