Placing an exclamation point at the end of a decades long career, former two-division world champion and future Hall of Famer Bernard “The Executioner” Hopkins (55-7 2, 32 KOs) will be delivering a performance reflective of his extensive career taking on the best as he faces a young lion and current WBC International Light Heavyweight Champion Joe Smith, Jr. (22-1, 18 KOs) this Saturday, Dec. 17 on HBO World Championship Boxing®. Hopkins will be entering the ring for his last hoorah in true Hopkins style by closing out the book with a match up that will demonstrate his evolution as a fighter and his daring persona.
“The Executioner” sat down with Doug Fisher from Ring TV, and discussed some of the pivotal moments in his extensive career where Hopkins has defied the odds stacked against him and thrived on being the underdog.
Below are some highlights of the exclusive Q&A session, in which Hopkins gives an in-depth look into his boxing career.
https://vimeo.com/195897954
DOUG FISHER: You’re an all-time great – you dare to be great. You’ve been out of the ring for almost two years now, over 50 years old, at a place in your career where nobody would fault you if you wanted to make your last hoorah an easy one, yet you have decided to go up against Joe Smith, Jr. – someone who is ranked in the light heavy weight division, who has a powerful punch. A lot of people have asked you ‘why get in the ring with someone 17 years younger than you?’ Why?
BERNARD HOPKINS: “I dare to be great. This fight is no exception. Yes, I have had some time off, but not in the way I feel where I wouldn’t be able to take him down. Because this is my last fight it has to be with a guy like Joe Smith Jr., who presents a very serious threat not only to my legacy, but also to my health. But I recognize that in order to get the sendoff that I want, I want to show people in boxing and around the world that age is not a factor. I just have that one thing to prove. This will be the Final 1.”
FISHER: You have broken all types of records – even your own. Do you still need a guy that is perceived to be a threat to be motivated at this stage of your career?
HOPKINS: “I do – and that’s why I need someone like Joe Smith, Jr. who is a prime candidate and a threat. I say legacy, and I say that based on my wins and losses. I know I have the strength within me to do a final one based on my legacy. My legacy is what moves me, what keeps me aware of anything that doesn’t say ‘W’. It keeps me aware of anything that takes away whatever percentage away from that legacy. I am a proud champion. I am a competitor. You must go in the ring with that mentality. One fight doesn’t change 28 years of hard work or to being a future Hall of Famer or not being legendary.
“This fight is different and the fans have to know this is not a salesmanship. I think I have gone on to sell a lot, and I think I have delivered more than I have sold. This is the last memory of Bernard Hopkins in the ring. Yes, we can talk about the past fights, about the past legacy, about the past belts, the unification, the attempt to unify the light heavy weight division. But they will remember the last chapter of the book the most. This book was good when it started off, it got greater in the middle, but the end – that’s what stays in your mind when you go to sleep at night, and when you tell somebody about this book named Bernard Hopkins, “The Executioner” Hopkins, This is a real profound statement to the world, not only just boxing, that I am and will be recognized for always being different There will be no more punches being thrown in the square ring.”
FISHER: You received your nickname “The Alien” because of your age, its other-worldliness that is not human, but the nickname the executioner was given to you when you were in your prime run, when you were knocking guys out. Is that the mindset you are going in with this fight?
HOPKINS: “I haven’t had a knock out since Oscar De La Hoya. I haven’t had a knock out in almost ten to twelve years. Being on this drought, of TKO-ing or KO-ing my opponent, about to face this guy from Long Island, that to me is something to get my juices flowing, and it’s a risk, I am running to fire, I am running to the challenge in and outside the ring.”
FISHER: There aren’t many elite boxers who are esteemed to be the underdogs in a fight. You were the 3-1 underdog for Felix Trinidad, 3-1 underdog for Antonio Tarver 3-1 against Kelly Pavlik, 3-1 underdog against John Pascal, among many of your other fights. How does that affect you in this fight?
