By Keith Idec
Bernard Hopkins plans to remain at light heavyweight, no matter which high-profile fights are available beneath the 175-pound limit.
When asked on a conference call Wednesday about the possibility of facing undisputed middleweight champion Sergio Martinez at a catch weight of 170 pounds, Hopkins (52-5-2, 32 KOs, 1 NC) dismissed the thought of moving down. Martinez’s handlers have said they won’t let Martinez fight at 168 or 170 pounds anyway, but Hopkins’ point was that if anyone wants to fight him — if, of course, he is able to beat Chad Dawson (30-1, 17 KOs, 1 NC) on Oct. 15 in Los Angeles — that potential opponent must meet him at 175.
Hopkins, 46, was a middleweight champion from 1995-2005. He moved up to light heavyweight to face Antonio Tarver in June 2006.
Hopkins has fought at a catch weight of 170 pounds twice since he defeated Tarver. He scored victories over Ronald “Winky” Wright and Kelly Pavlik in those bouts, but he’s not willing to move down again, not when he’ll already be significantly older than anyone he faces.
“I don’t mind fighting anybody that thinks they can bring a challenge to me,” Hopkins said. “But at the end of the day, after I take care of Chad Dawson Oct. 15, anyone that wants to fight me has to fight me for my titles, and that’s the 175 Ring [Magazine] belt, and also the WBC belt.
“So there’s no compromising when it comes to that because I represent the light heavyweight division. I’m 46 years old, four years from being 50. I’m not in the position to give anybody any leeway, because I’m a grandpop. Remember, I’m the grandpop of the business. How can you ask a favor from grandpop?”
Keith Idec covers boxing for The Record and Herald News, of Woodland Park, NJ., and BoxingScene.com.
