Bernard Hopkins Win Provides A Lesson In Life
Let Saturday night’s fight between former, now reincarnated boxing great Bernard Hopkins be lesson to you trumpeters of youthful vigor out there…very seldom will youth trump experience! Before a crowd at Brooklyn’s Barclays Center, the 48-year-old Hopkins fought and won a unanimous 12-round decision against a much younger fighter in the form of 30-year-old fighter Tavoris Cloud for the IBF’s light heavyweight championship.
Before last night’s bout, Hopkins came into the ring with a record of 52 wins and 6 losses, compared to Cloud’s undefeated record of 24-0, and a knockout percentage of 76%. And by all accounts, the fight was a world-class performance of strategy, experience, and confidence in both by Hopkins against the vigor and comparative speed of the youthful Cloud. Hopkins connected with a total of 169 out of 417 punches thrown, while Cloud landed 139 of 650.
In defeat, Cloud was realistic in his assessment of his performance, citing "I was only average tonight," Cloud said. "He hit me with an elbow but I'm not complaining. It is what it is."
Let last night’s sport performance be a lesson to old and young alike…never discount experience in the face of youth. Many of us older cats still have a few things we are capable of teaching younger, eager types looking to prove “it’s a young man’s world.” Last night’s win by Hopkins is an instance of how mistaken such a belief system can be proven wrong…along with the old saying how wise it is that we “learn from our mistakes.” It’s better to learn from the mistakes of others; that way, you don’t make the same mistakes (like underestimating the older and wiser).