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Let it never be said that Bernard Hopkins can’t talk up a fight—or anything else, for that matter. Having just witnessed first hand Hopkins in full flow, I assure you that the man can talk for America…and then some. Topics ranged from Howard Eastman to the latest happenings in the NFL. These exchanges, admittedly, left me somewhat bemused. Indeed, the Philadelphia Eagles are not my main area of expertise. Who’s complaining, though? Hopkins, unlike some fighters, is less than hard work. A simple yes or no question directed at “The Executioner” invariably paves the way for a fifteen-minute spiel, often answering questions that we reporters hadn’t dreamt of asking. What you are about to see is the condensed version of the conference call. An extremely condensed version.
The call opened with a monologue from the head honcho of Golden Boy Promotions, Oscar de la Hoya. “This fight here is probably the most historic event that we will witness,” began De La Hoya. “And the reason why I say that is that twenty defenses is not something you come by every single day or every year, or every ten years. Bernard Hopkins has proved himself day in and day out, every single fight. He’s dominated everyone who they’ve put in front of him. And “Exxecution Day’ is an event that you really have to pay attention to because Bernard Hopkins fighting Howard Eastman is not an easy fight and Bernard Hopkins understands that,” stated the Golden Boy, selling the fight in a manner that would make Don King proud.
In recent times, it has become clear that Oscar has settled into the role of promoter quite nicely. The transition from prize fighter to salesman has been a smooth one, with De La Hoya going on to state, “Me, as a promoter of this event, I’m going to be a fan that night, just to witness history, to witness this event, because I know that I will not be able to see this ever again in my lifetime.” It’s hard to deny the humor in such statements; however, you have to give De La Hoya credit. He is relishing his job as promoter and his willingness to put his ego to one side, in an effort to promote his fighter, is both alarming and admirable in equal measures. He is happy to count himself as one of Hopkins’ victims, laughing as he recalls the only knockout loss of his career to date. De La Hoya summed up his new role in his introduction of “The Executioner,” announcing his presence in a fashion normally reserved for Kings. “Without any further ado, let me introduce the man of the century, the man that dominates the middleweight division and will continue to, so long as he wants to, the man, Bernard Hopkins.”
Hopkins, clearly in a buoyant mood, hit the ground running with his responses. When asked about his vision for the future, he said, “I am a boxing history fanatic and I want boxing history to follow me to my grave. I want to do something that is historic and that’s win the light heavyweight championship from a man named Glen Johnson, who is a friend of mine. I want to do what Ray Robinson couldn’t do and go right from middleweight and win the light heavyweight title. I’m on a mission to do that.”
Three names were consistently brought up during the course of the call: Glen Johnson, Felix Trinidad and Jermain Taylor. Ronald “Winky” Wright was notable by his absence. Well, at least from my end. For my money, Wright is the favorite to come out on top in his upcoming bout with Trinidad. I found it curious that Wright was seemingly dismissed. Unfortunately, time constraints didn’t allow for that question to be put to “The Executioner.” It’s clear who Hopkins will be pulling for when that fight comes “round. Trinidad is undoubtedly more of a “name” and, let’s face it, Hopkins dismantled “Tito” last time out.
Seemingly the only British representative present at the conference, I wasn’t entirely surprised at the sound of sniggers when the subject of Eastman’s fifth round KO prediction was raised. “This guy Howard Eastman has said that he would knock you out in five rounds. What do you know about this guy? The only notable fighter he’s fought is William Joppy,” said one reporter, somewhat flippantly. “He’s a sleeper. He’s a guy who, if you don’t pay attention, you don’t study…Joppy was the only American name he fought, but I went back with ten tapes of this guy and the guy is a decent fighter, he can fight,” asserted Hopkins, refusing to follow suit and showing Eastman rather more respect than he had been given up to that point.
Hopkins, should all go according to plan, might find himself in the ring twice more this year. Plans appear sketchy at present, however. “I got a timetable,” barked Hopkins. “I can come back in June for pay-per-view and then again in September, which is a great pay-per-view month. I want two major PPV fights in 2005. It can be done, it can be history and it can help boxing. I don’t fight just for money, I fight for history. I want to be in the history books. I want to do what Sugar Ray Robinson could not.”
For that to happen, though, he first has to overcome Howard Eastman, a large hurdle, by all accounts. That being said, should Hopkins’ fists match his mouth, who would bet against him being a permanent fixture in the record books? Certainly not me.
James MacDonald can be reached at ac009b5460@blueyonder.co.uk
