BOXING

• Hopkins pounds Pavlik

  
  

  Atlantic City, NJ (Sports Network) - Bernard Hopkins dealt Kelly Pavlik his first loss with a crushing unanimous decision in a non-title bout at Boardwalk Hall on Saturday night.

  The 43-year-old Hopkins (49-5-1) had lost three of his last five fights dating back to 2005 but won on the scorecards 117-109, 119-106, 118-108 in the light heavyweight bout.

  Pavlik (34-1), the 26-year-old reigning WBC/WBO middleweight champion, moved up in weight and encountered and energized Hopkins in the early rounds. Hopkins landed a number of punches to the body and head in the first two rounds, causing swelling around Pavlik's right eye.

  The domination continued through the middle rounds, and Pavlik never appeared to be a contender in the fight, as Hopkins landed a variety of combinations, even finding room to showboat for the crowd a bit.

  Hopkins' power was far better than that of Pavlik, and the Philadelphian's speed had Pavlik pinned. Hopkins landed a hard shot to the head late in the fight, causing Pavlik to stumble a bit but not fall entirely. His mastery of Pavlik continued all the way to the bell at the end of the 12th, when the fighters jawed at each other, but by then Hopkins had made his victory clear.

  10/19 00:57:57 ET