|
The long, winding and seemingly never-ending career of 49-year old
Bernard Hopkins continues on April 19th and he will be adding to
look to his already vast collection of title belts.
Golden Boy Promotions CEO Richard Schaefer told Maxboxing on
Friday afternoon that “Bernard ‘The Alien’ Hopkins is going to go against
Beibut ‘The Executioner’ Shumenov on April 19th at the D.C. Armory [in
Washington DC].” Hopkins, the IBF beltholder, will be looking to unify with the
WBA titlist, who, according to Schaefer, has taken up his opponent’s former
moniker.
Originally, this Showtime broadcast was to have taken place in San
Antonio, Texas but geographic logic took over.
“Me and you have had these conversations many times,” Schaefer
told this reporter, “and I have to admit you were actually the one who always
pushed for that and we agree with you; I took it to heart. You've got to put
the fight where they belong. Bernard Hopkins has fought now many times at the
Boardwalk Hall [in Atlantic City, New Jersey]; he has fought at the Barclays
Center [in Brooklyn, New York]. I think to go back to Washington D.C. is a
perfect fit for that fight and I think the significance of that fight as well.”
Golden Boy had plans to have WBC featherweight champion Jhonny
Gonzalez face the much-maligned young contender Gary Russell Jr. in the
co-feature but those plans were scuttled as Gonzalez's brother was recently
kidnapped.
“Jhonny doesn't want to fight right now,” explained Schaefer, who
added that this fight could perhaps take place in the summer. As for the possibility
of D.C. native Lamont Peterson, who successfully defended his IBF junior
welterweight title on January 25th versus Dierry Jean, Schaefer
says, “It might be a little too early for his return.”
I can be reached
at k9kim@yahoo.com and I tweet at www.twitter.com/stevemaxboxing.
We also have a Facebook fan page at www.facebook.com/MaxBoxing,
where you can discuss our content with Maxboxing readers as well as chime in
via our fully interactive article comments sections. |
