Original Chat Session on October 12, 2004

thehype: Boxingtalk would like to welcome the undisputed middleweight champion of the world (and the only fighter to unify all four sanctioning body belts), Bernard "The Executioner" Hopkins

mqelgq: when are you gonna give tito his rematch? you know that he wasnt himself the night of the fight due to events leading up to the fight.. do you feel that tito poses a serious threat to you? and do you really think that oscar could beat him?

mqelgq: or were you saying that out of anger

BERNARD_HOPKINS: I think DLH beats him. The door has always been open for him to get the rematch. I wanted to give him the rematch then, but he chose to fight Cherifi.

HAGLER183: bernard  who will  be your next opponent and when are you going to knock tito out again

BERNARD_HOPKINS: There's a couple of names being thrown around. It might Sturm, it might be the winner of Mosley-Wright. It will be someone credible. No guaranteed date, but my date is Jan. 20

TonyMontana: How old were you when you started boxing.......and how old do you think is too old to start?

BERNARD_HOPKINS: I was about seven or eight. I turned pro when I was 23. There's no age for being too old, but you can start as early as four years old. It depends on who's in your family to show you how to fight at an early age.

superhigh: Yo Bernard when youre in training camp what type of foods do you eat and what is your pre-fight meal? and how many miles do you run per day.I just wanna say you are a GREAT Champion and I that was great... the old blue eyes way... That was gangsta Peace

BERNARD_HOPKINS: My pre-fight meal is normally plain pasta, chicken or salmon. I like a lot of vegetables and I eat a lot of organic foods. I juice a lot of  vegetables and drink protein drinks and things like that.

coaks: Hi Bernard who would you like to fight the most out of Calzaghe or Eastman. Would you come over here to England to fight them if the money was there and who do you think is the tougher fight in your opinion?

BERNARD_HOPKINS: I think the tougher fighter would be Eastman and I won't come to England to fight,

Bryan_AKA_Superman: Bernard, what's the good word champ?  Congrats on your win against Oscar.  I've been a huge fan of yours for 10 years.  You're one bad mofo.  8) l met you briefly at the Joppy fight.  I'd love to meet you again. Would you fight in AC again soon?

BERNARD_HOPKINS: I hope my next fight will be closer. Hopefully it will be somewhere close, it would be great to fight on the east coast when I make my twentieth defense. I'm hoping we could work that out.

TheChampIsHere!: I think it is unpresedented for a fighter to skip a entire weight division and fight the champion in the next one in his first fight so when the Tarver fight was proposed I thought it was crazy. With that said, you talked the talk, will you walk the walk??

BERNARD_HOPKINS: Now I have another option. I'd like to give you a different road map to glory. 20 defenses and then maybe take a revenge with Glen Johnson, fight Tarver to unify, beat Tarver and then retire. 20 defenses, Glen Johnson...we have a history, I gave him his

BERNARD_HOPKINS: first loss, then I'll beat Tarver before I retire. I think that's the better road map for my legacy.

Method: Ex - Fellow Philly cat here now outta Miami (Im the cat that covers your camps down here).  Three-fold commentary -  First, you gotta hook me up with one of those T-shirts your team wore to the DLH weigh-in.  Second, how does a fight with Tarver play out?

Method: Do you employ a Keith Holmes-type strategy of staying close/mauling?  How big a factor does John David Jackson play in this since you learned a lot about southpaws from him and he works with Tarver now?

Method: Finally, you GOTTA BEAT TRINIDAD'S SORRY A$$ one more time.  His Pops DESERVES IT, but Tito MUST be the sacrificial lamb

BERNARD_HOPKINS: He would have a busted nose and a busted lip and I would be standing victorious.

BERNARD_HOPKINS: He will be. I don't believe Trinidad, whenever he comes to grips with the reality of his execution three years ago, I believe they will do anything to not fight me again. I'm not going to beg Tito for the chance to whoop him again. I don't think they will

BERNARD_HOPKINS: ever challenge me again.

