Hopkins Wants Credible Opponent For 'The Final Execution'

[Ruthless-RKO]

Bernard Hopkins last fought on November 8th, 2014, when he dropped a twelve round decision in a light heavyweight unification to Sergey Kovalev in Atlantic City. Since that point he's been dormant but he's made it clear that he has one more fight left in him at age 51.

http://www.BS.com/hopkins-want ... on--108831

[Syntax Error]

He should forget about Andre Ward.

He'll have to wait until he's 58, then the fight will have to be in Andre's local supermarket carpark & Ward would completely outclass him & make him look stupid.

[Cent0089]

Marcus Browne deserve defeat from old man, his last fight was robbery of year. Erik Skoglund is beatable oponent too but nobody knows him in US. Others can be dangerous for 50 years old Bhop IMO.

[Horse]

Carl Froch.

[Perseus]

Nobody on that list is a suitable opponent for the current version of Hopkins.

Suitable opponents for the 50-something Hopkins = near weight old men or shot fighters still hanging around

Harry Simon(yes, he is still fighting)
Roy Jones jr rubber match
Winner of Danny Green vs Anthony Mundine rematch
Felix Sturm
Jermain Taylor
Julio Cesar Chavez jr

[boxing_rocks]

He should try to get a title at 168. I doubt that most of current belt holders will want to fight him, but Chudinov (after WBA finally strips the drug cheat Sturm) may go for it.

[MachoTime]

Stay retired.

[Tanzio]

Set a mirror up in the ring.

[gilgamesh]

Nobody on that list is a suitable opponent for the current version of Hopkins.

Suitable opponents for the 50-something Hopkins = near weight old men or shot fighters still hanging around

Harry Simon(yes, he is still fighting)
Roy Jones jr rubber match
Winner of Danny Green vs Anthony Mundine rematch
Felix Sturm
Jermain Taylor
Julio Cesar Chavez jr

Those are all decent opponents for B-Hop...except Roy. Roy is so shot it's painful to watch.

[Baby Face Finster]

Hopkins hasn't executed anyone since Oscar De La Hoya back in 2004.

[boxing_rocks]

Hopkins hasn't executed anyone since Oscar De La Hoya back in 2004.

He sort of executed Shumenov, but that is not a big achievement. Most of top LHWs would stop that fraud.

[ElJefe]

Other - nobody. Hopkins is a legend and could probably still beat plenty of decent fighters but he has nothing to prove so I'd prefer it if he didn't risk his health.

[Baby Face Finster]

Other - nobody. Hopkins is a legend and could probably still beat plenty of decent fighters but he has nothing to prove so I'd prefer it if he didn't risk his health.

There is nothing more he can do that will enhance his legacy even more. The only reason he is fighting on is for love of money.

[HyacinthusTurnipseed]

Don't see the upside of him fighting a young LHW prospect at this point. Would rather, if he has to fight one more time, that it was against a fellow veteran, maybe someone he has some unfinished business with? Not RJJ as the second fight was dire. Don't think it can be Carl Froch either (at least for a while) as he recently had a nose job. Sturm would okay (I guess) but I can't see where would be a suitable venue for a fight (ditto Abraham) Dunno... Glen Johnson rematch maybe? Is he still fighting? Is Steve Cunningham still with Naazim? What about Tony Bellew or Adonis Stevenson? Can Adamek still make cruiserweight?

But if I was advising him I'd likely suggest not bothering. Is there enough popular affection for him in the US to make "one last fight" even worth it financially? And what else does he have to prove?

[rab]

Other - nobody. Hopkins is a legend and could probably still beat plenty of decent fighters but he has nothing to prove so I'd prefer it if he didn't risk his health.

There is nothing more he can do that will enhance his legacy even more. The only reason he is fighting on is for love of money.

i agree with your first sentence but i think he likes his name up in lights and all the promotional stuff that goes along with his fights. he likes the fame and being in the spotlight as much as the money. every time there is a camera around any boxing event these days bernard seems to be in the background

to be fair, after what he has achieved and the experience he has i am sure he will make the right decision for him. he is a force of nature and probably the best example of living the life there could be for any young kid starting out. i think sturm would make for a really good fight.

[Roars Like Me]

How about a winnable fight at Heavyweight to finish off. Shut Traver up again?

[davie]

I fancied him to pick up a SMW title vs Abraham when that was talked about before and think the Sturm fight is an equally make-able opportunity.


What about Adonis Stevenson? Is that a possibility?

[man]

i would prefer if he didn't fight again.

two years layoff is bad for even a young
fighter. he would actually need a tune
up rather than a "credible opponent".

[SaadOffTheDeck]

I like the Taylor suggestion, beating him for the third time is a nice way to go out.

[ldlamb]

First time

[SaadOffTheDeck]

Nope

[Enlightened-One]

I’ve watched a video of Hopkins talking about this… and there’s no certainty that he’ll fight again, but if he does, he said it’ll have to be against an opponent that gives him a “dignified” end to his career.

Therefore, I don’t expect Hopkins to face any anonymous up-and-coming unbeaten dangerous fighters, because no one would have the appetite to see that sort of spectacle.

Therefore, the sort of opponents that will be under consideration will probably have to satisfy the majority (but not necessarily all) of the points listed in the following criteria:

• Either tied to HBO or a network free agent
• Not affiliated to Al Haymon
• An easily recognisable and credible name
• Hasn’t already been defeated by Hopkins
• A veteran that is on a fairly decent run of form
• At least 35 years of age
• Weighs between a minimum of 168lbs or a maximum of 190lbs
• Holds some sort of title
• Would be perceived as a competitive beatable opponent, but not a dangerous one
• Possesses a big enough fan-base that makes the bout commercially viable that guarantees Hopkins with a sizable payday

Felix Sturm could have been a good option, but he’s currently in the midst of a PED scandal. So he might not be considered.

Tony Bellew is a pretty good name, with a lot of British support and is physically capable of meeting Hopkins at some sort of catch-weight.

Arthur Abraham would have been a great option six months ago, but he got his áss kicked by Ramirez, so that he’s probably out of the running.

There’s a very remote chance that Carl Froch would be willing to enter the ring one final time to take a low-risk payday against a beatable version of Hopkins.

Another name that would be a good opponent, would be Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. He has the right size, fan base, payday potential and he’s also very beatable.

I don’t think there’s any appetite to see Hopkins face Jermain Taylor again, considering 'Bad Intentions' brain injury, criminal issues, inactivity and bizarre personality (that maybe a by-product of his personal problems).