Bernard Hopkins pulls off another surprise

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I was wrong. Dead wrong.

As he has done with so many others in his long career, Bernard Hopkins fooled me.

I thought that, at 43, without the power to discourage one of the best and most aggressive fighters in the sport, Hopkins had no chance Saturday night against 26-year-old Kelly Pavlik.

Instead, Hopkins pulled off a monumental upset in easily winning a unanimous decision. It was bigger even than George Foreman’s knockout of Michael Moorer in 1994 to give Foreman back the heavyweight title at age 45. Moorer was also 26 at the time.

The difference is that Moorer’s talent was always questionable and, despite that, he was winning that fight on all three judges’ scorecards until Foreman stopped him with one punch.

No one has questioned Pavlik’s talent since he beat Jermain Taylor a year ago. And Hopkins didn’t land just one telling blow Saturday. He dominated the fight, winning every round on one judge’s scorecard.

Pavlik is the future of boxing and Hopkins is the past, but not yet. Not Saturday.

Every time we write Hopkins’ professional obit, he tears it up. When he lost twice to Taylor in 2005, many figured he was done.

Instead, Hopkins came back to beat Antonio Tarver and, shockingly, Winky Wright.

Go figure.

Then, when Hopkins lost to Joe Calzaghe earlier this year, retirement again seemed to beckon.

Instead, Hopkins is back again. What keeps him going? He’s never out of shape, has never been stopped and brings with him the experience of 20 years in the ring.

That enables him to often win the mind game from the opening bell as was the case Saturday.

Hopkins is brilliant at analyzing an opponent -- remember, he was the first opponent to figure out Felix Trinidad -- is difficult to hit, has a slick style, can become a dirty fighter when the situation calls for it, and has all sorts of punch options in his arsenal.

In recent fights, Hopkins has started slowly and fought defensively, a sign, it was thought, of his advancing years. But Saturday night, it was Hopkins who made Pavlik look like the older fighter, attacking from the beginning and often connecting at will, leaving Pavlik confused and ineffective, unable to blunt Hopkins’ attack with counterpunches.

It was a clinic from start to finish with no question who was the teacher and who was the pupil.

When it was over, Pavlik couldn’t question the decision. The only question he might have asked Hopkins: ‘Can I see your birth certificate?’

Full disclosure: I worked on the autobiography of Oscar De La Hoya, whose Golden Boy Promotions not only handles Hopkins, but has made him a minority partner in the organization.

But that doesn’t make me biased in Hopkins’ favor. Just the opposite. I would have bet my paycheck on a Hopkins loss if I were a gambler. Fortunately, I’m not because, as I was reminded once again Saturday, there are no sure things.

-- Steve Springer