"Jones and Trinidad need to stop hustling their names!"

GL: I got the call from the Golden CEO giving me the hottest boxing news in the world, that your fight with Joe Calzaghe is a done deal for April 19 in Vegas. The bigger news is that the fight will be televised on free HBO. Can you give us some thoughts on this? "Yes, he finally signed. As the world of boxing has been aniticipating and waiting patiently for, he finally got the pen put into his hand by somebody on that side. Frank Warren, Jay Larkin or whoever is handling his business right now and it's a done deal. The media and the world and of course where the news comes from, and I'm saying where THE news comes accurate is Boxingtalk.com, where they give it to the fans as it develops and unfolds. Now I'm ready to give Joe Calzaghe something he hasn't experienced before and that's the letter L, for loss in that zero column. I'm ready to go and I'm ready to do whatever we have to do to put the world on notice that April 19 is execution day for the Welshman. Many will cross the Atlantic ocean to witness an execution on April 19.

"This is what boxing is all about. When I lost those two controversial decisions to Jermain Taylor, I didn't fight a nobody or somebody the fans didn't care about. I jumped on the baddest and most delusional guy in boxing right now and that's Antonio Tarver AKA the former legend killer. I didn't pick anybody who would make me look good, I picked somebody who I could have easily lost the fight to, but that's what I'm all about. My credibility as a fighter as far as who I want to fight is undeniable.

"I'm going to show that at 43 years old as of January 15, I'm ready to go. I'm just ready to get this thing going from city to city and coast to coast."

GL:" What made you want to give us a fight that by boxing's standards belongs on HBO PPV, on HBO World Championship Boxing?

Bernard Hopkins: "I think it's something that hasn't been done in a long, long time. If my memory hasn't robbed me, this is the biggest fight on free HBO since Lennox Lewis and Vitali Klitschko. This is what we need, we need to back in time for certain things and remember that NBC, ABC and CBS, where I knocked out Glen Johnson when he was undefeated and a well established fighter. That fight was on CBS and a lot of viewers got to know me at that time. Not only to give back to the fans, this is about helping everything all around the world. This is free viewing, this is free boxing. This is for the fan who can't afford to spend $50 to watch any star fighter in the world. With all of the PPV fights that have been happening in the last year and half or two, it's time for the fans to save that money and sit back with their popcorn and get ready for a fight. Get your popcorn and watch this historical bout with the Englishman versus the American on free TV. To me it's like the NBA championship or the Super Bowl with the kind of exposure the fight will receive. I mentioned with Mark Taffet months ago that I would love to do a fight with Joe on regular HBO to give them that informercial.

"This is a way for them to introduce Joe Calzaghe to the American world of boxing is through HBO championship boxing. They're going to be able to maximize his exposure, but I have an agenda too. This is a way for a lot more people to see me on HBO World Championship Boxing than HBO PPV. That's not saying I'm not marketable because I've done good numbers on PPV over the years. I believe I came in second or third at worst in terms of PPV buys. I am a PPV star, but I feel that we should do this for the fans and a lot of other people agreed on it as well. It's a great idea for everybody, including the TV, me, Joe and the fans are the biggest winners of all."

GL: With all of Roy's recent talks that he was going to Wales on Sunday morning if the fight wasn't a done deal, were you concerned that the fight might have collapsed at the last minute?

BH: "First of all, no. I was suspicious and I mentioned to Richard weeks ago that they're probably waiting around to see what happens with Jones and Trinidad. I don't have proof of that but it was how I felt because this is the boxing business and you have your cut throats behind you and that's the way this business is. At the same token, so much has been put into this as far as me being outrageous with my demands, we left them no wiggle room too get out of this. Roy Jones Jr, if he were in my position would have hung Joe Calzaghe out to dry at the negotiating table. I took away any excuse that Joe and his people could make after teasing the public by telling them I want to fight Bernard Hopkins.

