Tweet
"Pavlik won't be around for too long!"
Editor: Before we get into any Bernard questions, what did you think of the Pavlik-Taylor fight?
Bernard Hopkins: "It was a brawl. I thought it was no coincidence on the score, but Pavlik definitely pulled it out in the championship rounds. The one thing about the championship rounds, for certain fights, like my first fight with Jermain Taylor, championship rounds didn't exist. The last 4 or 5 rounds didn't mean championship rounds. I guess now that people are starting to see that championship rounds do exist, that's where Kelly Pavlik pulled the fight off. There's no question he pulled the fight off, especially the body shot. I think the body shot really showed who's in control, the last 3 or 4 rounds of the fight."
Editor: You picked Taylor going in, were you surprised with the outcome?
Bernard Hopkins: Yes, I picked Taylor going in, because I thought with the extra 6 pounds on there, he'd have a little bit more endurance. Not necessarily big and strong, because you can be big and strong and still get beat. I thought that maybe the extra 6 pounds would give him that endurance that fighters lose when they cut weight and they starve themselves, so they can't get the right nutrition. I learned that from way back, putting me down on different stuff that starts with how your body reacts to certain things. I thought the 6 pounds would help him more than hurt. It is what it is. Pavlik fought a thrilling fight. I tell fans, people ask me, for the last 15-20 hours is enjoy the fights that he do make for the next year, because the type of fights that this guy has is not going to be around long. He's already talking sort of like Elmer Fudd. I'm not trying to badmouth him, I'm just keeping it real, that's what it is. That's what the fans like about Bernard, he keeps it real. I think that he should make all the money he can, fights that will get him out of there while he still has all his faculties left. That's the type of fighter he is, he coming forward all the time, and not ducking anything. Boxing is an art. A lot of people want to see blood and guts. We live in a society where people want to see that stuff. I don't mind shedding blood, but I don't mind ducking either.
Editor: You've got a big week coming up. Give us some thoughts on the press tour, now that's it's only hours away.
BH: I looking to see the fans come down, and check it out, over at Planet Hollywood. Of course it's on the website, with all the information, where they can get the exclusive information. You're getting it now, you're getting it before the official American tour. New York, L.A., and Vegas. I'm looking forward to Joe coming in and being as confident as he was in England. This is the way we do press conferences now, in the U.S., we don't sit down and do press conferences. We don't sit down and talk, we stand up at the podium. That's going to be fun to see him get up and talk at the podium and stay up. That wasn't the way they did it, but this is the way we do it. He can see the way I do it.
Editor: Do you think Jermain Taylor will be able to achieve the same kind of success at 168 that he did at 160?
BH: It depends on who he fights. I'd like to see him and Tito fight, Tito supposed to be fighting Pavlik allegedly in June.
Editor: Before I spoke with you, I spoke with a fellow named Jones, and he seems interested in making a fight with Taylor.
BH: I don't think Lou DiBella will take that fight. I don't think Jermain Taylor can beat Roy Jones Jr., I really don't think so. I think Jermain Taylor has been put in situations where he couldn't look bad. They don't have to read between the lines, when I speak, it is what it is. You might not agree with it, but it is what it is. Again it's not all about me, but you have to look at where it started from. Then you have to look where the other welterweights fought, that didn't pan out to be high ratings, to the stamp of approval of a legitimate champion. It's unfortunate for Jermain, he got pretty hip over the last year or two. Before it was different, but I guess with fame, and the delusion that you're really the guy, sometimes you're told a lie all the time, you think it's the truth. Last night I told you I was going with him. It all goes back to page 1, and page 1 in Las Vegas.
All they did was put money in his bank account. As far as his legacy, he reminds me of a David Reid I was thinking about this yesterday, seriously. I want the fans to read this interview, I want the fans to really give their opinion on this. Some may agree with me, some may not. This reminds me of a David Reed situation all over again. David Reed is a terrific guy, I consider him a friend. I think he's probably back in Philly right now, not doing well, but I don't think he's homeless. It reminds me of that. He was a medal winner, Jermain won the bronze. The only good thing is that Jermain Taylor became a champion whatever way he did and made some money. Hopefully he buys one or two cars, and saves it. I don't think he has the physical distance in his life, with those two fights with me. That will take 5 years off of your career. Physical, brutal fights, where he didn't look like the winner. Pavlik and Cory Spinks, and Winky Wright busted him up.
