The secret of Bernard Hopkins

Image: The secret of Bernard Hopkins

By Yannis Mihanos: What is his secret of Bernard Hopkins? Staying there and hanging tough with the big guns of boxing, fighting against people much younger. It surely takes something special to do it.

Hopkins might never have had that blinding speed or amazing fist strength but he had things that many others failed to have at a consistent daily basis: self-discipline, and mastery of a mind that could turn anytime and anything into a weapon.

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Hopkins-Smith Jr. and Usyk-Mchunu – Official weights

Image: Hopkins-Smith Jr. and Usyk-Mchunu - Official weights

By Dan Ambrose: Bernard Hopkins (55-7-2, 32 KOs) weighed in successfully at 174 pounds for his fight against WBC International light heavyweight champion Joe Smith Jr. (22-1, 18 KOs) for their fight on HBO Boxing this Saturday night at the Forum in Inglewood, California. Smith Jr. weighed in at 175lbs.

Hopkins, 51, did a lot of talking to the 27-year-old Smith Jr. during the face off after the weigh-in. It looked like Hopkins was trying to get into the head of the Long Island fighter to unnerve him and gain an edge for the fight.

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Smith Jr: I expect Hopkins to run like he did against Kovalev

Image: Smith Jr: I expect Hopkins to run like he did against Kovalev

By Dan Ambrose: #2 WBC light heavyweight contender Joe Smith Jr. (22-1, 18 KOs) can’t wait to get 51-year-old former two division world champion Bernard “The Executioner” Hopkins (55-7-2, 32 KOs) this Saturday night so that he can shut him up and “retire a legend” at the Forum in Inglewood, California.

The Hopkins-Smith Jr. fight will be televised on HBO Boxing. Hopkins has been doing a lot of trash talking in calling Smith Jr. a “Common” man, and mentioning him in the same sentence as former middleweight champion Kelly Pavlik, who Hopkins beat by a one-sided 12 round decision eight years ago in 2008.

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Hopkins vs. Smith Jr. & Usyk vs. Mchunu this Saturday

Image: Hopkins vs. Smith Jr. & Usyk vs. Mchunu this Saturday

By Eric Baldwin: Bernard Hopkins (55-7-2, 32 KOs) will be putting a cap on his career this Saturday night on December 17 in facing light heavyweight contender Joe Smith Jr. (22-1, 18 KOs) in a 12 round bout at the Forum in Inglewood, California. HBO Championship Boxing will be televising the card.

The co-feature fight between WBO cruiserweight champion Oleksandr Usyk (10-0, 9 KOs) and Thabiso Mchunu (17-2, 11 KOs) might ultimately provide more entertainment for the boxing public, however. That fight looks to be a competitive one on paper, as long as Usyk mixes it up more than he did in his recent 12 round unanimous decision win over Krzystof Glowacki last September.

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Bernard Hopkins: This is the final one

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By Allan Fox: 51-year-old former two division world champion Bernard “The Executioner” Hopkins (55-7-2, 32 KOs) will be wrapping up his boxing career next month against the highly ranked Joe Smith Jr. (22-1, 18 KOs) on December 17 at the Forum in Inglewood, California.

Hopkins has been a pro for 28 years, which longer than the 27-year-old Smith Jr. has been on this earth. Hopkins hasn’t fought in two years since his one-sided 12 round unanimous decision defeat at the hands of former light heavyweight champion Sergey “Krusher” Kovalev in November 2014.

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Joe Smith Jr. Q&A: Talks about December battle with Bernard Hopkins

1-Andrzej Fonfara vs. Joe Smith Jr._Fight_Nabeel Ahmad _ Premier Boxing Champions7

By Ian Aldous: On December 17th from the Forum in California and live on HBO, Joe Smith Jr. (22-1) will become a part of boxing history when he faces the legendary Bernard Hopkins (55-7-2) in what will be the future Hall-of-Famer’s final ever fight inside a boxing ring. Last week, Joe took some time to talk with me over the phone ahead of the potentially career-defining bout.

IA: When I spoke to you prior to your fight with Andrezj Fonfara (1st round TKO win), you told me he wouldn’t be able to stand and trade with you. I guess your prediction was right, but were you surprised at how quickly and emphatically you dealt with him?

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Oleksandr Usyk to fight on Hopkins-Smith Jr. card on Dec.17

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By Jim Dower: WBO cruiserweight champion Oleksandr Usyk (10-0, 9 KOs) is tentatively scheduled to fight on the undercard of the Bernard Hopkins vs. Joe Smith card on December 17 on HBO Boxing from The Forum in Inglewood, California. It’s still not a done deal, according to Dan Rafael, but it’s in being worked on.

This would be a great addition to the Hopkins-Smith card if Usyk could be added, because he’s a fighter that is heading towards stardom in the sport. Usyk captured a gold medal in the 2012 Olympics for Ukraine, and he recently defeated the highly respected World Boxing Organization cruiserweight champion Krzysztof Glowacki by a 12 round unanimous decision on September 17 in Gdansk, Poland.

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Bernard Hopkins to end career

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By Adam Godfrey: Middleweight legend Bernard ‘The Executioner’ Hopkins will draw the curtain on an illustrious and lengthy career on December 16th when he faces off against 27 year-old New York Light Heavyweight Joe Smith Junior at The Forum, California. A destroyer of records and opponents alike, Hopkins holds the distinction of being the oldest man to ever win a World Championship strap, achieved for a third time when he defeated Tavoris Cloud in March 2013 at the ripe old age of 48 years.

Hopkins also defended his Middleweight crown an incredible and record-breaking 20 times, an accolade which is currently under threat from Gennady ‘GGG’ Golovkin, but which, for now at least, stands as a symbol of Hopkins’s complete dominance of that division for an entire decade.

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Hopkins: I’m focused on knocking out Joe Smith Jr.

1-Andrzej Fonfara vs. Joe Smith Jr._Fight_Nabeel Ahmad _ Premier Boxing Champions12

By Eric Baldwin: Bernard Hopkins’s fight against light heavyweight contender Joe Smith Jr. (21-1, 18 KOs) is now officially set for December 17 on HBO World Championship Boxing at the Forum in Inglewood, California. Hopkins (55-7-2, 32 KOs) says his goal is to knockout the 27-year-old Smith Jr., who is 24 years younger than the 51-year-old.

That’s got to be one of the biggest age differences in recent times between two fighters in fighting at the upper levels of the sport. The good news for Hopkins is that Smith Jr. has been knocked out in the past six years ago by little known Eddie Caminero (7-9, 7 KOs) by a 4th round knockout in 2010.

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Bernard Hopkins vs. Joe Smith Jr. possible for December 17

1-Andrzej Fonfara vs. Joe Smith Jr._Fight_Nabeel Ahmad _ Premier Boxing Champions4

By Patrick McHugh: Former two division world champion Bernard Hopkins (55-7-2, 32 KO) could be coming out of a two-year layoff to face the hard hitting light heavyweight contender Joe Smith Jr. (22-1, 18 KOs) on December 17 on HBO at the Forum in Inglewood, California.

According to Ringtv.com, the fight between #2 WBC, #5 WBA, #13 WBO Smith and the 51-year-old Hopkins is in the works.

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