Bernard Hopkins Has Three More Fights With HBO, and Wants Top Opponents

by Scott Christ on May 10, 2011 5:22 PM EDT in Boxing News Analysis

Bernard Hopkins wants only top fighters in what's left of his career. (Photo by Ethan Miller/Getty Images)

Bernard Hopkins told Lem Satterfield that he has three fights on his HBO contract, including his May 21 fight with Jean Pascal. Hopkins expects to win, and then likely face Chad Dawson in the fall, and then hopes to meet some top super middleweights after that.

Hopkins, 46, is looking to become the oldest man to ever win a major title in boxing, and making it better is that it's a legit championship and not just an alphabet soup paper title. Hopkins went to a controversial draw in December with Pascal, who is nearly 20 years his junior.

Dawson fights Adrian Diaconu in the May 21 co-feature, his first fight with the legendary Emanuel Steward leading his training. "Bad" Chad has been very quiet since an August 2010 loss to Pascal, and though there was a time when Hopkins-Dawson was the fight to make at light heavyweight (at least by the perceived best in the game, and as sort of a passing the torch possibility), the fight never got close to happening before. Hopkins stated in the past that nobody wanted to see Chad Dawson, but recently came to the conclusion that he's not going to get really big fights, and a Dawson fight on HBO would be about as good as it gets, assuming both win on May 21.

Beyond that, Hopkins mentions Lucian Bute and the eventual winner of the Super Six for 2012 fights. Can you imagine a possible Hopkins-Andre Ward fight if both continued to win? Talk about passing the torch. And no, that's not a continued "pimping" of Andre Ward, it's just that stylistically, if Ward reminds me of any modern great, it's Bernard Hopkins.

Tweet Comment 13 comments | 0 recs |

Do you like this story?

Comments

He’s looking to push things way too far there,imo.
He could look like a shot fighter any time now and if he does get the win against Pascal he has achieved his goal so he should either retire then (perfectly acceptable) or just fight Dawson in a poosible passing of the torch.

by Matt Mosley on May 10, 2011 5:35 PM EDT reply actions

Hopkins is a freak of nature.

But even he is only human. When he refers to meeting a too smw, does that mean he’ll come back down? Surely even he can’t get away with all the up and down stuff without getting caught out.
Hopkins v Ward… battle of the butters. That would be a dirty fight methinks!

by Phill on May 10, 2011 6:08 PM EDT via mobile reply actions

No they’d be going up. I mean they’d have to.

Bad Left Hook
"To the town of Agua Fria rode a stranger one fine day..."

by Scott Christ on May 10, 2011 6:11 PM EDT up reply actions

I'd like to see him go at it against Froch.

Froch would prob try to pressure him, force him into a brawl. Not sure how Nard would respond now. The Jean P rematch should give us a clue of where he’s at now.

by Phill on May 10, 2011 6:17 PM EDT via mobile up reply actions

You can't force Hopkins into a brawl

Hopkins forces YOU into a brawl

by erod on May 11, 2011 8:42 AM EDT up reply actions

'Fight' then.

by Phill on May 11, 2011 2:29 PM EDT up reply actions

top smw

by Phill on May 10, 2011 6:09 PM EDT via mobile reply actions

Bernard Hopkins is truly epic.

I doubt we’ll ever see the like again. Moreover, as he’s got older, he’s become somewhat easier to warm to, and I now look at his antics in that same warm, slightly patronising style you look at your elderly grandparents with – that being until he steps through the ropes and whips Jean Pascal one more time. Nard by UD over Jean “For Ze Fans!” Pascal and Father Time.

"Occasionally, there is a boxing match that, in its demonstration of skill, courage, intelligence, hope, seems to redeem the sport - almost. Perhaps boxing has always been a sport in crisis, a sport of crisis."

by Oli Goldstein on May 10, 2011 6:26 PM EDT via mobile reply actions

He's a master of his craft

He takes care of his body and is a master technician. With most boxers, when the athletic ability goes, so does the boxers ability to compete. While Hopkins has slowed down some, he was never truly fast to begin with. He’s just usually that much smarter then the other guy in the ring. The key to beating him has always been to outwork him i.e. Jermaine Taylor and Joe Calzaghe. Even against those guys he landed the cleaner, more effective punches, but they landed more punches and thus were able to take the decision.

by erod on May 11, 2011 8:46 AM EDT up reply actions