Bernard Hopkins (55-6-2, 32 KOs) will try and defy the gods of time once again this Saturday night when he takes on the dangerous and heavy-handed Sergey Kovalev (25-0-1, 23 KOs) at the Boardwalk Hall in Atlantic City.

Hopkins, 49, is a freak of nature, not only because he can compete at this elite level of boxing, but also thrive. In his last outing, he successfully defended his IBF light heavyweight title against Beibut Shumenov and added Shumenov’s WBA Super belt to his collection, becoming the oldest man ever to unify titles. However, in choosing to fight the 31-year-old Kovalev, who is the WBO light heavyweight champion, he is really putting his nearly 50-year-old body to the test.

Kovalev has blasted his way through the division, and 23 of his 25 wins have come by way of knockout. The Russian, who is based in For Lauderdale, Fla., has been waiting for this high-profile fight all his career. To add a little spice to the mix, Kovalev’s trainer John Jackson used to work in the Hopkins corner with Hopkins’ head trainer Naazim Richardson from 2006-2010.

Will that inside knowledge help Kovalev as he prepares to take on “The Alien”? Hopkins gave himself the moniker for his incredible longevity and success in the sport. Even with 20 straight title defenses as a middleweight champion and several elite fighters on his list of victims (Trinidad, De La Hoya, Kelly Pavlik and Winky Wright, to name a few), beating Kovalev would take his legend to another level. However, if Kovalev can defeat Hopkins, then he really will bring the alien back to earth, and more than likely with a serious bang. Who do you fancy in this one, the “Alien” or the “Krusher”?

Check out Bernard Hopkins’ Greatest Hits

Check out Sergey Kovalev’s Greatest Hits

https://youtube.com/watch?v=7YhrNf5K0lo

To really whet the appetite, delve into both fighters’ preparations with the full episode of 24/7 Hopkins vs Kovalev.

https://youtube.com/watch?v=04gaqh6MKyg