… is about Bernard Hopkins. Not that he’s fighting Roy Jones Jr. this weekend. But about how he promised to me that he’d pay for a statue to honor Joe Frazier. Class act; true to Philly roots …
By Brian Hickey
Bernard Hopkins knew he was supposed to be selling me on the pay-per-view merits of his old-school fight with Roy Jones Jr. It’s not enough to crumple a fan-favorite foe with a left hook to the liver these days. Float like an engaging salesman, sting like a lethal injection.For all his business-side prowess, our hour-long talk for Saturday’s ring re-entry started with him passionately explaining why he didn’t retire after I saw him “retire” in Atlantic City four years ago.
Other topics: racism, self-preservation, deception, boxing artistry vs. cage-match instant-gratification, Obama-as-gamechanger and the recession. It almost ended with him noting, “I know I’m supposed to be promoting, but this is the most important thing I can say to you: Joe Frazier is the king of Philadelphia boxing. He deserves some respect, something to honor him, a statue. If they find somewhere we can put it, I. Will. Pay. For. It.”
He made avenging his 1993 loss to Jones, one of five in his career, seem of secondary concern, momentarily.
“He’s a fraud. He’s selfish. He’s one of the guys who never wanted me to shine. If I needed him to keep me alive, he would’ve pulled the plug,” he said. “It’s legitimate when I say this fight is personal.”
Jones is well past his prime, so the 45-year-old Hopkins will probably smack him around for show before finishing him. He’s eyeing a heavyweight next, so put legitimate financial incentive atop distaste. But considering how boxers far more often end up like Mike Tyson than Bob Johnson, he had to get into how he “retired” to fulfill a promise to his late mother Shirley, get out before permanent damage puts you out.
“I’ve taken care of, invested in myself to the point that boxing people and mainstream media that doesn’t cover boxing 90 percent of the time say it’s amazing I can still do this,” he said, namechecking Brett Favre. “My brain is not jelly. I’m not chasing a tax problem. Don’t have five ex-wives, 20 kids. This is not an Evander Holyfield situation. Why should I walk away when I’m still having fun doing what I love to do, getting better the older I get? I’m not playing Russian Roulette. I want people to be inspired by this.”
Tell you what: Taking the statue-champ belt from Balboa is inspiration enough for me. The fight’s a bonus.
— 30 —
It’s all as a preview for this …
But, when you talk to Hopkins for an hour, there’s a lot that you can’t fit into 400 words. So, for your reading pleasure, what didn’t make it in to my piece ….
On why he still fights:
I know I’m blessed in a lot of ways. I can hold a conversation you can understand.I don’t drink or smoke. I take care of insides, and outsides. Know about my body. Know about my brain. I know the risks. How to work despite them, to limit them.
Prison taught me a lot of discipline. I’m not trying to glorify it, but being in prison, forced upon left go right, when I could’ve gone back to being involved in still chasing high.
My parents died from not taking care of their health. Didn’t want to be a part of that.
World has a lot of things good things and bad things. At end of the day, life came through up to now. Bernard, you needed that segment, that stage of your life, to get that experience. If you can survive that, the heartaches, the questions of whether I’m doing the right thing. That molded Bernard Hopkins to be the athlete, the man I am today.
On adversity:
Not talking about boxing. Discipline. Whatever color you are, whatever you represent. Must at least consider that at end of day, we all face adversity. Some handle it better than others. Obama, look at what he did and what he’s doing. There’s no secret water I got. No secret food. Not on special vegetarian diet, but not trying to knock the “don’t eat this, don’t eat that “thing. I’m just a disciplined guy.Had a discipline to be bad, to be who I was. That is a dangerous human being if don’t come out of that shell, that mentality.
I’m out there talking to people. Talking about proud people, not hustlers. Ghetto Bernie Madoffs, too. At end of day, my inspiration is I don’t want to be a Mike Tyson story, 5, 10, 15 years and I’m a comedian’s sound bite. That’s what keeps me from buying 13 Rolls (Royces) when you don’t drive. Showoff big tipper, what’s the purpose?
