(Interviewed by Jenna J & Geoffrey Ciani) – Future Hall of Famer Bernard Hopkins was asked about the upcoming mega bout between Manny Pacquiao and Sugar Shane Mosley. The former undisputed middleweight champion shared his thoughts, warning observers not to count Sugar Shane out against Pound-for-Pound King Pacquiao.
GEOFFREY CIANI: Bernard, changing things up a little bit, another big fight coming up in May is Manny Pacquiao versus Sugar Shane Mosley. I want to get your thoughts on that fight and do you think Shane has any chance in this one being that a lot of observers are counting him out based on his recent performances with Floyd Mayweather and Sergio Mora?
BERNARD HOPKINS: I think that Shane Mosley has always been great when he?s had to prove that he?s not done. Anybody that thinks that Shane Mosley doesn?t have an opportunity to win against Pacquiaois a damn fool. I mean how many times do we have to be fooled? It?s not what Shane actually needs to do 101%, near perfect, it?s not perfect to win this fight. It?s how Pacquiao. It?s where his head is at. See people, we got this thing about building human beings up like they are Gods! At any given time, including me, are subjected somehow to take a person lightly if we don?t check ourselves as we go through that waiting period of getting ready for the next guy. After awhile it can become old. It can become boring. You learn how to put the poker face on. You learn how to say the right things. You learn how to even change your hair every now and then to look different. But at the end of the day, there is always that room for what? Tyson and Buster Douglas! I can name ten more. It was one of the greatest upsets of all time. Yeah, I can give you nine more. I already gave you one.
So when a person says to me does this person have a shot, and then I look at a guy Shane who fought to the level of the competition. It was a fight he couldn?t win if he knocked the guy out or if he went the distance. Why? Because these guys were good guys, they were competitors, they were good guys, but they weren?t superstars. So a superstar or a former superstar or a living legend, he gets up for the same people or the same guy in a way that he has to look at the man in the mirror. And when you look at a superstar going up against a guy who?s been there and done that, and is now in this category called ?legend?, you get up for these things.
It reminds me of a funny, funny saying that I said many, many times and I?m going to keep it clean. There?s another version of it that?s X, but I?m going to keep it clean. Do I get up better for a pretty girl or is it a letdown for me when I see somebody that?s not as pretty as the other one, because I believe that in some situations there is no ugly or pretty but it?s a situation. Do I get up for a pretty girl? Forget personality! We?re talking about looks right now. Or do I get down, so you can understand the philosophy, do I get down for the other side of the opposite of pretty? Do I get down when I see the choices that I have? So Shane will get up for this fight.
It?s up to him to win it because I tell people over and over and over again. You?re not the first one that?s getting this. I already put it out there ya?ll. So don?t be upset if you see another internet interview with the same thing. You?re like oh he said that to us. Yeah, I did say this already. It?s not what Shane?s supposed not do or do. They already made what?s going to happen. The Gods of this world already said this is going to happen, this is going to happen, this is going to happen, and they got that opinion, but I call them Gods of this world. I take it to the extreme, the dictators, the know-it-before-it-happens guys. You look at Pacquiao. He?s pretty busy. I love his hair style. You like at Justin Bieber or Bruce Lee, either one you can pick. There are some changes going on.
So with all of these things, I remember Lennox Lewis. He went out to do the movie before he fought Rahman the first time. Go ahead Bernard, keep preaching. I can go on. Remember I said I can name nine more? I gave you one, now I gave you two. So we?re at eight now. Depending on how long we stay on the phone I?m going to give you all eight. See, because I tell people that Bernard Hopkins is softly, and I really believe that some people hate people, but I believe I?m softly hating. I?m putting a little fancy title on the first name, but because of my thinking and because of what I know and because of what I don?t take and stand for, I speak what it is and I just put out the strategy, if you can find it in that maze or puzzle in my thinking.
You all forgot about the reason other than is what Pacqiuiao doesn?t do. It?s what Pacquiao has been doing. It?s where his head is at. You know Pacquiao?s human in case anybody forgot. I believe that he wipes his butt the same way we do. So any human being is subjected to fall under these things called ?praises and glory?. So not even putting in who ya?ll forgot. I didn?t forget. We?ll get back to that, I didn?t forget. If he has a guy that I call ?grasshopper?, here?s a guy that if you remember the kung fu movie about the student and the teacher, here?s a guy behind talent. There is always somebody that has wisdom and knowledge and understanding and that guy doesn?t get the credit and responsibility of looking out for the fighter when he recognized, not only in my situation but in Shane Mosley?s situation, he recognized that if he didn?t speak up that this fight or life in a battle could be taken not just because of the sport that he?s into, but because of the illegal hand-wrapping of certain individuals. So when you have that mind behind the dots and the T?s are crossed and you have the teacher who?s not giving ass-kissing praises, but he?s giving techniques and skills and setting the stage up late at night where you have to wake him up and turn the TV off because he fell asleep watching TV, not the soap operas.
Again, I say it?s not what Pacquiao doesn?t do. It?s how his head is at, because he?s seen success and we?ve seen people become intoxicated where they needed rehab of knowledge and success. It?s a different kind of wine. It ain?t white. It ain?t red.
