Boxing’s oldest ever world champion Bernard Hopkins believes he will once again make history as he looks to unify the light-heavyweight division against Beibut Shumenov this Saturday, with Hopkins urging fans to enjoy him while he’s around.
“To be 49-years-old, approaching 50, and knocking on the door of being a senior citizen – it’s a profound statement of my dedication.
“It’s sweeter now to be here with everybody. Everything I do is history. If you had one more chance to see something that you loved before you never see it again – here I am. You’ll have a chance to see history. You can tell your grandkids about what you saw.
“Name another athlete in this country that is doing it at this age and winning, not just competing, but fighting the top fighters in the world. This guy is no run-of-the-mill guy, he’s a threat.
“I’m not fighting a cream puff; this isn’t a bum of the month club. I’m fighting real dudes. These guys are hardcore, hungry and top contenders.
“Shumenov wants to make a name, like everyone else. What better place to make a name than against me?”
The light-heavyweight division is packed with some of boxing’s leading names including knockout artists Adonis Stevenson and Sergey Kovalev.
“It [prospect of unifying the division], gets me a lot more energized than my last two fights but those last two fights played a role to get energized.
“To me, this isn’t the climax, this is the pre-climax, and as far as I’m concerned, it’s where I need to be and where I had to go through to get here in the last year or two, to be patient, to fight my mandatory and to show people.
“I wanted it to be Kovalev but they chose to fight [Nathan] Cleverly, smart move, good management. Now, we’re here, and I’m looking to show the world that I might be the second or the first boxer in any division that became undisputed in two weight classes in modern times.
“I love history and I love trying to break records that have been set for multiple years because I believe I have a history of doing that, and this is energizing too.”
The American’s disciplined lifestyle is the driving force behind his success that is seeing him not only remain competitive in his twilight years but still held in high regard as one of boxing’s truly elite fighters.
“Taking the test without studying is like taking a fight without being in the gym. The gym is studying. The test is April 19. You can put the cart in front of the horse if you’re a fool and I think people would agree I’m no fool.
“I’m a guy that loves the craft and respects the craft. You can love something, but it doesn’t mean you respect it. Love is the emotional part; respect is the dedication and hard work. That attitude and that demeanour is always going to be there. That’s just who I am.”
