The last time Beibut Shumenov fought at light heavyweight, in April 2014, he was exposed by 49-year-old Bernard Hopkins.
Hopkins even knocked Shumenov down in the 11th round at the Armory in Washington, D.C.
The loss angered Shumenov, a proud Kazakhstani fighter now living in Las Vegas, who not only lost the fight but also his light heavyweight belt and his reputation. He blamed his trainer who, it turns out, was himself. He vowed to fix what caused him to lose to a man old enough to be his father, although there’s no shame in losing to an ageless, future hall of fame legend.
Then Shumenov made two key moves.