Glen Johnson Feels Hopkins Should Continue To Fight

By Keith Idec

Glen Johnson will turn 43 on Jan. 2, but he has no plans to retire anytime soon.

Johnson doesn’t think 46-year-old Bernard Hopkins should think about hanging up his gloves, either. In fact, Johnson has been perplexed by suggestions that Hopkins should retire in the wake of his controversial second-round technical knockout loss to Chad Dawson on Oct. 15 in Los Angeles.

“As far as where Bernard is in his career, he just came off of a wonderful fight [against Jean Pascal], where we were all congratulating him,” Johnson said on a conference call to promote his Nov. 5 fight against Lucian Bute in Quebec City. “So I don’t know what would be the question about what’s going on now [with him]. That fight was not finished, so it’s hard to say what would happen.”

Johnson, whom Hopkins stopped in the 11th round of their middleweight title fight 14 years ago, also thinks the Hopkins-Dawson debacle should’ve been ruled a no-contest.

“I think they’re working it out and they’re going about it the proper way,” Johnson said, referring to Golden Boy Promotions’ pursuit of having the official outcome changed by the California State Athletic Commission. “I truly thought that it should’ve been a no-contest, if the fighter can’t go on.”

Johnson continued by taking a not-so-subtle shot at Hopkins, who has a recent history of milking injuries during fights.

“You know, you certainly could have questions if he could go on or not, if he’s faking or he’s not faking,” said Johnson, who also lost 12-round unanimous decisions to Dawson in April 2008 and November 2009. “That’s not something that I need to work out. Boxing needs to work that out, or doctors or whatever. I’m not in the medical field, so I think they’re going down the right path, as far as working it out and all of that stuff.”

Keith Idec covers boxing for the Record and Herald News, of Woodland Park, N.J., and BoxingScene.com.