Tavoris Cloud vs. Bernard Hopkins was a professional boxing match contested on March 9, 2013, for the IBF light heavyweight title.
Background In his last fight, Bernard Hopkins had lost the WBC and The Ring light heavyweight titles to Chad Dawson on April 28, 2012. It was not immediately known if the 47-year old Hopkins would fight again, with Hopkins himself expressing to the media "I could be a mentor in the game if I choose to go out that way" after the fight.A Fight to Forget: Hopkins Loses Underwhelming Bout to Dawson, Time Magazine article 2012-04-30 Retrieved on 2024-08-27 However, in November of that year, it was announced by Golden Boy Promotions CEO Richard Schaefer that Hopkins would indeed return on March 9, 2013, to face one of the reigning light heavyweight champions at the time; IBF champion Tavoris Cloud, WBO champion Nathan Cleverly or WBA champion Beibut Shumenov at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn.Bernard Hopkins Returns on 3/9 at Barclays, Showtime, Boxing Scene article 2012-11-10 Retrieved on 2024-08-27 The following month, Cloud was officially announced to be Hopkins opponent, with the IBF approving the fight in January after both fighters agreed to face mandatory challenger Karo Murat should they win.Bernard Hopkins vs Tavoris Cloud set for March 9 at Barclays, pending IBF approval, Bad Left Hook article 2012-12-16 Retrieved on 2024-08-27IBF ‘tentatively’ approves Hopkins-Cloud, The Ring article 2013-01-03 Retrieved on 2024-08-27 The bout was planned to be aired on Showtime's Showtime Championship Boxing, but HBO, who had long broadcast Hopkins fights, stepped in and made a deal with Golden Boy Promotions to air the fight instead.Bernard Hopkins vs Tavoris Cloud will be on HBO, not Showtime, Bad Left Hook article 2012-12-18 Retrieved on 2024-08-27
In the months leading into the fight, Cloud fired his longtime trainer Al Bonanni and parted ways with his manager Jerry Attardi, enlisting Abel Sanchez as his new trainer and hip hop mogul James Prince as his new manager. Cloud mentioned that he had no "bad feelings" with Bonanni but "needed somebody with a more open mind and that happened to be Abel Sanchez."Cloud: 'I feel kind of invincible', ESPN article 2013-03-07 Retrieved on 2024-08-27 Sanchez likened the bout to the Ray Leonard–Terry Norris fight 22 years before, in which Norris, whom Sanchez trained, convincingly defeated the aging Leonard, predicting Cloud would do the same to Hopkins.Sanchez Expects Cloud To Repeat Terry Norris' Big Win, Boxing Scene article 2013-03-09 Retrieved on 2024-08-27
The fight Hopkins controlled the pace of the fight, thoroughly out landing Cloud in total punches and using his defense to stymie Cloud's offense. Though largely a tactical affair like most Hopkins fights, Hopkins did open a large cut above Cloud's left eye after landing a short left hook during the sixth round. Hopkins would land 41% of his total punches thrown and nearly half of his 227 thrown power punches while keeping Cloud to land just 21% (139 of 650) of his thrown punches.CompuBox Stats, 2013-03-09 Retrieved on 2024-08-27 The fight would ultimately go the full 12-round distance with all three judges scoring the fight in Hopkins favor with two scores of 116–112 and one score of 117–111.
Aftermath With the victory, Hopkins became the oldest fighter to win a major world title, breaking the record he himself set when he beat Jean Pascal two years earlier at age 46.Bernard Hopkins, 48, wins IBF belt, ESPN article, 2013-03-10 Retrieved on 2024-08-27
Fight card Confirmed bouts: Televised Weight Class Weight vs. Method Round NotesLight Heavyweight175 lbs.Bernard Hopkins defTavoris CloudUD12/12Welterweight147 lbs.Keith Thurman def.Jan Zaveck (c)UD12/12 Lightweight135 lbs.Michael Perez vs.Lonnie SmithD10/10
Untelevised Weight Class Weight vs. Method Round NotesLight middleweight154 lbs.Eddie Gomez defJavier Gomez RuedaTKO1/8Light middleweight154 lbs.Frank Galarza def.Guillermo IbarraTKO2/6Light heavyweight175 lbs.Marcus Browne def.Josh ThorpeTKO1/4Cruiserweight200 lbs.Stivens Bujaj def.Zeferino AlbinoUD4Bantamweight118 lbs.Claude Staten Jr def.Mike HillUD4
Broadcasting Country Broadcaster Main Event Sport 1 Viasat Sport RPC Polsat Sport BoxNation HBO
References