He Won’t Give Up Belt Without a Fight

LAS VEGAS —  As he stepped up to go face to face with Bernard Hopkins for a photo shoot before his middleweight championship fight against Hopkins last year, Oscar De La Hoya did a double take.

A smiling Hopkins was missing two front teeth.

Hopkins, who has false teeth, was being playful with De La Hoya.

No such kid glove treatment for Jermain Taylor, who got another face -- surly and menacing -- Friday afternoon when he stepped on the scale at the weigh-in for tonight’s middleweight title fight at the MGM Grand Garden Arena.

After both men checked in at exactly 160 pounds, Hopkins went after Taylor with taunts and insults, the fighters going jaw to jaw, almost banging heads in verbal fury.

A fighter can never be sure what he will encounter when he faces Hopkins, whose mastery of the psych game rivals his ring mastery. Hopkins has served food to an opponent at a news conference, telling him it was his “last meal.” Anything to keep the man headed for the other corner intimidated and off balance.

It’s no different in the ring where Hopkins is a master counterpuncher who will often lay on the ropes or retreat while he analyzes his opponent. And when all else fails, dirty tactics are often part of the Hopkins package.

Hopkins’ 46-2-1 record with 32 knockouts should be intimidating enough. He will be attempting to extend his record for successful middleweight title defenses to 21. Only two men, heavyweight Joe Louis (25) and light heavyweight Dariusz Michalczewski (23), have had more.

Hopkins has not lost in 12 years, not since Roy Jones beat him in a unanimous decision.

Taylor’s numbers pale in comparison. He has had only 23 professional fights since winning a bronze medal at the 2000 Olympics. He has won all 23, 17 by knockout. But he has not fought anyone close to Hopkins’ caliber, and has certainly never been in the type of circus that surrounds blockbuster fights such as this.

“I have been waiting for this a long time,” Taylor said. “There is no way I’m going to freeze up.”

He seemed to demonstrate that at the weigh-in.

Taylor possesses a terrific jab, good power and an aggressive style. He knows he must be on the attack if he hopes to foil Hopkins’ consummate ring tactics.

There is one number that could favor Taylor: 40. That’s Hopkins’ age, which makes him 14 years older than his opponent. Hopkins has always stayed in great shape, displayed strong stamina and never had a weight problem. But he wouldn’t be the first fighter to get old overnight .

“You’d be a fool not to respect me,” Hopkins said. “And after this fight, everybody will be saying I’m the youngest 40 they’ve ever seen.”