By Keith Idec
Bernard Hopkins swears this is it.
No matter what happens against Joe Smith Jr. on December 17, Hopkins emphasized during a conference call Wednesday that he won’t fight again. After 28 years as a professional boxer, the 51-year-old Hopkins promised he will retire after facing Smith (22-1, 18 KOs) in an HBO “World Championship Boxing” main event at The Forum in Inglewood, California.
“I’m done,” Hopkins said. “It’s the final one. And whether it was John David Jackson or Naazim [Richardson training me], I’m gonna look good no matter what. Because I feel that I know that I can do a lot more than Joe Smith will ever learn in the game of boxing since I’ve been in. And knowledge is key, and then you bring the physical to back it up. So when December 17th fast approaches and it comes here, I wanna put on a performance where y’all will ask me and beg me to stay.
“But I won’t, to answer your question. So that’s the challenge I have to meet. And that’s the challenge I believe Joe Smith Jr. wants to make his name that’s gonna push me to bring my greatness out. Because fighters, to understand greatness, you must be in there with someone to push that out of you. You can’t your way into being great. And if you do, and you don’t show that you’re great, you will embarrass yourself in front of the world. I don’t like being embarrassed.”
Hopkins (55-7-2, 32 KOs, 2 NC) later was asked whether he’ll be tempted to take another fight for big money and/or a light heavyweight title if he defeats the much younger, strong Smith impressively. The former middleweight and light heavyweight champion, who hasn’t fought since Sergey Kovalev defeated him two years ago in Atlantic City, gave what he believes is the best explanation for why the Philadelphia native is certain he won’t return to the ring as an active fighter.
“Because I’m in control – they’re not,” said Hopkins, who once assured his late mother, Shirley Hopkins, that he wouldn’t box beyond his 40th birthday. “I’m in control of me and my decisions. I took that responsibility in 1988, when I was released from Graterford State Penitentiary [in Pennsylvania], with nine years parole, and haven’t been back in 28 years, and started a new life and obviously made a legacy of my life. I’m in control. If that don’t answer it profoundly, then I can’t give you another response towards that question. I’m in control.”
Keith Idec is a senior writer/columnist for BoxingScene.com. He can be reached on Twitter @Idecboxing.
