Citing clean living, former two-weight world champion Bernard Hopkins is ready to challenge Tavoris “Thunder” Cloud for the IBF light heavyweight title tomorrow night at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York.
Hopkins (52-6-2-2, 32 KOs), a reformed ex-convict who outclassed Jean Pascal in May 2011 to earn a unanimous decision victory and become, at 46, the oldest man to capture a major belt, will break his own feat with a triumph over Cloud (24-0, 19 KOs).
"I'm different, and I'm clean," said Hopkins, 48, who safeguarded his middleweight championship a record 20 straight times from 1995 through 2005. "Lance [Armstrong] had y'all fooled. But I've been doing this on nuts and bananas."
Although unblemished and owning a solid amateur background, the 31-year-old Cloud, a 5-foot-10 native of Tallahassee, Florida, has primarily battled unknowns and Hopkins is undoubtedly the biggest test of his professional career.
Despite being a geriatric, “The Executioner” remains a defensive virtuoso with an insatiable appetite for winning.
Hopkins, an active prizefighting legend, should manage to outmaneuver Cloud and use experience to silence “Thunder.”
In a rollercoaster, yet somewhat boring, affair, Bernard Hopkins will continue adding to his legacy by outscoring Tavoris Cloud to again become a titleholder roughly 30 hours from now in Gotham.
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