HOPKINS: “I was born into the underdog title. Jan. 15, 1965, in an era that was not so nice to colored people, I was born to Shirley Hopkins. To be born on Jan. 15 on King’s day, in America and avoid somehow the trash can because I was Black – I was born in the underdog time in America. I was born in the underdog, adolescence I was born into that trap and I fell into that trap. When the underdog comes out with only a jail house GED and the education that he has, with only the support I have and have had to come home to. That foundation has built this story. In the nine years that I had after I got out, that built the foundation as to where I am today. I came through this thing not having a chance through the statistics.”
FISHER: When you got out of Graterford prison, did you make a promise to yourself that you were going to get yourself educated, get yourself ahead, regardless of being a professional boxer, successful or not? Did you believe you could become a world champion at that level?
HOPKINS: “Did I foresee this in my future? No I did not. My entire objective was to look that far into the distance, but to stay out of trouble. Knowing that I had to see the parole man twice a month, having to do my drug tests when years of temptations came every week was very hard. Back in the 80s and 90s, it was all about the fast money, it didn’t matter if you were on the west coast or in the east coast. I came out of prison just wanting to fight, stay out of trouble, and in 1988 and lost to a forerunner. I wanted to get into the mix fast, so that I would not get distracted.”
FISHER: After your first loss to Mitchell, you took a year off. You found Huey Fisher and a couple of odd jobs. How did that year off look for you?
HOPKINS: “I worked at the Penn Tower Hotel in the kitchen, and then I worked a roofing job. That year and some months were really crucial. From the years ’88 to ’89 to ’90, all the guys that I grew up in my neighborhood were in the fast money – I could have taken that road. But I made the decision to dedicate that special time in the gym with Huey Fisher through Rob Merrick. The two of them formed a company called ‘Arise in Boxing’, and from that, and meeting Huey, and having some amateur experience in boxing jail – that was my biggest resume. When Huey first met me, his reaction was, ‘Ooh, you’re a little heavy.’ And I wasn’t heavy I was just six foot weighing in at 185. Fisher looked at me, and saw that I could make 160.”
FISHER: Huey Fisher was done with boxing by the time you started training with him, he was fed up. How was your experience training with him?
HOPKINS: “It takes a man who doesn’t want to do boxing to have that eye to see every little thing that you are doing wrong. When he looked at me and saw a light heavyweight, I didn’t know 90 percent of the boxing intelligence I know now. Huey Fisher really saw it before anyone else did.”
FISHER: What are your top three biggest moments in boxing?
HOPKINS: “In 2001 – the circumstances, the underdog, the flag went down, a lot of hype, two weeks after 9/11 – Felix Trinidad. That was a historic moment in a lot of ways. Next would be the De La Hoya fight. Right behind De La Hoya would be Pavlik which happened in between the Trinidad and De La Hoya fight and made them respect me even more. Pavlik and just defeated someone who had a better record than me, and when I got into the ring with him, that artwork on display – man! This fight, people were very open and vocal about what they thought was going to happen to me. He was the middleweight champ who was undefeated – I was the 3-1 underdog. I wanted to take on the challenge and shut him down. That’s why you got to do with the young boxers.”
FISHER: Was there any point last year, 2015, where you decided to give up the idea of singing the last song, where you finished your transition into becoming a full time broadcaster?
HOPKINS: “If I wouldn’t have taken a fight the end of this year, or at the beginning of next year, the years would have just passed and I wouldn’t have gotten back into the ring. My thing is, the fight happened, the fight is the way I wanted it, the way I wanted to go out. I deserve to go out like Kobe Bryant. This is taking a page out of respect of the book for athletes who put in the points for their teams. Whether there was a title or no title, this is the final one. Every round that goes by, that’s important to my legacy that I go out the way that I want to be remembered. You write your own exit. Come Dec.17, that is exactly what I am doing, writing my own exit.”
