ATLANTIC CITY — Bernard Hopkins, already the oldest fighter to win a major world title, retained his International Boxing Federation light heavyweight belt with a unanimous decision over Karo Murat on Saturday.
Murat, a German of Armenian descent, was the more active fighter early on, but the 48-year-old Hopkins showed he was willing and able to go toe-to-toe with his 30-year-old foe.
Two ringside judges scored the 12-round bout at Atlantic City’s Boardwalk Hall 119-108 for Hopkins, while a third saw it 117-110 for the US champion who improved to 54-6-2 with 32 knockouts.
Murat fell to 25-2-1, with 15 wins inside the distance. He said he wasn’t troubled by Hopkins’s trademark gamesmanship — which included a tongue-wagging taunt in the third round and a quick kiss on the challenger’s neck in a clinch in the fifth.
But Murat, fighting in the United States for the first time, said he was distracted by a cut over his left eye, and that hindered him even as he engaged the champion in a string of entertaining exchanges.
“The crowd wants to see skills, but they also want to see a little bit of blood,” Hopkins said. “So I’ve got a little bit of blood to give them. Sometimes, if you try to knock a guy out you’ve got to take risks.
Read more at Sports.inquirer.net
Murat, a German of Armenian descent, was the more active fighter early on, but the 48-year-old Hopkins showed he was willing and able to go toe-to-toe with his 30-year-old foe.
Two ringside judges scored the 12-round bout at Atlantic City’s Boardwalk Hall 119-108 for Hopkins, while a third saw it 117-110 for the US champion who improved to 54-6-2 with 32 knockouts.
Murat fell to 25-2-1, with 15 wins inside the distance. He said he wasn’t troubled by Hopkins’s trademark gamesmanship — which included a tongue-wagging taunt in the third round and a quick kiss on the challenger’s neck in a clinch in the fifth.
But Murat, fighting in the United States for the first time, said he was distracted by a cut over his left eye, and that hindered him even as he engaged the champion in a string of entertaining exchanges.
“The crowd wants to see skills, but they also want to see a little bit of blood,” Hopkins said. “So I’ve got a little bit of blood to give them. Sometimes, if you try to knock a guy out you’ve got to take risks.
Read more at Sports.inquirer.net
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