OnFire: Don't know if this was aksed. What did you think of trinidad's performance?

BERNARD_HOPKINS: For what he was working with, being off for two and half years, it was brilliant to fight Mayorga, who is tough but has no defense. I think he showed some movement I never seen before but I think I saw more flaws.

BERNARD_HOPKINS: It will be five fights after I'm out of boxing before they want to fight Bernard Hopkins. I give him a B-. He should have went to the body early to get him out earlier.

nardfan: Nard,im a big fan.Congrats on the win and the parade!Who is the toughest guy you've ever faced and why?Is it Antwun Echols.THANKS CHAMP!(Peoples Champ)

BERNARD_HOPKINS: One of the toughest guys that I faced was a fight early in my career. Segundo Mercado was one of the toughest and I have to add Echols in there. Gilbert  Baptiste was also a very tough for me in Mile High Stadium. That was for the USBA title.

coals: When you finally hang up the gloves do you want to stay in boxing in any way?

BERNARD_HOPKINS: No. I'm getting into real estate. I think it's my second calling. I might show up to some fights but I won't be involved in the business of boxing.

Dan: Howard Eastman is by far your toughest opponent in the division, why don't you fight him?

BERNARD_HOPKINS: One is, he never fought in the States. He needs to make a real push to want to fight. All we need to do is see if HBO wants. He needs to get in line like I got in line and then he has to deliver. If he stays around long enough, he'll get a shot, but I

AKay: Hey Bernard you are the only one who keeps in shape year round and walks around very close to your fighting wieght. Do you think boxers today would be able to handle going back to 15 rounds or only dedicated warriors as yourself?

BERNARD_HOPKINS: I don't hink 80 or 90% of the fighters would be able to do it. The p4p list would be a lot different with 15 rounds and no junior divisions. It would be much harder to become a great fighter. Most fighters today aren't mentally and physically in shape like

BERNARD_HOPKINS: the old days.

Mr_Sosa: do you think defeating Tarver will put you in the history books as the greatest middleweight champ ever or do you have to call out Jones for one last fight to do so?  PS what did you think of Gibbs last fight against the haitian sensation?

BERNARD_HOPKINS: I don't think Tarver does anything to my legacy as a middleweight. It would just say that Hopkins is better than Tarver. Beating a quality middleweight for my twentieth defense and being undefeated for over a decade, puts me in the hall of fame. Tarver or

BERNARD_HOPKINS: Glen Johnson would just be icing on the cake. I

BERNARD_HOPKINS: don't think it hurts my legacy though.

BERNARD_HOPKINS: I think he started too fast, couldn't hold the pace and paid a big price, Gibbs that is.

razoray: first of all it is an honor to chat with you. i think you have nothing to prove. you beat OD and F T and if R J  wants some i think he would have got knock out. too. Ithink Taver   and you will be a great fight. but even if you don't get that fight  y figh

BERNARD_HOPKINS: what's the question?

JoeinPa: Congrats on the big win and given Philly and boxing reason to be proud.   I was wondering if u have any planned appearances in the tri-state area for autographs or photos opertunities.  thanks for ur time champ

BERNARD_HOPKINS: Not as we speaks, but we are scheduled to do something at the Youth Studies Center on 20th and Hamilton in downtown Phildelphia. We'll be doing it within the next couple of weeks.

rrayvez@aol.com: Since Tito's willingness to fight you before any other superstar is what helped you get the high profile fights, don't you think he deserves a rematch, +when u went to Pr to apologize for throwing the flag, how did the people respond?

BERNARD_HOPKINS: I never said he didn't. But you have to understand that he has two fathers. Don King and Trinidad Sr. Don King won't let it happen. That's one problem right there that's major.

BERNARD_HOPKINS: I think they responded positive.

BERNARD_HOPKINS: I've been back two or three times after the fact, but I must say I lost like six or seven pounds because I didn't eat while I was there.

mateball: How would you beat Winky Wright?  So many have problems with his style.  How would you dominate him? How can I get an autograph?