Hopkins vs. Smith, Jr. is a 12-round WBC International Light Heavyweight Championship presented by Golden Boy Promotions in association with Star Boxing. Diaz, Jr. vs. Garcia is a 10-round NABF featherweight title match presented by Golden Boy Promotions. Usyk vs. Mchunu is a 12-round WBO Cruiserweight World Title battle presented by K2 Promotions in association with Main Events. The event is sponsored by “Cerveza Tecate, BORN BOLD” and Casa Mexico Tequila. The event will be televised live on Saturday, December 17, 2016 from Inglewood, California’s “Fabulous” Forum on HBO’s flagship series beginning at 10:00 p.m. ET/PT. The RING TV telecast will begin approximately at 7:45 p.m. ET/ 4:45 p.m. PT for Garcia vs Martinez and Quigley vs Melendez.
Hopkins / Smith Jr Quotes
Former two-division world champion and Future Hall of Famer Bernard “The Executioner” Hopkins (55-7 2, 32 KOs) today hosted a Los Angeles media workout at City of Angels Boxing Gym ahead of his final career fight against Joe Smith, Jr. (22-1, 18 KOs) for the WBC International Light Heavyweight Championship on Saturday, December 17. The bout will be televised live from Inglewood, Calif.’s “Fabulous” Forum on HBO World Championship Boxing® beginning at 10:00 p.m. ET/PT.
In addition to Hopkins and Smith, Jr., fighters on the undercard of the December 17event were also in attendance along with Vyacheslav “Lionheart-Chingonskyy” Shabranskyy (17-0, 14 KOs) others who fight on the Friday, December 16 HBO Latino® tripleheader card at Fantasy Springs Resort Casino in Indio, Calif.
Below is what the fighters had to say at today’s media work out:
BERNARD “THE EXECUTIONER” HOPKINS, Former Two-Division World Champion and Future Hall of Famer:
“I want the book to be written good. The last thing you remember about a good book is not the beginning, it’s the ending. I look at this as the final icing on the cake or that exclamation point. This is it. You know this is history.
“I achieved my first goal of success in the first part of my life. That was rougher than boxing. If you know anything about Bernard Hopkins’ history, if you go into details about the inner city Philadelphia guy, who was in the penitentiary from age 17 to 25, and survived, you’d realize I became champion a long time ago.”
“We as humans put limitations on ourselves. When all is said and done, I don’t want to regret what I didn’t do.”
JOE SMITH, JR., Light Heavyweight Contender:
“It’s a privilege to be on this card. To take on a legend like Bernard is an opportunity I would have never expected. That said, come fight night, that won’t matter because it’ll just be me and him in the ring. My team and I have been training to take on any of the styles Bernard may bring. I’m excited for the night to come, and I’m ready to put on a great show.”
JOSEPH “JOJO” DIAZ, JR., NABF Featherweight Champion:
“Garcia, my opponent on December 17, is very dangerous. He’s big for his weight. I feel like he is going to have a lot more power at 126 than he has in the past. This is his big shot to get an upset. I didn’t take him lightly at all. This is probably one of the hardest training camps I’ve had.
“This is my home turf so I want to give the LA fans a great fight. I’m going to do anything and everything it takes to get the win. I want to put on a great show. Oscar De La Hoya and Golden Boy Promotions could have chosen someone else to be the co-main event for Bernard Hopkins’ final fight but they chose me and that’s a big thing. This is a dream come true. I’m going to give everyone a fight to remember.”
HORACIO GARCIA, Featherweight Contender:
“We wouldn’t have taken the fight if we didn’t think it was possible to win. I have a strong corner on my side with Eddy Reynoso. Our training camp has been great, and I’ll be looking for opportunities to break in. Diaz, Jr. had taken on a lot of tough opponents, but that doesn’t scare me. I am ready.”
OLESKSANDR USYK, WBO Cruiserweight Champion:
“I’m not fighting at heavyweight now because we should go step-by-step. I want to become a star in the United States because I want to show everyone quality boxing.”
THABISO MCHUNU, Cruiserweight Contender:
“It feels really to cool to be on this card. It doesn’t get much better than this.”