Going in to fight Roy Jones would be good for boxing fans, but coming off that Pavlik fight I think Jermain needs to fight B level fighters. Unless he wants to show his Arturo Gatti type heart, he's got two or three kids. I hope he'll be able to speak to them clearly without them saying, "Daddy, what did you say?" You've got to give him credit for being a gunslinger, and fighting all the guys. You've got to remember, and don't be fooled. He was put in a situation by subtrifuge and deciet. Nothing normally comes out of something that was built on wrong. You can't expect, I don't care what it is politics, or whatever, successful for doing what you're doing, at the end of the day it will come back to bite you. That's where we are now. At 43 years old, Bernard Hopkins is getting ready to fight on of the biggest fights of this era. If not, the biggest. Even after the two Jermain Taylor fights, my credibily went through the roof, it didn't decline. I came back from losing two fights, major fights that I could have easily lost just by styles alone. They say there's no God. There is, and his name is ??? in all black letters.
Editor: What's your biggest motivation going into this fight with Calzaghe?
BH: I want a chance to show that European fighters are not better than American fighters. Belts or no belts.
Editor: Does that mean more to you than beating him at this age, fighing a southpaw?
BH: That's self-explanitory. I'm going to let the people be my biggest voice. I want them to be the infomercial, everytime I say it, it seems to go on deaf ears. I've got one time not to deliver, and it goes to he's old. I understand the kind of cat and mouse game that we're playing with people of that mentality. They don't want to give credit, when the credit is victorious, and be quick to judge when the credit is not your way. That's why my motivation is I must win. Winning is not everything, it's the only thing for me. I have to win this fight, and I have to win it successfully. I have to win it in style, I have to win it making this guy look like he should be fighting somewhere over in Europe. That he stepped in with a guy with a real live heartbeat. I'm not a Kessler.
I'm not one of those guys he fought that had a name, I'm not Charles Brewer These guys were done. This is the third southpaw that's saying they're going to retire Bernard Hopkins. I've heard it so many times. Does anybody really believe it? Come April 19th, I'll be able to show the world again that Bernard rises up to the occasion every time. Thanks to some of the boxing establishment for the last ten years of my boxing career. Until I teamed up with Oscar De La Hoya and Richard Schaefer, as a partner, and as an athlete, they helped preseve this body and mind. For all those years they've been sticking it to me, now I get a chance to say victory. Thanks, because part of that struggle had Bernard Hopkins in 2008, agewise, is the modern day George Forman. Who thought George Foreman, I didn't, was going to beat Michael Moorer, until Jim Lampley gave the score. It happened. Don't rule out the old man yet. I would never deny my January 15, 1965 birthday. I'm probably the only fighter in modern day time that speaks about his age more than anybody. I never put it back. I never say I'm 40 or 41, when I'm 43. It is what it is. I want to make everybody understand that come April 19th you're going to see a 43 year old man fight like a 23 year old man. You're going to see that.
Editor: Closing thoughts.
BH: Looking forward to being in New York come Tuesday. You will probably meet me at the door, which will be good, so they can get a fresh quote. Jermain Taylor, keep your head up, it will be allright. Just come back, and pick the right situation. Right now, you've got 5 or 6 straight hard fights, and 2 fights with me is like 30. Hope everyone enjoys this year in boxing, we've got Sugar Shane Mosley fighting Super Zab Judah. That's going to be a blockbuster shootout. Then you've got Oscar De La Hoya fighting Steve Forbes, I don't underestimate anybody. A lot of people think Steve Forbes beat my nephew, it's split down the middle. He put himself in position because of that win, which was spectacular. Now, he's got Oscar. We're going to do big things with Golden Boy. I'm glad to be the one to kick it off in April. Normally either Oscar or Shane would go first. I'm glad to kick the year off with a big fight.
