Bernard Hopkins vs Tavoris Cloud

On March 9, 2013, at Brooklyn's Barclays Center, 48-year-old Bernard Hopkins faced IBF Light Heavyweight champion Tavoris Cloud to further cement Hopkins' legacy in boxing history. Cloud entered undefeated at 24-0 with 19 knockouts, working with new trainer Abel Sanchez after parting ways with Al Bonanni.

Despite being a 1.6-to-1 underdog and giving up 17 years to his opponent, Hopkins dominated the tactical battle. The defining moment came in round 6 when Hopkins opened a cut on Cloud's left eyelid with a short left hook, though referee Albert Earl Brown incorrectly ruled it an accidental head clash. A second cut appeared on Cloud's right eyelid in the final round from a head collision.

Hopkins' masterful defensive work and ring generalship earned him scores of 116-112 twice and 117-111, matching the unofficial scorecards of HBO's Harold Lederman and ESPN's Dan Rafael. The victory, which earned Hopkins $750,000 to Cloud's $550,000, extended his record as boxing's oldest world champion.

Cloud, weighing a career-low 174 pounds, could not find answers for Hopkins' veteran tactics. The pre-fight narrative of youth versus experience, which Cloud's trainer Abel Sanchez had compared to Terry Norris versus Sugar Ray Leonard, played out oppositely to Sanchez's prediction. As Jim Lampley noted during the broadcast, Hopkins turned the fight into a boxing clinic, leading Hopkins to declare afterwards, "I've got a history of destroying young champions."

The victory continued Hopkins' remarkable late-career run at light heavyweight, where he entered ranked #1 by The Ring magazine behind only champion Chad Dawson.