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I will have to save that answer for the end of my article, but for everybody who thinks De La Hoya is going to go in there and get eaten alive, they are sorely mistaken. De La Hoya has the speed and the skill to give Hopkins fits and believe me, if he can execute an effective game plan he can win a close fight.
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De La Hoya has an advantage that he must use and he must use it early and often. That advantage is speed and speed kills. De La Hoya will be the fastest opponent Bernard Hopkins has been in the ring against since 1993 when he fought Roy Jones Jr. in Bernard's first shot at the Middleweight crown. [A fight Hopkins would love over 12-rounds by decision]
Oscar will have to use his lightning quick hands to keep Hopkins at bay. He will need to use them to get Bernard out of his usual rhythm that he gets in each fight especially in recent bouts with Felix Trinidad and William Joppy.
Hopkins is like no other monster Oscar has ever faced. He has the power to hurt De La Hoya, and he has the skill to make De La Hoya look silly, so Oscar needs to off set all of his own shortcomings with his speed.
The next aspect and perhaps the most important thing Oscar must do is jab. He must use his excellent jab to keep Bernard on the outside, keeping his distance from Hopkins' reach. If Bernard Hopkins has any weakness as a fighter it is that he is not a great jabber, he has a very average jab.
Oscar needs to circle around Bernard and jab him, and do it until he can't jab any more and until the final bell rings. And when Bernard tries to come inside, he must be quick and accurate with his excellent left hook. I am one of the very few who believes Oscar can sting Bernard with his left hook and do not believe Oscar can knock out Bernard, but I do think he punches sharp enough, especially with his left hand, that he can earn Hopkins respect.
The third and final key in my opinion is that Oscar must, and has to, at all costs, Get An Early Lead. He must win at least 6 or 7 of the first 8 rounds. Bernard is always strong in the late rounds and Oscar is always weak in the late rounds. So he must know that Bernard will come on late. So Oscar needs to come right out of the gate with speed and precision, and hope that an early lead can carry him to a close decision victory for his record 6th tile in 6 weight classes.
Will it Happen? Will De La Hoya Win?
Honestly, I don't think so. To me Bernard is too strong for Oscar. While I think Oscar will be spirited and be dynamic at times, I just don't think he has enough to beat Hopkins. I think if he puts on a special performance, and if Bernard cooperates a lot, then he does have a more then a decent chance to win, but Bernard Hopkins is a soul searcher, he tests everything about you as a fighter, he exposes all weaknesses and he is one of the most complete and relentless fighters in quite some time, ala Marvelous Marvin Hagler.
So if De La Hoya wins he will place himself in the elite class of the greatest fighters to ever put in the gloves. While he would not be a top 10, or even a top 20 fighter pound for pound ever, he would still put himself in great company. Can he win? Yes. Will he win? Maybe, remember we are talking about boxing, but I wouldn't bet against Bernard Hopkins. We will see September 18th