BERNARD_HOPKINS: With Winky you have to outmuscle and be as crafty. he's not super flashy and he knows how to win on points and by being active. I think he will have another great performance when he fights Shane Mosley in November.

Carlos_Luciano: Great props on destroying delabitch! Is it true you started your career at light heavy? Why did you choose mayorga to beat Tito? And when are you gonna give Tito a rematch with out pricing yourself out?Thanks for throwing my flag on the floor,great class..

BERNARD_HOPKINS: I started as a blown up out of shape not disciplined light heavyweight. I paid a price and received my first L. I got serious and began campaigning as a middleweight. Trinidad always had a green light for the rematch. His fathers chose to fight Cherifi,

Boxing_Seer: champ i want to recognize the skillz firts, congrats. I'm a roy fan but i've gotta know how my boy was trying to screw you out of the money. In other words what was the split of money he was offering because thats have prevented Jones/Hopkins II

BERNARD_HOPKINS: the fight no one seems to remember. HBO didn't want the fight, it wasn't marketable to HBO. They didn't think it would sell.

Joe_Frayzier: Assalam Alaikom bro....How long have you been muslim for?..(me 2 years)....Are you going to fast in the holy month of ramadan..which begins here in england on thursday or friday..../whats ur muslim name?..(its written on that photo of u and smoky.../taken

BERNARD_HOPKINS: I've been a Muslim over 15 years. Sahudinne Abdul Muhammad. It means defender of faith.

George_Jackson: Hey Bernard, when you munch on peanut butter and banana sandwhiches, do you prefer Skippy, Jiff or Peter Pan??? Thanks for winning me money in LV, you almost made me shit my little panties fighting all carefully bro.  Take out Tarver so I could win more $$

George_Jackson: and please decapitate Tito and spit in Don Felix's face, he annoys me

BERNARD_HOPKINS: None of the above.  Where's my 3% for helping you  win $?

RG: Mr. Hopkins, I would just like to say I got the utmost respect for you. I look at you as a true role model. Two quick questions, who gave you a tougher time DLH or tito, and what advice would you give to a young fighter with discipline promblems?

BERNARD_HOPKINS: De La Hoya. Stop Fighting.

BERNARD_HOPKINS: three more questions

hopkinsexecutionstarver: Bernard I am a huge fan of yours and I just want to know if you will fight up until you turn 43 like you said a couple of years ago or if you wont fight past 40 like you have said recently?  Also who are some of your favorite fighters right now?

BERNARD_HOPKINS: One more year, from January 2005-Jan. 6. I'm pushing for three fights, the third fight would be the build up to get out of the game. It would be a homecoming for me. I want to use my next fight to build it all up.

STUNNA: Who  do you thing that's out there right now around your weight class that can test you and I mean really test you?

BERNARD_HOPKINS: I see a lot of good compeition out there. Right now I'm at my best but I can be tested by anyone for a minute, but I will adapt and then destroy the, It's not about looking out there for competition, I challenge myself. I don't think anyone is better than

BERNARD_HOPKINS: me but I need to go out there and deliver. Shane Mosley is quick, fast and he has a decent boxing game, De La Hoya is not mentioning retirement and some peope thought he was doing well.

Bx_VicNice: Hopkins you once said, "im not great yet, but I will be.  Nobody can stand up to me." Do you feel great now after giving delahoya a boxing lesson and why do you think larry merchant always tries so hard to belittle your accomplishments in not give you prop

BERNARD_HOPKINS: I think that a fighter shouldn't classify themself as great. History will show if  we are great or good. Larry Merchant is stuck on the old school way of thinking. Some can't get their mind out of the 50's and 60's. He think he could say whatever he wants

BERNARD_HOPKINS: and do what he wants, but that's Larry and he'll have to live with that.

thehype: Boxingtalk would like to thank Bernard Hopkins for taking time out of his busy schedule to chat with us tonight

BERNARD_HOPKINS: Be Good Boxingtalk.com!