LAS VEGAS — With a sneaky shot to Winky Wright’s head, Bernard Hopkins started this fight one day early.

Hopkins’ openhanded shove to Wright’s forehead sparked a scuffle between entourages Friday after both fighters weighed in at 170 pounds. Such theatrics are old news for brash young fighters, but these two veterans with a combined age of 77 were unlikely candidates to be scrapping outside the ropes.

A bout predicted by most to be a sterile, technical recital finally got ugly — and certainly more interesting. If that was Hopkins’ plan all along, one of boxing’s most charismatic fighters wasn’t saying: He left the Mandalay Bay casino immediately afterward, not to return until Saturday night.

But Hopkins (47-4-1, 32 KOs) had plenty to say in the days leading up to the fight.
The 42-year-old Executioner spent most of his time explaining why he reneged on his retirement vow to accept a daunting assignment against Wright (51-3-1, 25 KOs), the two-time world champion who hasn’t lost a match since 1999.

“I’m pretty sure if Jordan could have one more historic event on that court, he’d do it,” Hopkins said. “At 42, I don’t have time to wait two years, three years. Why not get that itch, satisfy yourself and be happy, no matter what happens? A lot of people have certain things they wish they’ve done in their life, and they didn’t do them. I don’t want to be one of those guys.”

Hopkins already put a near-perfect finish on his career last summer when he shocked Antonio Tarver in a unanimous light-heavyweight decision in Atlantic City. Hopkins declared himself finished with fighting, content to put his energy into real-estate investments and Golden Boy Promotions, his burgeoning business with Oscar De La Hoya.

Yet Hopkins kept training and maintained his 175-pound weight after a career as a middleweight. He felt so good, so sharp, that he couldn’t resist taking another shot and collecting another paycheck.

“I don’t want to have this good-looking new body just to walk around and look handsome,” Hopkins said. “I want it to generate money doing something I love.”

He thought about moving up to heavyweight, but couldn’t find a good match. He then accepted the challenge from Wright, who had Hopkins’ name near the top of his “hit list” of fighters he hopes to knock off before he retires.

“I’m looking to beat him up, just like I beat everybody else up,” Wright said. “I definitely think he’s going to get knocked out. My aim is to make him re-retire, make him wish he never brought my name up.”

Yet from the moment it was announced, the fight had detractors. Promoter Bob Arum dismissed it last month as “a businessmen’s fight” between two veterans who wouldn’t risk anything to win, and Welsh super middleweight champion Joe Calzaghe — a possible future opponent for both men — called the fight “rubbish.”

That’s because both Hopkins and Wright are defensive dynamos, seemingly able to avoid punches at will. Both have been criticized for low punch counts, and both have styles enabling them to stay in charge of most fights, even when they’re not as quick as they used to be.

Wright hasn’t knocked out an opponent since 2002, and Hopkins has just one KO in that span — against De La Hoya, his business partner. Age has taken a toll on both fighters’ quickness, but clearly not their conditioning, judging by their flawless physiques.

“I’m 42, and I guess he’s a borderline old man,” Hopkins said. “I guess once we put away our false teeth and get rid of our canes, we can fight.”

Hopkins spent the last six weeks training in Hollywood, pushing through daily 4:30 a.m. sessions with Freddie Roach. Wright added 10 pounds of muscle for his first venture past 160, but Hopkins’ larger frame doesn’t scare him: When Wright isn’t in training, he walks around at 190 pounds.

And though Wright’s Winky Promotions works with Golden Boy, the fighters didn’t seem to have much respect for each other even before their weigh-in melee.

Wright has called Hopkins a dirty fighter and derided Hopkins’ inspiring rise after 58 months of incarceration, saying, “Some people do things, and some people get caught doing things.”

Hopkins ripped everything from Wright’s fighting style to his hairstyle, even before slapping around his opponent in their final meeting before the fight.

“Don’t be surprised if I make it as easy as the Tarver fight,” Hopkins said. “I know something y’all don’t know about him, and I’m going to show it on fight night.”