Yesterday (December 15), Bernard Hopkins arrived in Quebec City, Canada in preparation for his title shot against linear light-heavyweight champion Jean Pascal.
Hopkins is attempting, at 45 years old, to become the oldest champion in boxing history. Aside from the historical impact, Hopkins made it clear to gathered media that his goal is to show that he is still an elite pound for pound fighter following a lackluster win over a faded Roy Jones, Jr in April.
“This goes beyond being a champion. This is a grand opportunity,” Hopkins explained. “It is a situation I don’t take for granted. Saturday night you will see something unique. A 45-year-old man in a young man’s body is an amazing thing. I am here to prove that I can still compete and that I am something special.”
For the past several weeks, Hopkins has claimed that all the pressure is on Pascal, who is making his first hometown defense following a technical decision win over previously undefeated Chad Dawson. Because of his age, Hopkins sees the fight as having nothing but upside. A bad loss could easily be attributed to his age and not hurt his legacy. A competitive fight or dominant win over a prime, 28-year-old champion would serve to further elevate Hopkins’s standing.
“What do I have to lose? He [Pascal] has 16,000 fans coming to see him,” Hopkins said. “That many people make a lot of noise and I am going to use that to my advantage. The crowd is my inspiration. I think I am going to gain some Canadian fans when they see what I do against Pascal. I am 100 percent ready and it is going to be an amazing fight.”
Hopkins-Pascal will be non-pay-per-view, available this Saturday (December 18) on Showtime Championship Boxing at 10 PM ET.
Beats, Boxing and Mayhem 