VYACHESLAV “Lionheart-Chingonskyy” SHABRANSKYY, USNBC Light Heavyweight Champion:
“We never say we are going for the knock out. That’s not my style. We train to go the distance, especially knowing he has been under the care of a new trainer so we don’t know what kind of Barrera we are going to get. Sullivan is one of the toughest opponents I have faced yet. He’s faced fighters like Andre Ward and has gone the distance and has demonstrated his skill. Knowing that he needs this fight will make him even more hungry in the ring, and we are expecting him to come forward.
“With this fight, I get the opportunity to face opponents like Andre Ward. But first things first, I have to finish Barrera.”
SULLIVAN BARRERA, Light Heavyweight Contender:
“I believe this fight is the most important fight of my career. This fight will demonstrate that I am among some of the top fighters out there. My fight with Andre Ward has built me, and has given me the maturity to step back and think clearly. I needed that loss to win this fight.”
JASON “EL ANIMAL” QUIGLEY, Middleweight Contender:
“I’m ready for action on Saturday night. I’m 110 percent right now. I was lucky [my injury] was just a sprain in the wrist. It was frustrating more than anything because it wasn’t a terrible injury but I just had to rest it. I had to be patient and that is hard. It was a good experience for the future in case that happens again.”
RYAN “KINGRY” GARCIA, Lightweight Prospect:
“I feel good. Training camp went well. I feel so happy that I get to start my career with Golden Boy Promotions on this legendary card with Bernard Hopkins’ final fight.
“I accomplished everything I wanted to in the amateurs. I expect a busy year in 2017. I will keep fighting and keep going.
“I’m a smart power puncher. I place my punches well so I’m pretty accurate. I know my opponent has some power to him. I’m going to get in the ring, execute my game plan and get the victory on December 17.”
CARLOS “THE SOLUTION” MORALES, NABA Super Featherweight Champion:
“I feel good. We train for moments like this. I’m expecting a ruthless Charles Huerta in the ring, and we have been perfecting my ability to box him out. He wants my NABA title, and I expect for there to be a war in the ring come fight night. It’s a privilege to fight under this Bernard Hopkins card, and I hope I get to have a career like his.”
ROY “PITBULL” TAPIA, Featherweight Prospect:
“I believe in myself and I know what I can do. The good thing about this camp is that it was intense, but I didn’t kill myself with weight. I’ve been walking around the past couple of weeks at 127, 128. Not one day have I struggled to make the weight.”
CHRISTIAN “CHIMPA” GONZALEZ, Lightweight Prospect:
“I always train 110 percent. I’m ready for Saturday.
This is very motivational for me. I grew up watching Bernard fight so now that I’m on the undercard it feels like ‘wow!’ This is my first time fighting at such a big and historic venue on December 17.”
IVAN “STRIKER” DELGADO, Lightweight Prospect:
“It feels great to fighting in my hometown of Los Angeles. To have the city behind you and motivating you feels great. My opponent is a strong fighter. He’s going to want to come out and win. On fight night, I’m going to come out strong and get the win.”
Hopkins vs. Smith, Jr. is a 12-round WBC International Light Heavyweight Championship presented by Golden Boy Promotions in association with Star Boxing. Diaz, Jr. vs. Garcia is a 10-round NABF featherweight title match presented by Golden Boy Promotions. Usyk vs. Mchunu is a 12-round WBO Cruiserweight World Title battle presented by K2 Promotions in association with Main Events. The event is sponsored by “Cerveza Tecate, BORN BOLD” and Casa Mexico Tequila. The event will be televised live on Saturday, December 17, 2016 from Inglewood, California’s “Fabulous” Forum on HBO’s flagship series beginning at 10:00 p.m. ET/PT.
Tickets for Hopkins vs. Smith, Jr. are on sale and are priced at $25, $50, $75, $105 and $205, not including applicable service charges and taxes, with a total ticket limit of 12 per person. To charge by phone with a major credit card, call Ticketmaster at (800) 745-3000 or the Forum Box Office (Monday through Friday 11:00 a.m. PST to 7:00 p.m. PST) at (310) 330-7300. Tickets are also available for purchase at www.fabulousforum.com or www.ticketmaster.com.