by Rick Reeno

Following last Saturday's decision victory over Beibut Shumenov, IBF/WBA light heavyweight champion Bernard Hopkins (55-6-2, 32KOs) called for a catch-weight fight with Floyd Mayweather Jr. (45-0, 26KOs). Mayweather holds titles at welterweight and junior middleweight, and walks around at 150-pounds between fights.

“I’ll give anybody a run for their money. If they are unbeaten I will take their 0, give them their first loss,” Hopkins said. “I could make 165, 168 (pounds) real comfortably. If I do a fight, it would be one of the biggest in the world. We will do it in a stadium somewhere,” Hopkins said.

“After I become the undisputed light-heavyweight champion of the world, if there was one big fight out there, I know what I would call it — 50-50. He wants to pass Marciano. He wants to get to 50 and I am 50. That would be huge. I would love to do that. But let me get past Stevenson first.”

This is not the first time that Hopkins, 49-years-old and the oldest boxer to capture a world title, called for a fight with Mayweather, who returns on May 3rd against Marcos Maidana in a welterweight unification. 

Even at 160, there is little to no chance of the fight coming off. Hopkins is too big and there is too much weight separating the two fighters.

Mayweather says Hopkins is doing what he's supposed to do, trying to secure the biggest money fight possible.

"He's supposed to [call me out], it's part of the game, he's supposed to. We don't know what the future holds for Floyd Mayweather. Anything is possible. But as of right now Maidana is a guy that I can't overlook. Maidana has an 80% knockout ratio and I know this guy is going to come and try to destroy me," Mayweather said.