This Saturday, Bernard Hopkins takes on Karo Murat in the main event of a triple-header live on Showtime. In a conversation with AHH’s co-founder Chuck “Jigsaw” Creekmur for KnockoutNation.com, B-Hop talked about another potential fight on the horizon – one with a future Hall of Famer.
“I want to fight the King.” – Bernard “The Alien” Hopkins
Bernard Hopkins (53-6-2, 32 KOs) is a lot of things, but liar, he is not. The Philly-bred warrior has prided himself on being the truth incarnate and speaks on it in its various forms. Most recently, the nearly 50-year-old phenom has rechristened himself “The Alien,” completely dumping his old moniker “The Executioner.” But, as a warrior down for any challenge, B-Hop is resolute in calling Floyd “Money” Mayweather, Jr. to the gladiator circle as the OG is set to fight Karo Murat (25-1-1, 15 knockouts) on Saturday live from Atlantic City. The bout – televised on Showtime – will likely be another notch Bernard’s belt, which is already chock full of holes. KnockoutNation.com got with “The Alien” and broke down why a pugilist dance with Floyd Mayweather is great for the sport, but also why it may not happen. Deeper, he discusses the “cold war” in boxing, which stops bigger fights and why he’s no longer an executioner.
Knockout Nation: You’ve been wearing this alien mask. What does that represent to you?
Bernard Hopkins: This represents to me, that I’ve been diagnosed and told, by some very educated people, by doctors of the world, that through running all the tests and all the things they do with 48-year-old people, that mine [body] is 20 years younger, and that I’m an alien. And as they said, thee alien. But, I don’t believe in aliens. I believe in spirits., but “what are you talking about?” I talked to a few people and I tell them I’m going to drop “The Executioner” name. And they say “Why?” And I say, “I can’t say I’m something that I’m not.” But, I didn’t know [I was an alien] or I would have had my name as “The Alien” when I first started. I’m of the world, but I’m not from the world.
Knockout Nation: Speaking of aliens, your boy Floyd Mayweather is getting older, but he’s still at the top of his game too. You mentioned…
Bernard Hopkins: Nah, nah…unless he admit it…these aliens got rules. They’re not allowed to say who’s alien. I can give you a hint, there’s a few aliens in boxing. There’s only a few aliens in boxing, but there’s aliens everywhere. We’ll look at that as two aliens fighting each other.
Knockout Nation: Do you still want to fight Floyd?
Bernard Hopkins: I want to fight anybody that’s the best. Everybody wants to fight Floyd Mayweather, but I want to fight him for other reasons. Some want to fight him to see if they can compete and some want to fight him thinking they can win. But, its not whether or not I want to fight him, but its who’s he gonna fight that people will pay to see? You gotta understand, I’m a promoter so I’m trying to help a situation to sell something for people who ain’t buying.
Knockout Nation: Right.
Bernard Hopkins: You ever heard that saying: “You’re too good for your own good?”
Knockout Nation: Yep.
“You think they care about the sport? They care about the dollars.”
Bernard Hopkins: Who do you think honestly – take the old man (himself) out of the question – who do you think in their 20’s can beat Floyd Mayweather.
Knockout Nation: (Silence)
Bernard Hopkins: You can’t bring a checker board to a chess game. Its not there, buddy. And aliens know each other too. You take a 48-year-old and you take a 37-year old, that’s 80 years of experience and its Leonard and Hagler all over again. (Bernard then goes at length into a conversation he had with bosses and boxing, including the head of CBS, about fighting Floyd at 160 in May of 2014) Don’t say anything to me if you ain’t serious. Especially when it comes to (fighting Floyd), because I take challenges.
Click here to read the rest of the interview on KnockoutNation.com.