By Quinton Miles

Electronic Arts announced this morning that Middleweight champ Bernard Hopkins will grace the cover of [i]Fight Night Round 2[/i]. Nicknamed “The Executioner”, Hopkins is hailed as one of the world’s best fighters after knocking out Oscar De La Hoya in September. His career record currently includes 45 wins, two losses, one draw, and no contest in 32 knockouts.

“It’s great to be immortalized in an EA SPORTS video game and even a greater honor to be an EA SPORTS cover athlete for the most realistic boxing game ever created,” said Bernard Hopkins. “Being a fan of the series, Fight Night Round 2 really captures the intensity and excitement of the sport, but without the pain.”

Features-wise, [i]Fight Night Round 2[/i] looks to continue innovative gameplay via the Total Punch Control System. Along with that, the all-new [i]EA Sports Haymaker[/i] will now allow players to knock down their opponents with one devastating blow by adding extra power to your punches. Also, using the new [i]EA Sports Cutman[/i] will let gamers minimize damage on your figher by helping them heal wounds between rounds.

[i]Fight Night Round 2[/i] is scheduled to ship for the PlayStation 2 and Xbox in March 2005.