"I took that gun away from them and the only way they would have been able to get out of it would have been to tell the world that we flat out lied and we don't mess with that 43 year old man. We want beat a shell of himself, Roy Jones Jr, and make money the easy way. They would have shoved that hypocrisy down the English fans throats and I think that they're so brainwashed in England that Joe Calzaghe could fight Kermit the frog and 50,000 people would show up. That stuff happens because they don't have much to root for. They can't even root for their own President. They have to overdo it with everything they do. If they thought I was going to make an excuse for them, they were wrong.

"If Roy Jones Jr wants a piece of Joe Calzaghe, he could get him but there's not going to be to much left of him on April 19. Anybody who is doing Roy's business, Don King or whoever, they better be clear that when you step in the ring with Bernard Hopkins, I mean some have escaped the wrath...Jermain Taylor hasn't. Look what happened to him. Physically he's done. Glen Johnson is the only fighter who revamped his career after he fought me. He lost eight or nine times after I took his zero away, but he made it back to the top. Antonio Tarver is done, all he's got left is his mouth. Bernard Hopkins destroys careers. Felix Trinidad hasn't been the same since September 29, 2001 in Madison Square Garden. Ask the loyal fans from Boxingtalk, whether they're my fans or not, do I make a valid point?

"Roy Jones can get the remains after it's over with. Then he could go do what he wants to do, but right now we got the deal and I'm glad it's over with. The fans won't have to wonder about him chickening out and not coming here to get the praises he says he wants so desperately and the respect he believes he should already have. He's already won the personality award, but that doesn't mean nothing when you're throwing punches in the ring. Maybe he's running for some political office so that's great for him, but I'm not running for anything, I'm just running through him. This is the biggest news in a long time with this fight being on CHampionship Boxing and I think people will be very excited about this fight."

GL: Is Calzaghe going the distance?

Bernard Hopkins: "I beat him up and his father comes in to save him for another day. I will beat him up, punish him and I love it when fathers train their sons because they get real emotional when you kick their sons ass. When it's just a trainer it's different because it ain't they blood. After it's all said and done Greg, you and the other reporters leave the stadium but the father and son have to ride home in the same car and the son looks at the father and asks, why did you let me get my ass kicked like this? They got to live and be together. They got to have their intimate time together that nobody else sees and I love that. It's another incentive to me to know and understand that the father will have to save his son and then it becomes personal.

"People who are going to read this interview tomorrow have seen me make bold statements before and they know that they come true 90% of the time. With Tito, with Winky, with Tarver, with how many defenses I'm going to make and Greg I'm telling you that I am going to force the father to save his son from the worst ass whooping he's ever gotten in the biggest fight of his career. This is a situation where Bernard Hopkins will be at his best. He throws a lot of punches and he's energetic. But everybody knows when you throw a lot of punches you keep yourself in a position where your vulnerable to get hit. There's going to be some fireworks. I can't wait until we start the tour and let everybody know what it's going to be. This is going to be about the American versus the Welshman. We're fighting as individuals and he's fighting for himself and I"m fighting for myself, but we're also fighting for our countries.

"Americans are better than fighters from England period. In every weight class, period. I'm going to continue to show that on April 19. I'm going to stand by my claim with a victorious win. We have the best fighters and since they have a big boxing community over there I'm going to go on record and put it out there because they won't like it and I don't give a damn. We have the best fighters in every weight class with or without belts, they're all from America. I'm going to show the world on free HBO and we're giving it to the people.

"Before I go a little further into that, I want to touch on how time really changes a person. I'm reading Boxingtalk and I'm ready about Roy's fight and I'm saying to myself that Roy Jones must be a desperate man. If you have any education or any type of common sense to understand by a person's actions five years ago and ten years ago to now. Roy said he'd never do business with Don King, but now he'll fight anybody anywhere he can. Roy, it's too late buddy. You had an opportunity a long time ago to fight Michalczewski. He was an undefeated champion and everybody wanted to see it and it would have been a huge fight. HBO, who you made a lot of money for and made a lot of money from, wanted the fight, but you didn't give the fans the fight they wanted to see when you were somebody. Now that you're 90% a shell of yourself, you're a gangster will to travel abroard and fight Joe Calzaghe in England or this one over there, it's either you're broke or you're stupid. I've fought in the other man's backyard many times to fight in hostile environments. Ask Don King it was his fighter. Don King never beat me in the ring with any fighter he has. I destroyed every fighter and every dream he had for any fighter who stepped in the ring with me, including Trinidad."

