by David P. Greisman

Though he is in Washington, D.C., in a promotional role — Golden Boy Promotions is putting on a fight this Saturday between Amir Khan and Lamont Peterson — light heavyweight Bernard Hopkins also spoke to a group of reporters about himself.

Before being pulled away in another direction, Hopkins talked briefly about his recovery from an injury suffered in his October bout with Chad Dawson, about his appeal to the California State Athletic Commission to overturn what was ruled a technical knockout loss, and about whom he’d like to fight once he’s healed.

ON HIS INJURY:

“I’m in rehab. It’s 80 percent. It’ll be 100 percent by January when I start boxing. I had a slight tear in my rotator cuff. I also had an A/C break that was diagnosed by X-ray in L.A.”

[Note: Hopkins’ injury to the acromioclavicular joint, which connects the collar bone and shoulder blade, was a separation, according to a news release sent out following the fight.]

ON HIS APPEALING THE LOSS TO DAWSON:

“I go out next week to the hearing for the request to have the TKO overturned to a no contest. Truthfully, I wanted the DQ, because I believe the foul, and the act behind the foul … no remorse was shown. I’m hoping, worst-case scenario, that it’s a no-contest, which I think it should’ve been, based on the rules.”

ON WHAT’S NEXT:

“I think there’s two major fights next for me. Truthfully, I’d like to fight someone that has credibility. I’d like to fight [Lucian] Bute.”

David P. Greisman is a member of the Boxing Writers Association of America. Follow David on Twitter at twitter.com/fightingwords2 or on Facebook at facebook.com/fightingwordsboxing, or send questions and comments to fightingwords1@gmail.com