Boxingtalk was able to catch-up with Bernard ?The Executioner? Hopkins at a press conference to announce his upcoming rematch with ?Bad? Chad Dawson. Hopkins spoke on a variety of topics including his silent demeanor at the press conference, his thoughts on the rematch, and his motivation to continue fighting. In regards to why he chose to remain silent at the press conference
Bernard Hopkins: ?You know I was pretty quiet when I fought Kelly Pavlik because most people thought I was going to get knocked out. When you have so many different views coming at you, the best thing to say is nothing. Especially from a guy that is known to be very vocal. Even in being vocal, I am just as powerful as when I choose to not say anything. I am still winning even if I don?t speak, and by winning I mean they are going to question why I didn?t say anything. That means I am in control, and I don?t have to get into a debate over what many people have already read about. I don?t have to get into a debate over something that was ruled by people I don?t even know, from one commission to another commission. I listened very diligently today. Gary Shaw was the only one to get up there and talk about the past, something that has nothing to do with now or April 28th. I don?t want to talk about previous victories, or history making because that is yesterday. Reflect but don?t reflect too long because now is more important than yesterday. I use all of these comments to set up what I was not going to say and play into that game of yesterday. Why talk about the stuff that happened yesterday? It is more important to talk about now. So there was no use for me to step up to that podium and feed into those games. I shut him down by not saying anything.? In regards to his thoughts on his rematch with Chad Dawson on April 28th
?I am 6-1 in Atlantic City. That one loss was to Clinton Mitchell and was my first fight out the penitentiary. I will be 7-1 on April 29th, that Sunday the day after. Fighting Dawson for those two rounds reminded me of a date with a girl. You don?t know nothing about a girl just because she kissed you. Was the sex good? I don?t know. Do you have to speculate what it would?ve been? That is the perfect concept I can give you. You kiss the girl, she says good night. You say good night? She says yes, good night. If you get a chance to do it again, you will try a different way because you know the first time you got a good night. You may try to take her to your house, where she will have to use you to get home. I am in great shape because of my lifestyle. I am not in fighting shape yet obviously because my camp will not start for another week. I have been called a lot of things and I have been a lot of things. They are saying that I won?t show up? Why would I not show up when I go to another man?s hometown, in front of 30,000 Canadians and take a man?s title? If you train that I will not show up, you going to be in trouble and you are going to be going home early.?
In regards to his motivation to continue fighting ?Less than a year and a half out of the penitentiary I took my first loss in Atlantic City and I didn?t let that failure bring me back to D-Block. Nobody can question my heart, my legacy, or my role as the underdog in someone that comes up and surprises. They said I would be dead at 19 and I am 47 now. They said I would never be anything and now I am a multi-millionaire. I don?t spend a dollar, only on food. I don?t say that to boast and I don?t say that to brag. If you breathe the same air that I breathe, and you wipe the same ass that I wipe when you defecate than your opinion of me is not my business. Boxing is what I do but it is not what I am. I am trying to keep what I have. I am in a defensive mind-state, not a survival mind-state. When you are trying to survive, all you do is survive. When you are defending, your mentality is different. When you defend your house from burglars, when you defend your child from child molesters you are in a different frame of mind. When you are surviving, you are in a position where your pants are down and you will get screwed the rough way. When you survive, you are just trying to live. When you defend, you are defending what you already have. That is what I am doing; I am defending what I already have. I have been defending since my career has started. Why? Because I always been in a position where I have to defend me. This makes no difference.?