It was ballsy to stand up at a senate corruption hearing about boxing. How can we get boxing to the point where fighters have a chance at the negotiating table?
Bottom line: Every generation, a person stands out – man or woman – amongst the norm. I’m that person. It’s not about how great of a middleweight, so many defenses. It’s that I went against the system, how Bernard Hopkins changed the game, business-savvy. Why can’t we have both?
As long as there are ghettos, there will always be fighters.
On why he wants to fight Jones:
Everybody in the world has at least one person they want to fight, card game that they want to get back. It’s human nature. Forgive and forget? There are people who want to get me back for whatever reason, from bullied, intimidated. Not selling a book here. This is a fight that walks on that same line.He’s used me as a pawn before; old, ancient business trick.
I’ve gotten better. The question is: Did Roy get better? I’ve been bounty hunting this guy for 17 years. Isn’t it ironic and profound that we started our careers together and now, I’m helping him exit his career?
The Larry Bird/Magic Johnson animosity, they were carrying that till they did the segment on HBO. It’s a little different, couple tweaks of course, but that’s me and Roy. I don’t like Roy. He’s a fraud, selfish, one of guys never wanted me to shine. If I needed him to keep me alive, he would’ve pulled the plug. This is that type of individual. He’s had so many excuses not to fight me. Roy Jones is part of the reason why I’m still at it. Roy’s not as crazy as many think he ism though.
On criticism of his boxing style:
Some call me boring for that [defensive approach to a fight], but I always think about a life after boxing. Look, if I’m still around, I wasn’t boring. Look at [Arturo] Gatti, he didn’t have a defense. I don’t want people talking about me to uplift themselves, to make themselves look big. Give credit where it’s due: A good defense brings a good offense. A great D brings a great O. This is not the UFC. My nose hanging off my face proves I’m better than a guy?On the business of boxing:
It reminds me of racism. Used to be in your face 50 yrs ago. Now, multi-cultured guys. God willing, your mind stays intact, body stays intact. Is boxing better than it was? Yes, medical better. The screening better. But, the deception is not better.Corporate America, mob power, pulls strings to make life miserable. It’s slicker now. Sometimes people lose their mind. When start speaking about stuff that makes sense coming from boxing, I’m speaking the way I shouldn’t be speaking. Knowledgeable. Have my own money, but I don’t flaunt it. Never been the HBO in-house fighter.
This game of boxing, this is a situation where no different from the 40s and 50s. Not in your face. Have to keep it hidden than recklessly put out there.
You can get caught up in this thing called success and forget have to follow the laws of land.
On Joe Frazier:
Joe Frazier rates way higher than he’s getting credit for. He’s no. 1 when it comes to year came up. Going 15 with Ali? Fighting him three times? Joe Frazier is greatest fighter to come out of Philly. His heart, will, size he wasn’t a big heavyweight. Not a thick Tyson. Made it work. Fought everybody. Foreman. No doubt in my mind.
Joe’s the king, holds that title. Know what, think Philly should think about, few dollars, statue. Not just a little dinner, either. Something we should all see. We need to respect, honor this man. He was the opposite of what Ali accused him of being.
I’ll fund it. I. Will. Pay. For. It. And maybe this story can help it get done. I know I’m supposed to be promoting, but that is the most important thing about this talk.On what’s next:
What’s next? Third weight class (middleweight, light heavyweight). After I beat Jones, the winner of the John Ruiz/David Haye, Golden Boy Promotions, April 2 in London. We’re April 3. Got to beat Roy Jones. At 45, there can’t be a bad night for me. September/October, need to put 15 to 20 lbs on with Mackey Shilstone (trainer). People will think I’m crazy.I’m not chasing money. Not chasing fanfare. History doesn’t chase people; people chase history.