Bernard Hopkins Slams Carl Froch: I Called Your Bluff!
Posted by: Rick Reeno on 2/8/2015 .
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by Rick Reeno
Former two division world champion Bernard Hopkins (55-7-2, 32KOs), 50-years-old, is shocked with the sudden change of heart by WBA 'regular' super middleweight champion Carl Froch (33-2, 24KOs).
On February 4th, Froch revealed his interest in facing Hopkins on a summer date as part of a huge stadium event in Nottingham.
Froch told The Nottingham Post - "That's probably equal, if not bigger, than fighting in Vegas because of what my home city means to me. It's something which has been on my career bucket-list and fighting Bernard at the home of Forest would probably be the biggest fight Nottingham has ever seen."
"The prospect of walking out at the City Ground, lights dimmed, heading to the ring knowing I would face one of the legends of boxing excites me like you wouldn't believe."
But on February 6th - only two days later - after discussions began between Froch's promoter Eddie Hearn and Hopkins' company Golden Boy Promotions, the Nottingham fighter unexpectedly changed his mind.
Froch told BBC Sport: "Because he is 50 and a legend I don't want to fight him because it is almost a lose-lose situation. I am expected to beat him. If I win people will say 'he beat a 50-year-old man'. If I lose people would say 'what's going on? You've ruined your legacy. You finished your career on a loss against an old man' - so that would be traumatic. I don't think for one minute I would lose against Hopkins. It would be a great fight and a fight I would win in style."
"He talked about wanting to fight me a couple of years ago and now he is making noises again. It is unbelievable what he is doing. Through to his late 40s he was winning world titles. He is coming off the back of a loss, but he is still a fighting force to be reckoned with and a dangerous opponent. But it is not particularly a fight I get too excited about."
Froch has some explaining to do. On February 4th, Froch said fighting Hopkins at home "excites me like you wouldn't believe." But then two days later, on February 6th, Froch says "it is not particularly a fight I get too excited about."
Hopkins erupted over Froch's contradictory statements. The future Hall of Famer strongly feels Froch was expecting to get rejected by Hopkins and his team. But, Hopkins and Golden Boy welcomed the fight with open arms. Once that happened, Hopkins believes Froch began to panic.
Froch has indicated that he'd rather sit on the bench and wait for a potential fight with Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. in the summer.
"He says it's s lose-lose situation. But he's in a lose-lose situation if he fights somebody that we know he can beat. I don't think anybody, at least I think, is picking Chavez to beat Carl Froch. Carl Froch is looking for the easy way out," Hopkins told BoxingScene.com.
"When that thing got real and [Hearn] started getting phone calls, that's when he said 'wait, hold up, this sh*t got serious.' Somebody got in his ear and said 'don't underestimate Bernard, because Bernard is always good at redeeming himself after a loss and coming back strong. I'm going to be dead serious - I called his bluff."
"All of sudden he becomes a math genius and deals with numbers. When you talk about Bernard Hopkins, you don't talk about numbers. He must not be listening to the reporters and media in the last five years, who say that I'm a threat. He must not be listening to all of these fans who comment under the column with their opinion, who also say that I'm a threat."
Hopkins then explained to BoxingScene that he never thought he would ever hear a fighter claim a lack for motivation to face him.
"That's why that thing is so comical and bullsh*t. Have you ever heard anybody say 'I can't get up for a Bernard Hopkins.' You might have heard 'he likes to use his head and stuff like that' - and I'm not gonna say that's true, I take the fifth. But you never heard anybody say 'I can't get up for Bernard Hopkins.' I've never heard no opponent say they couldn't get up for me," Hopkins said.
"It's such a cowardly way out. Just say 'I don't want to fight Bernard Hopkins, there are other options out there. I can do good on both ends of another fight.' I can accept that. You might not Rick, he might not, but I can accept that. Don't suck me off and say 'well he's a legend and winning titles in his 40s' because someone wants to check him - so he wants to acknowledge that - but then in the same token he's wants to come with that weak stuff. The fans ain't stupid."
"How would he ruin his legacy losing to a Bernard Hopkins? So that means Oscar De La Hoya, Felix Trinidad and all of these guys ruined their legacy? The media would kill the fight if it didn't have no merit to it. That is so weak. You are going to justify a hypothetical - 'oh, I don't think that I would lose to him, but I'm just saying...just in case I do...' The fans are smarter than that."