Five months ago, Bernard Hopkins achieved the perfect ending to his career. After outboxing Jean Pascal and gutting out a 12th round where he was stunned by a right hand, Hopkins at 46 years old was now the oldest man in sports history ever to win a major title. It could have been a fitting and rarely achieved glorious end for a man who survived prison, boxing politics, and the brain debilitating blows of opponents in the ring.
Yet, the Executioner has always done things “his way” even when the overwhelming majority view his choices as against common logic. On Saturday (October 15), Hopkins will again test fate against another younger fighter in athletic southpaw Chad Dawson. Historically, Hopkins has dominated southpaws throughout his career. However, Dawson has the tools to replicate the aggression and the punch output of the only southpaw to defeat Hopkins, Joe Calzaghe. Has Hopkins finally tested fate one too many times? The old master explains why mentally he already has the fight won.
Beats, Boxing & Mayhem: At this stage of your career, is the mental or physical strain more difficult during the training period?
Bernard Hopkins: That’s a very good question. It’s mental because I’ve been there, done that, did this. That’s the mentality and attitude but at the same token it’s still a fight and a risk to what you’ve worked so hard for. Mental, for me, is 99.9% of my strength.
Beats, Boxing & Mayhem: A couple of years ago when we spoke you mentioned Chad Dawson being a “failed stock” that HBO invested in. Now that he’s getting a title shot just one fight removed from the Pascal loss, do you think HBO is looking to cash him out?
Hopkins: No, I think it’s more about giving him another chance. That’s just part of sports society where high hopes are placed on a quarterback or baseball player, and even in politics. The second chance has always been done by investors. The upcoming star has to be willing to pick up the baton. There’s always excuses about why it didn’t happen the first time depending on how much money was put into that person. Sometimes you can even get three chances. Come October 15, Chad Dawson will turn out to be a bad investment like the housing market in the last few years.
Beats, Boxing & Mayhem: A few decades ago you had a lot of great fighters like Muhammad Ali who were winning their first titles when they were 20-21 years old. In this era the majority of the top fighters are a lot older. Why do think it’s taking longer for the younger guys to be able to challenge the older vets like yourself?
Hopkins: It’s two things and that’s another great question. There’s a lack of teachers in the game. Also, the state of the inner city and the world today when compared to the early 90s, 80s and 70s. The mentality today is different. The priorities and work habits are extremely different. You put all those together and you don’t have a formula for great talents to come out of that. You get sprinkles but you don’t get the full bulk of the 80s era or the early 90s era, the era that I’m familiar with. Part of that is because in America we lost the attitude of coming up from one place to another and becoming something. It’ll probably never be the same. Talents are good but it’s not like it can be. Hopefully it can get back to that form again.
Beats, Boxing & Mayhem: This is more of a promoter question, but are you concerned about this being pay-per-view and coming so soon after fans had to pay for Mayweather vs. Ortiz?
Hopkins: Well, I hope fans have saved a few dollars [laughs]. But then I look at it and say they didn’t really get the full action they wanted to see from Floyd Mayweather and Ortiz. They got the drama afterward. They get a chance now to see Bernard Hopkins at his best at an age that is being talked about more than ever. I think people are thirsty to see a good pay-per-view fight that has drag-out brawling, strategy, all the things in one night in one match come October 15. I hope they didn’t look at the last pay-per-view fight and say to themselves “I’m not going to buy another back to back.” You never know. I have a loyal fan base in LA and the inner cities of the world just by the history of my pay-per-view numbers. People want to see history and as long as I continue to perform the way I do I think I’ll do well and surprise a lot of people.
Beats, Boxing & Mayhem: What do you take away from Dawson replacing his new trainer Emanuel Steward?
