Bernard Hopkins: As Long as He Keeps Fighting, He Can Keep Talking

Bernard "The Executioner" Hopkins, more endearingly known as "B-Hop," is 51-5-2-1 in his boxing career.

At the age of 46 years, he will attempt to become the oldest champion in the history of sport, hoping to surpass then-45-year-old George Foreman in 1994.

Many younger boxing fans might not appreciate what Hopkins has done in the sport because all they hear now is his mouth.

So, we are going to take a step back for a minute.

From 1993 to 2005, Hopkins absolutely dominated the middleweight division in between losses to Roy Jones Jr. (1993) and Jermaine Taylor (twice in 2005).

In the 12 years between those losses, he was an absolute machine and one of the best conditioned boxers to ever step in the ring.

In addition to his impressive physical form, his mouth was always just as talented, sometimes in a bad way.

B-Hop's humble beginnings, which include growing up in the streets of Philadelphia to mugging on the streets of Philly to spending time in jail, have left him with a sense toughness that sometimes makes him sound like an ignorant jerk who has taken too many shots to the head.

The most recent of those comments include a guy who doesn't even box: Donovan McNabb.

Hopkins took racial shots at the former Philadelphia Eagles quarterback's upbringing in the suburbs of Chicago saying, "[McNabb's] got a suntan, that's all."

Insensitive? Absolutely. Out of line? Without question.

But lets ask ourselves this, what has it done for B-Hop now?

Sold his fight, of course.

This is boxing, much worse things have been said throughout the history of a sport that glorifies two men punching each other in the face.

The greatest boxer of all-time, Muhammad Ali, was notorious for making "insensitive" remarks about his opponent prior to the fight; this has always been part of the sport.

I am not condoning what Hopkins said, especially considering he went after a guy that doesn't have the opportunity to punch back, but he got me (and plenty others) to write about it, and you to read about it.

As for his take on his upcoming fight, a rematch with Jean Pascal of Canada, Hopkins said in an interview with CBS, "I’m going into his hometown like a Navy Seal with an executioners hood on to whip his (expletive) and leave, fly back home, and within an hour I'll be back in my condo in Philadelphia."

Hopkins and Pascal fought to a draw in their first match in Quebec City, but this fight will be in Montreal.

Hopkins wants to overtake Foreman, but he also wants to leave behind a legacy that will always have people talking about the boxer that he was (and currently still is).

Quite honestly, we can't really fault him for that.

We never refer to boxing as a game the way we do with football, basketball, baseball and hockey, but there is plenty to the pre-fight "game" that makes boxing all that it is.

We may not care for what Bernard Hopkins says, or even want to listen to him for that matter, but it is simply a part of his sport.

As long as "The Executioner" still gets in the ring I am going to watch regardless of how he got me there.

He's paid to promote, he's paid to fight and as long as he keeps getting paid to do so he can talk all he wants because, frankly, that is his job too.


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