Editor: Before we get into any Bernard questions, what did you think of the Pavlik-Taylor fight?
Bernard Hopkins: "It was a brawl. I thought it was no coincidence on the score, but Pavlik definitely pulled it out in the championship rounds. The one thing about the championship rounds, for certain fights, like my first fight with Jermain Taylor, championship rounds didn't exist. The last 4 or 5 rounds didn't mean championship rounds. I guess now that people are starting to see that championship rounds do exist, that's where Kelly Pavlik pulled the fight off. There's no question he pulled the fight off, especially the body shot. I think the body shot really showed who's in control, the last 3 or 4 rounds of the fight."
Editor: You picked Taylor going in, were you surprised with the outcome?
Bernard Hopkins: Yes, I picked Taylor going in, because I thought with the extra 6 pounds on there, he'd have a little bit more endurance. Not necessarily big and strong, because you can be big and strong and still get beat. I thought that maybe the extra 6 pounds would give him that endurance that fighters lose when they cut weight and they starve themselves, so they can't get the right nutrition. I learned that from way back, putting me down on different stuff that starts with how your body reacts to certain things. I thought the 6 pounds would help him more than hurt. It is what it is. Pavlik fought a thrilling fight. I tell fans, people ask me, for the last 15-20 hours is enjoy the fights that he do make for the next year, because the type of fights that this guy has is not going to be around long. He's already talking sort of like Elmer Fudd. I'm not trying to badmouth him, I'm just keeping it real, that's what it is. That's what the fans like about Bernard, he keeps it real. I think that he should make all the money he can, fights that will get him out of there while he still has all his faculties left. That's the type of fighter he is, he coming forward all the time, and not ducking anything. Boxing is an art. A lot of people want to see blood and guts. We live in a society where people want to see that stuff. I don't mind shedding blood, but I don't mind ducking either.
Editor: You've got a big week coming up. Give us some thoughts on the press tour, now that's it's only hours away.
BH: I looking to see the fans come down, and check it out, over at Planet Hollywood. Of course it's on the website, with all the information, where they can get the exclusive information. You're getting it now, you're getting it before the official American tour. New York, L.A., and Vegas. I'm looking forward to Joe coming in and being as confident as he was in England. This is the way we do press conferences now, in the U.S., we don't sit down and do press conferences. We don't sit down and talk, we stand up at the podium. That's going to be fun to see him get up and talk at the podium and stay up. That wasn't the way they did it, but this is the way we do it. He can see the way I do it.
Editor: Do you think Jermain Taylor will be able to achieve the same kind of success at 168 that he did at 160?
BH: It depends on who he fights. I'd like to see him and Tito fight, Tito supposed to be fighting Pavlik allegedly in June.
Editor: Before I spoke with you, I spoke with a fellow named Jones, and he seems interested in making a fight with Taylor.
BH: I don't think Lou DiBella will take that fight. I don't think Jermain Taylor can beat Roy Jones Jr., I really don't think so. I think Jermain Taylor has been put in situations where he couldn't look bad. They don't have to read between the lines, when I speak, it is what it is. You might not agree with it, but it is what it is. Again it's not all about me, but you have to look at where it started from. Then you have to look where the other welterweights fought, that didn't pan out to be high ratings, to the stamp of approval of a legitimate champion. It's unfortunate for Jermain, he got pretty hip over the last year or two. Before it was different, but I guess with fame, and the delusion that you're really the guy, sometimes you're told a lie all the time, you think it's the truth. Last night I told you I was going with him. It all goes back to page 1, and page 1 in Las Vegas.
All they did was put money in his bank account. As far as his legacy, he reminds me of a David Reid I was thinking about this yesterday, seriously. I want the fans to read this interview, I want the fans to really give their opinion on this. Some may agree with me, some may not. This reminds me of a David Reed situation all over again. David Reed is a terrific guy, I consider him a friend. I think he's probably back in Philly right now, not doing well, but I don't think he's homeless. It reminds me of that. He was a medal winner, Jermain won the bronze. The only good thing is that Jermain Taylor became a champion whatever way he did and made some money. Hopefully he buys one or two cars, and saves it. I don't think he has the physical distance in his life, with those two fights with me. That will take 5 years off of your career. Physical, brutal fights, where he didn't look like the winner. Pavlik and Cory Spinks, and Winky Wright busted him up.
