Boxing | International
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Bernard Hopkins wanted to end his nine-year knockout drought on Saturday night.
The American veteran did not just want to pad his remarkable resume when he fought Karo Murat in Atlantic City.
Hopkins, the oldest boxer to win a major world title, retained his IBF light-heavyweight title by unanimous decision against the German, months after their scheduled July bout was scuppered when Murat was denied an American visa.
Hopkins, 48, took the IBF title in March with a victory over Tavoris Cloud, breaking his own age mark by nearly two years.
He wanted to record his first knockout since a ninth-round KO of Oscar de la Hoya in September of 2004.
"I'm coming to win and move on to bigger things," said Hopkins, who brought a record of 53-6-2, including 32 knockouts, to the bout. “I don't want to go 12 rounds all the time. Trust me, I've just been on a bit of a drought."
"Old to me is not old to the average person. What is old?"
Murat, an aggressive 30-year-old with a record of 25-1-1 and 15 knockouts, has a come-ahead style that was expected to give Hopkins the chance to land a knockout blow.
He said he was the man to send Hopkins into retirement. "He is an old man and needs to stop now," Murat said.
EXECUTIONER NOW AN ALIEN
SAPA-AP reports that Hopkins had burned through storylines at about the rate he had disposed of title contenders. Even as the undisputed word-for-word champion on the boxing scene, Hopkins knows there's not much left to say.
People says he's old. He's frugal. He went to prison. He carries his prison ID card.
But he became one of the great middleweights. Soon he might retire. He might not.
Hopkins realised if he wanted to get fans excited to see him on pay-per-view or take another shot at headlining a pay-per-view, he had to mix up his combinations as if it was the decisive 12th round of a title bout.
The former middleweight champion insists he has retired "The Executioner" persona that defined him for most of the last two decades. "I am an alien," Hopkins said, "because I am of this world, but I'm not from this world."
Hopkins intended to descend from the mother ship on Saturday and extend his own record as the oldest fighter to defend a major championship.
He proved his commitment toward The Alien alias at a recent workout in his Philadelphia gym, taking jabs at the bag dressed in black shorts, red shirt, and a gray mask with egg-shaped purple eyes, a sneak preview of what he'll wear on his walk to the ring at Boardwalk Hall.
Hopkins also made TV appearances wearing a more traditional green alien mask.
He had started making noise about fighting Floyd Mayweather next year. That's a long shot, though his role as a promoter for Golden Boy could work toward his advantage.
In the latest edition of the X-ecutioner Files, Hopkins tried to flip the script at his workout, refusing to take questions from reporters. While jumping rope, or sparring, he simply let out a steady stream of consciousness about his career, his legacy, and what's ahead for a fighter aiming at defending a championship at 50.
He told reporters: "I know you all have questions to ask me, but there isn't really that much you can ask me.
"Let me do the talking. What can you ask me that you haven't heard for the last three decades? What are you going to ask me? Are you going to win? Are you ready? If I'm not, I'm going to show up anyway." <.p>
Murat, an aggressive 30-year-old with a record of 25-1-1 and 15 knockouts, has a come-ahead style that was expected to give Hopkins the chance to land a knockout blow.
He said he was the man to send Hopkins into retirement. "He is an old man and needs to stop now," Murat said.
EXECUTIONER NOW AN ALIEN
SAPA-AP reports that Hopkins had burned through storylines at about the rate he had disposed of title contenders. Even as the undisputed word-for-word champion on the boxing scene, Hopkins knows there's not much left to say.
People says he's old. He's frugal. He went to prison. He carries his prison ID card.
But he became one of the great middleweights. Soon he might retire. He might not.
Hopkins realised if he wanted to get fans excited to see him on pay-per-view or take another shot at headlining a pay-per-view, he had to mix up his combinations as if it was the decisive 12th round of a title bout.
The former middleweight champion insists he has retired "The Executioner" persona that defined him for most of the last two decades. "I am an alien," Hopkins said, "because I am of this world, but I'm not from this world."
Hopkins intended to descend from the mother ship on Saturday and extend his own record as the oldest fighter to defend a major championship.
He proved his commitment toward The Alien alias at a recent workout in his Philadelphia gym, taking jabs at the bag dressed in black shorts, red shirt, and a gray mask with egg-shaped purple eyes, a sneak preview of what he'll wear on his walk to the ring at Boardwalk Hall.
Hopkins also made TV appearances wearing a more traditional green alien mask.
He had started making noise about fighting Floyd Mayweather next year. That's a long shot, though his role as a promoter for Golden Boy could work toward his advantage.
In the latest edition of the X-ecutioner Files, Hopkins tried to flip the script at his workout, refusing to take questions from reporters. While jumping rope, or sparring, he simply let out a steady stream of consciousness about his career, his legacy, and what's ahead for a fighter aiming at defending a championship at 50.
He told reporters: "I know you all have questions to ask me, but there isn't really that much you can ask me.
"Let me do the talking. What can you ask me that you haven't heard for the last three decades? What are you going to ask me? Are you going to win? Are you ready? If I'm not, I'm going to show up anyway." <.p>
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