Ranking Bernard Hopkins' Greatest Fights

Bernard Hopkins will turn 52 years old in January.

But he’s got some things to do first.

Topping that list is a Saturday night business trip to suburban Los Angeles, where he’ll meet 20-something Joe Smith Jr. in what’s being billed as the final fight of a pro career that began in the Ronald Reagan administration.

The old man, who hasn't fought since a 12-round thrashing by Sergey Kovalev in 2014, insists the weekend return will be a one-and-done endeavor and likens the spectacle to a high-profile NBA exit.

"I will be the matrix. I will be the executioner. I will be everything that I need to be to win," Hopkins said on a pre-fight media conference call. "The sweet science is something that I've always been addicted to. My fight will be like watching the last game of Michael Jordan or Kobe Bryant."

Not surprisingly, the imminent exit has prompted a flood of look-backs at a 64-fight run in which the chatty Philadelphian has won titles in two weight classes and beaten back the challenges of many men several years his junior.

We put together our picks for his five greatest fights and invite feedback and other ideas in the comments section.

5. Jean Pascal (UD 12)

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It’s not his most memorable fight from a competitive standpoint, but the May 2011 vanquishing of Canadian-based Haitian Jean Pascal was important to those who look at milestones.

Then 46, Hopkins became the oldest fighter to win a major world title by claiming the WBC light heavyweight belt from a 28-year-old foe on his adopted home turf at the Bell Centre in Montreal. Hopkins was six months older than George Foreman when he took a heavyweight crown with a victory over Michael Moorer in 1994.

He weathered an early attack from Pascal before landing more punches and avoiding power shots, jabbing intelligently and landing a number of heavy right hands. He also taunted his younger foe, dropping to do push-ups before the seventh round and ultimately won with scorecards that read 115-113, 116-112 and 115-114.

4. Oscar De La Hoya (KO 9)

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It was the left hook that created an unlikely promotional alliance.

Hopkins crumpled Oscar De La Hoya to the canvas with a precise shot to the liver midway through the ninth round of their middleweight title fight in September 2004, then became a business partner at his victim’s Golden Boy operation before the end of the year.

The winner celebrated with a somersault and a leap onto the ropes as De La Hoya pounded the mat in frustration. The fight had been a defensive struggle into the middle rounds before Hopkins gained a slight advantage on the way to the 18th defense of his 160-pound title claim.

It was also his first significant financial score, yielding a purse of $9 million.

3. Antonio Tarver (UD 12)

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A warning to Joe Smith Jr.

When Hopkins enters a fight as if it’s his last, he goes to great lengths to look good.

That was certainly the case for a June 2006 get-together with then-light heavyweight kingpin Antonio Tarver, who was humbled across 12 rounds by a 41-year-old ex-middleweight who’d jumped two divisions after losing his keys to the 160-pound kingdom.

Hopkins claimed going into the fight that he would retire to fulfill a promise he'd made to his mother.

Instead, he revitalized his career, electrified a crowd of more than 10,000 at Boardwalk Hall in Atlantic City, New Jersey, controlled the fight from start to finish and ultimately cruised to an official win via three scores of 118-109. Tarver, who’d dethroned Roy Jones Jr. with a second-round KO, had entered the Hopkins bout referring to himself as "The Legend Killer."

2. Kelly Pavlik (UD 12)

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A 43-year-old against a 20-something slugger with 30 KOs in 34 straight wins?

Seems like an easy pick. And it was.

Motivated by a cadre of media members who’d forecast Kelly Pavlik as a decisive winner, Hopkins all but ruined the top-level career of the then-middleweight champ in a 170-pound catchweight bout.

It was instantly clear Pavlik did not have enough experience or skills as he was reduced to a standing target rather than the whirling dervish who’d averaged around 100 punches per round. Hopkins had lost his middleweight title belts during a pair of losses to Jermain Taylor, whom Pavlik then savagely knocked out to become a champion.

1. Felix Trinidad (TKO 12)

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Smoke still hung over a terror-addled Lower Manhattan, a few weeks after Sept. 11.

And inside Madison Square Garden a few miles away, a partisan crowd was vocal in its support of Puerto Rican hero Felix Trinidad.

But neither the fans nor their favorite were any match for a revved-up Hopkins.

Hopkins, 36, stopped him at 1:22 of the 12th round. He had dominated the second half of the fight, rocking Trinidad several times and then knocking him down with a crunching right. Trinidad struggled up at nine and as referee Steve Smoger looked at him, the fighter's father climbed into the ring to stop it.

One judge had Hopkins ahead 109-100 after 11 rounds, and the other two each had it 107-102.

The fight originally was scheduled for Sept. 15 but was postponed for two weeks after the terrorist attacks on New York and Washington.