"To me, I'm the man to beat. And this ain't the Tarver attitude because Tarver is delusional. I know you do interviews with this guy but you sort of let him hang himself. But I understand there's nothing you could say when a man wants to make a fool of himself. He's delusional, but that's what the Executioner does to people. They sometimes fall into denial and don't really believe it happened. But you know what Greg? Sometimes you got to let people be what they want to be and do what they want to do. That will keep you sane and not insane. If Roy Jones Jr wants to fight all of these people now, then they will speak. I can't speak for the fans, but what I will say is the fans wanted his last fight years ago. Now everybody is getting in line to thank Roy for finishing what I started, ending Trinidad's career, way after he lost to Winky Wright. Anybody who can fight a little beat will beat Felix Trinidad. There's no big situation in there that tells me anything different. He'd have to fight somebody in a coma to win a fight and I don't think he should be medically allowed to fight again, unless he's broke.

"Unless he's broke, I don't see why he should step in the ring. Especially if his talent is showing that he's not worthy of boxing again. It gets to the point where you're just hustling your name. Tito should have come back and said he wanted to fight Bernard Hopkins. I'm a dangerous man though and he didn't want to walk down that road again. Roy Jones Jr shouldn't be talking about fighting anybody else other than Chad Dawson. If not he should have fought the guy who put him in coma, the same guy I gave his first loss to. Don't let Roy fool you guys! Don't let any mouthpiece behind ROy Jones Jr con the boxing public. The fans want to see you clean up what you couldn't do the firs time. Rematches have always been great. He should have fought Glen Johnson. Glen had to get in position to fight a guy like Chad Dawson, who personally I think Glen is goin to beat Chad Dawson. And if you mention Tarver's name to him he'll jump out of his shell. But if you want to hustle your name and hustle the past you will come back against somebody real. He fought a deadman, a shell and maybe I'm hating a little, but he fought a deadman, a guy who hasn't fought in three years. Are the fans supposed to think he's back? The only thing back is his delusional mentality. Roy's name should not even come up for a major fight against the very best. Roy musta forgot."

"It means a lot to show my talents to the fans on HBO Championship Boxing. I can't even remember the last time I fought on FREE HBO and I'm happy about it."

GL: Will Mackie Shilstone be working with you for the Calzaghe fight?

BH: "Absolutely. Arnold Joseph has already locked Mackie in. It's great to be working with him again. I'm going to be in reasonable shape when I first see him, and reasonable meaning 90%, so he's probably going to want to take me down a bit and then bring me back up his way. He's a great motivator and anybody who works with him would tell you that. His record speaks for itself. There's people who have worked with him that couldn't keep up once they got there and had to send him home for no other reason but that. Mackie is free and he has open space with me and we're happy to have him on board. Brother Nasseem will be on board, John David Jackson will be on board, Freddie Roach will be on board. He's got a busy schedule but he put me in that schedule way before things were signed.

"I told him he was on board and that I wanted him there and he gave me his blessing. Bernard Hopkins has surrounded himself with all of these great boxing minds is because once I think I can become the teacher and not the student I'm setting myself up for defeat and I need all the information Greg, that I can get. And that's what makes me different than everybody else. Those three or four minds don't come cheap. I've put my money in the right places, I've been good at that my whole life. I'm just happy to make this announcement on Boxingtalk.com and every town that we go to is going to realize what it is, a countdown to an execution. The fight is around the corner, it's happening in Spring time and they say that April showers bring May flowers, there's going to be alot of Calzaghe fans carrying around flowers this May."

M

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