Demetrius Hopkins Eyes Fight against Andre Berto
It turns out that there is more than one Hopkins looking out for his next fight. Bernard Hopkins has been trying for several weeks to find an opponent for his next contest. He had been trying to convince undefeated former champion Joe Calzaghe to come out of retirement for a rematch of their 2008 bout, which Hopkins lost via a close decision. However, Calzaghe told media sources in his home of Wales that Hopkins was "a 45-year-old man who just doesn't bring anything to the table" and that he wasn't interested in coming out of retirement to face him.
So while Bernard Hopkins is now looking for a potential fight against IBF super middleweight champion Lucian Bute, there's another Hopkins who is now put himself into position for a world title fight. On Friday night, his nephew Demetrius Hopkins (30-1-1, 11 KOs) claimed an easy 10-round decision over Mike Arnaoutis (22-6-2, 10 KO). It was a crossroads fight for both boxers; Hopkins was looking to re-establish his world championship contender credentials in his second fight back since losing his bid for the WBO junior welterweight title to Kendall Holt in December 2008 whole Arnaoutis had dropped two decisions coming into the bout.
Hopkins had little trouble winning the fight against Arnaoutis. The difference was his height and reach advantage. Hopkins was able to establish his jab early and then use his straight right hand to score repeatedly against Arnaoutis. Hopkins had the clear advantage in terms of footwork, lateral movement and overall defensive ability, making the Greek fighter miss frequently and generally turning it into a frustrating night for him.
With Hopkins' easy unanimous decision victory against Arnaoutis, a tough veteran who has fought for the world title before, he apparently has set himself up for a potential title fight in the near future. According to BoxingScene.com, Hopkins has his eyes on a fighter who is having trouble getting a big name opponent. Hopkins' manager Cameron Dunkin told the website that the fight he wants next is a shot against current WBC welterweight titlist Andre Berto.
"Demetrius would like to fight Andre Berto next," Dunkin said. "He really wants that fight."
Berto's manager Lou DiBella is currently looking for an opponent for Berto in the fall. Berto last fight was in April, when he defended his title by stopping former titlist Carlos Quintana in the eighth round. It was Berto's first fight back since he was forced to cancel his planned January bout against Shane Mosley after his uncle and several other close family members were killed in the devastating earthquake which hit Haiti.
The preference of DiBella had been to negotiate a fight against Mosley for this fall. The two sides had preliminary talks but Mosley ultimately decided for a September bout against Sergio Mora in an all-Southern California fight in September. This flew against the wishes of HBO Sports, which had preferred that Mosley fight Berto instead of anyone else.
Hopkins could be the best option for Berto. The other options for Berto in his next bout are pretty thin, and most other opponents would strictly be "filler" fights until a more attractive fight would become available – possibly early next year. Hopkins is possibly the biggest name available for Berto to fight this fall – and that's not just because of the famous name of his uncle. At the end of the day, it likely would all come down to if HBO Sports is interested in airing the fight. If it's a fight they want, then it will probably happen. If not, then Hopkins and Berto will probably have to find other opponents for any fight later this year.
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