“Everybody I fight until I retire stands a 9 out of 10 risk of being close to a vegetable when they’re done, period!”

"Bouie said we were going to fight a lion. But what happens when you go in there to fight a lion and the guy is acting like a pussycat? I thought I was going to fight a lion in the second fight, but he was all over the floor, hollering, trying to quit. I’m puzzled about who I’m fight, but that doesn’t mean that I’m not giving myself 101% to deliver."

"I’m coming right to him, so if he’s coming with half of his talk…I’ve heard all of the talk in the world, but when fight time comes we’ll see. But I’m not going to give him too much credit because I don’t have to convince myself that I’m fighting a lion or tiger. One thing is for sure, in two Saturday’s from now when that bell rings, we’re know what I’m fighting. But I’m ready to fight a lion, tiger, cat, dog, dolphin, but I don’t know what I’m getting."

"I’m going in there to do what I’ve been training for…I’ve been here for five weeks, but I left Philadelphia in shape. I was already at 80% by the time I left Philadelphia. I’m ready and prepared, and I reserve giving a lot of people credit by putting them on my level. I’m not going to do that because I’ve put too much time in to say that someone else is working as hard or harder than Bernard Hopkins. You have to show me. I’m not going to voluntarily give anyone that kind of respect. You have to show me."

"I can’t fool myself, I could fool my team who is sitting right here listening to this interview, I could fool Bouie and easily sneak out when he goes to sleep, I could fool any writer or journalist that does an interview with me, but I can’t fool Bernard Hopkins Jr."

"I’m tired of having press conferences where other people put the next man on my level. I’m told everyday that they don’t do what I do. Allen is probably sitting up there eating ice cream, and he if hasn’t, he’s going to wish he did after June 5!"

"Greg, at this stage of my career it doesn’t matter what the other guys does because I know what I have done. It doesn’t matter to me what he does, he could be a lion, it doesn’t matter. Because when I go into the ring, I’m going into the ring knowing what Bernard Hopkins has mentally and physically put himself through to make his eighteenth defense a successful one!"

"Am I supposed to look at him different because I think I’m fighting a guy that’s a lion? Should I be overly cautious because I think he’s a lion? I’m not coming out of character for this fight, because when you’re ready and confident because you’ve trained, you shouldn’t give a damn about what the other guy does."

"Ray Robinson never cared about what a dude did. Ali didn’t care if a guy was a lion or tiger or in great shape. Marvin Hagler definitely didn’t give a damn about what the other guy was doing. You know what he did? He got himself prepared for that."

"I don’t want to go in there thinking the guy is a lion because I don’t want to leave disappointed."

"Everybody I fight until I retire stands a 9 out of 10 risk of being close to a vegetable when they’re done, period! Look what happens to the people I fight…Keith Holmes is in another weight class, Echols fell off the fact of the earth, Joppy became the elephant man, Joe Lipsey never fought again and Trinidad went into seclusion for two years!"

The above is what Bernard had to say prior to G. Leon asking him any questions. Members can count on hearing what Bernard had to say about Antonio Tarver, Roy Jones Jr., Oscar De La Hoya and much more in the part III, which will be released tomorrow morning.

MEMBERS CLICK HERE FOR THE REST OF THIS MUST READ EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW

Send questions and comments to: gleon@boxingtalk.net