B. Hop Set For "The Final One"
LOS ANGELES- A boxing legend will look to add an exclamation point to end his professional career with the same style, speed and slickness that has defined him in the ring for nearly three decades, as 51-year-old, two-division former world champion and Future Hall of Famer Bernard "The Executioner" Hopkins (55-7-2, 32 KOs) prepares to square off against hard-hitting Light Heavyweight contender Joe Smith, Jr. (21-1, 18 KOs) in a 12-round fight from Los Angeles' iconic Fabulous Forum. The bout will take place Saturday, December 17 and will be televised live on HBO World Championship Boxing®.
Tickets for the fight - named, "The Final One" -- will go on sale Monday, October 24th at 10:00 a.m. PT.
Hopkins' resume reads like a Hall-of-Fame induction ballot. Between holding the record for the record number of title defenses as middleweight champion of the world (20) and moving up to light heavyweight to capture multiple belts in that division, Hopkins fought and defeated a who's who of boxing world champions throughout his remarkable 28-year career.
Roy Jones, Jr., John David "Action" Jackson, Glen "Road Warrior" Johnson, Felix "Tito" Trinidad, Antonio "Magic Man" Tarver, Kelly "The Ghost" Pavlik, Jean Pascal, Chad "Bad" Dawson, and Golden Boy Promotions business partner Oscar De La Hoya all tasted defeat at the hands of the executioner.
"While 'The Alien' may be retired, the 'Executioner' has one fight left, and Joe Smith Jr., is going to find out the hard way how well prepared I am for my final fight," Bernard Hopkinssaid. "A lot of people will focus on my age, the history of my run in the sport, the titles, etc...but I'm focused on one thing - knocking Joe Smith out."
Joe Smith Jr., who was born in 1989, nearly three years after Hopkins had his first fight, is coming off the victory of his career, delivering a brutal first-round knockout of established contender Andrzej Fonfara in June and earning the WBC International Light Heavyweight Championship. The belt will not be at stake in this fight.
"I'm very excited about fighting on HBO," said Joe Smith Jr. "I know now all my hard work and dedication has paid off. I am looking forward to retiring a boxing legend"