Hopkins: I don’t think it would be smart for me to take that any kind of way. I don’t know what goes on in his camp. I have nobody giving me information. I can say it’s not really a negative to him because it’s not like they had a long relationship as trainer and fighter or “teacher and fighter” as I call Emanuel Steward. To call a guy like that a trainer is disrespectful. I’m not just blowing smoke; there’s only a couple other guys I call teachers in the game of boxing. To me it reminded me of a guy and girl saying they’re together and the next day they’re not. Well, they only knew each other a few days. In boxing it takes more than just one fight to see if a particular trainer and fighter will be a negative or a plus. That’s the way I look at it. Dawson was only with Steward for a blink of an eye and it shouldn’t be a big thing either way.
Beats, Boxing & Mayhem: You have a great record against southpaws. Does Dawson’s style remind you of any of the dozen or so southpaws you’ve faced?
Hopkins: As you mentioned, I’ve fought many southpaws. The slickest and most difficult southpaw I’ve faced was one of the old legends of boxing from my era and age [in] John David Jackson, who was in Philadelphia for many years. It was really challenging to face that guy but it paid off for me. That was the best teaching I ever got. I’m 12-1 with southpaws and the only loss was a split decision to Joe Calzaghe that can be argued to death. Chad brings the style of being young, reach longer than mine, [and] everything you look at in terms of physical advantages. But nobody mentions the IQ of the individual but me. That might be lost in the conservation between Chad Dawson’s endorsers or is being overlooked. Whatever he has I have better.
That doesn’t mean he’s not a quality opponent. Say there’s a car I want and there’s two cars there. There’s a Ferrari and there’s a Mercedes. I’m a take the Ferrari; he’s the Mercedes. That’s how I look at it. The Mercedes is not a bad car. Matter of fact, they do well in sales. But you know what that Ferrari is. It’s something exotic and special. No matter what Chad Dawson brings or has, and he has a lot of good attributes, there’s some weaknesses that I will expose on October 15 in front of millions of people. They’ll see my IQ versus a good, technical, has skills, and young athlete that hasn’t went to that [boxing] university. That’s going to be the key. It has nothing to do with power, taller, shorter… all the advantages people see, I’ll take away from him. Then we’ll deal with the IQ of both people and see what happens.
Beats, Boxing & Mayhem: You mentioned John David Jackson being a tough fight and learning tool for you. Chad Dawson’s last tough fight was his first bout against Glen Johnson. Do you think that fight had any adverse mental effects on him? Since then it seems he’s been more about engaging less.
Hopkins: I don’t know because I watched that fight when it happened. Glen Johnson has always been tough but as you know, I fought Glen Johnson when he was young and undefeated and gave him a boxing lesson that he’ll never forget. You see Chad Dawson who had a good fight with Johnson but struggled compared to my win, which was a victory that showed people I have the Philadelphia mentality where I can move and catch but also back you up and beat you for 12 rounds. You look at those fights. Look at my fights with Pascal and his fight with him. Look at the Tarver fights. There is definitely a talent, heart and spirit to win [with Dawson]. He’s gotten up off the floor to win. That’s a true warrior where he wants to show he can get up and fight. He has that and it makes him a threat. I look at a lot of fights where he showed moxie and determination to hang in there no matter the consequences.
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I need the best Chad Dawson come October 15. The one who wants to come and bring the best out of Bernard Hopkins. Whoever is working with him, I’m begging you to have him bring his A game. If so you’ll the see the best Bernard Hopkins that you thought you saw already. I’ve saved the best for the end. That’s not being a promoter; that’s being Bernard Hopkins. I’ve been right more than I’ve been wrong in predicting what’s going to happen in fights.
Beats, Boxing & Mayhem: Last question, I know last year you were flirting with a heavyweight run. Is that still on the table before retirement?
Hopkins: David Haye blew my dreams! I’m having nightmares about that toe. He blew it with the toe, man.
“Believe It Or Not!: Hopkins vs. Dawson” is a 12-round bout for Hopkins’ WBC and Ring Magazine Light Heavyweight World Championship Titles taking place on Saturday, Oct. 15 at STAPLES Center in Los Angeles, Calif. and will be produced and distributed live by HBO Pay-Per-View® beginning at 9:00 p.m. ET/6:00 p.m. PT.
Beats, Boxing and Mayhem 