Hopkins makes history

The 48-year-old Hopkins broke the record he set by beating Jean Pascal for the WBC light-heavyweight title on May 21, 2011.
Hopkins improved to 53-6-2 in the main event of an eight-fight card at the Barclays Center. It was his 29th title bout. The 30-year-old Cloud fell to 19-1.

With Hopkins forcing a patient, technical match, Cloud was unable to press the issue and Hopkins circled him, landing jabs to his face, eventually opening a cut above his left eye.
Hopkins connected on 169 of 417 punches. Cloud landed 139 of 650.

Keith Thurman won the WBO intercontinental welterweight title with a 12 round, unanimous decision over Jan Zaveck. Thurman improved to 20-0 and Zaveck fell to 32-3.

Michael Perez (18-1-2) and Lonnie Smith (14-4-3) fought to a majority draw in the first bout on the main card. The bout was called midway through the seventh round after Perez absorbed what was ruled “an accidental head butt” that led to blood running down both sides of his face.
Judges Julie Lederman and Carlos Ortiz both had the fight 66-66, while Perez led 67-65 on Joe Pasquale’s card.

Steve Bujaj (9-0), Claude Staten Jr. (1-0), Frank Galarza (9-0-1), Marcus Browne (3-0) and Eddie Gomez (13-0) won undercard fights.
“(Trainer) Naazim (Richardson) told me what to do, I stuck to the game-plan, it was trying to throw combination punches, and throw them often,” Hopkins said after improving his record to 53-6-2 (32 KOs).

Age has shorn him of his power but Hopkins proved he remained a master technician as “The Executioner” claimed a satisfying victory over a boxer from the stable of his former promoter Don King.

Hopkins opened a cut on Cloud’s left eye in round six with a short left hook even though referee Earl Brown ruled it to be from an accidental headbutt.
Cloud, who subsequently complained of an elbow problem, sustained a cut on his right eyelid as well in the 12th round from a clash of heads.

“I have a history of destroying young champions and then we don’t see them again. Not sure if you’ll see Cloud again,” Hopkins said after handing his opponent a first loss in 25 bouts.

“I wanted to show the forty-and-up club still rules,” the Philadelphia-born fighter added.
Hopkins made his professional debut in 1988, the start of an illustrious career which included a decade-long reign as the world middleweight champion.

In other fights on Saturday night, Filipino mini flyweight Merlito Sabillo extended his unbeaten record with an eighth-round TKO over Colombian Luis De La Rosa, claiming the WBO title in the process.

The all-action scrap in Cordoba, Colombia, saw De La Rosa cut in the first round before fighting back with a series of big hits. He was edging the contest on points before southpaw Sabillo unleashed a right hook before finishing him off with a straight left.

In Costa Mesa California, Argenis Mendez of the Dominican Republic also won his bout by knockout, taking down Juan Carlos Salgado in the fourth round of their IBF super-featherweight title clash.
It was revenge for Mendez, who lost the then-vacant title to Mexico’s Salgado by a close points decision in 2011. — AFP.