Going in to fight Roy Jones would be good for boxing fans, but coming off that Pavlik fight I think Jermain needs to fight B level fighters. Unless he wants to show his Arturo Gatti type heart, he's got two or three kids. I hope he'll be able to speak to them clearly without them saying, "Daddy, what did you say?" You've got to give him credit for being a gunslinger, and fighting all the guys. You've got to remember, and don't be fooled. He was put in a situation by subtrifuge and deciet. Nothing normally comes out of something that was built on wrong. You can't expect, I don't care what it is politics, or whatever, successful for doing what you're doing, at the end of the day it will come back to bite you. That's where we are now. At 43 years old, Bernard Hopkins is getting ready to fight on of the biggest fights of this era. If not, the biggest. Even after the two Jermain Taylor fights, my credibily went through the roof, it didn't decline. I came back from losing two fights, major fights that I could have easily lost just by styles alone. They say there's no God. There is, and his name is ??? in all black letters.
Editor: What's your biggest motivation going into this fight with Calzaghe?
BH: I want a chance to show that European fighters are not better than American fighters. Belts or no belts.
Editor: Does that mean more to you than beating him at this age, fighing a southpaw?
BH: That's self-explanitory. I'm going to let the people be my biggest voice. I want them to be the infomercial, everytime I say it, it seems to go on deaf ears. I've got one time not to deliver, and it goes to he's old. I understand the kind of cat and mouse game that we're playing with people of that mentality. They don't want to give credit, when the credit is victorious, and be quick to judge when the credit is not your way. That's why my motivation is I must win. Winning is not everything, it's the only thing for me. I have to win this fight, and I have to win it successfully. I have to win it in style, I have to win it making this guy look like he should be fighting somewhere over in Europe. That he stepped in with a guy with a real live heartbeat. I'm not a Kessler.
I'm not one of those guys he fought that had a name, I'm not Charles Brewer These guys were done. This is the third southpaw that's saying they're going to retire Bernard Hopkins. I've heard it so many times. Does anybody really believe it? Come April 19th, I'll be able to show the world again that Bernard rises up to the occasion every time. Thanks to some of the boxing establishment for the last ten years of my boxing career. Until I teamed up with Oscar De La Hoya and Richard Schaefer, as a partner, and as an athlete, they helped preseve this body and mind. For all those years they've been sticking it to me, now I get a chance to say victory. Thanks, because part of that struggle had Bernard Hopkins in 2008, agewise, is the modern day George Forman. Who thought George Foreman, I didn't, was going to beat Michael Moorer, until Jim Lampley gave the score. It happened. Don't rule out the old man yet. I would never deny my January 15, 1965 birthday. I'm probably the only fighter in modern day time that speaks about his age more than anybody. I never put it back. I never say I'm 40 or 41, when I'm 43. It is what it is. I want to make everybody understand that come April 19th you're going to see a 43 year old man fight like a 23 year old man. You're going to see that.
Editor: Closing thoughts.
BH: Looking forward to being in New York come Tuesday. You will probably meet me at the door, which will be good, so they can get a fresh quote. Jermain Taylor, keep your head up, it will be allright. Just come back, and pick the right situation. Right now, you've got 5 or 6 straight hard fights, and 2 fights with me is like 30. Hope everyone enjoys this year in boxing, we've got Sugar Shane Mosley fighting Super Zab Judah. That's going to be a blockbuster shootout. Then you've got Oscar De La Hoya fighting Steve Forbes, I don't underestimate anybody. A lot of people think Steve Forbes beat my nephew, it's split down the middle. He put himself in position because of that win, which was spectacular. Now, he's got Oscar. We're going to do big things with Golden Boy. I'm glad to be the one to kick it off in April. Normally either Oscar or Shane would go first. I'm glad to kick the year off with a big fight.
Comment