Bernard Hopkins Vows: I Will Fight Before My 52nd Birthday!

By Francisco Salazar

Bernard Hopkins has one more fight left in his illustrious career. He wants that fight to take place on the biggest of stages.

The 51-year-old may get that opportunity if he gets his way, he told BoxingScene.com this past weekend.

“It’ll be in December and I’m hoping it’s somewhere in L.A., where the stars are at,” said Hopkins.

If the stars are aligned, that fight could take place at The Forum in Inglewood, a suburb of Los Angeles. The 12 round junior lightweight showdown between Orlando Salido and Takashi Miura will headline an HBO telecast.

Hopkins has not fought since November of 2014, when he lost a one-sided 10 round decision to Sergey Kovalev. He has won multiple world title belts in two different weight classes.

One name that has been brought up that could potentially face Hopkins is Joe Smith, who blew out Andrzej Fonfara in one round on June 18 in Chicago, Ill.
Golden Boy Promotions President Eric Gomez told BoxingScene.com’s Steve Kim recently that nothing concrete has been planned for Hopkins, who owns a minority share in the company.

Another possibility is Hopkins could fight December 10 at Madison Square Garden in New York City, where Gennady Golovkin is penciled to headline.
Hopkins, who made his pro debut 28 years ago this week, is adamant he will fight again.

“I will fight before my 52nd birthday (on January 15).”

Francisco A. Salazar has written for Boxingscene.com since September of 2012 and has covered boxing in Southern California and abroad since 2000. Francisco also covers boxing for the Ventura County (Calif.) Star newspaper, RingTV, and Knockout Nation. He can be reached by email at santio89@yahoo.com or on Twitter at FSalazarBoxing