Bernard "The Alien" Hopkins and Sergey "Krusher" Kovalev held a press conference in New York City and a media roundtable in Philadelphia Tuesday to officially announce their light heavyweight unification bout on Saturday, Nov. 8 taking place at Boardwalk Hall in Atlantic City live on HBO World Championship Boxing®. Check out what Hopkins and his promoter, Oscar De La Hoya, had to say.
BERNARD HOPKINS, WBA & IBF Light Heavyweight World Champion
"When fighters want to fight, this is what happens. When we really want to do it and our promoters do as well, we get it done.
"I take everything I do extremely seriously. But people ask me, how can I continue to do this? I have no plan or timetable when I put my mind to something.
"I want the best. Hagler fought the best. Ray Leonard fought the best. The Alis of the world, they fought the best. I'm from the era where I fought the best and that's important to me. I receive undisputed status in 2001 and that was special.
"I bloomed late. I didn't bloom by the timing of the experts. I want to make it as difficult as possible for you to come up with a headline for me. I don't want to be on the pound-for-pound list because that would make me human.
"What I'm doing now is making a new legacy and a new list and a new way to judge. 'Where do we put this man? We can't put him in the top 10. He's doing things no one has done!'
"Enjoy this while you can and come see it. Don't worry about when or how I'm going to leave or break down. You guys are all humans, I understand you, but you don't understand me.
"The last time I heard, he [Kovalev] can box. He's shown that he can box...People are traumatized by the punch and the knockout.
"I've been in the game for almost three decades. I look for more of what a guy brings to a gunfight other than bullets...The sweet science is not based on only one thing you can do particularly well.
"If he comes in the game thinking a punch is all he'll need, he might be right, so you should watch.
"I'm walking a tightrope hundreds of feet in the air. He crushes people. Only three or four people survive his hammer.
"There's no pressure on me but one thing that is on Bernard Hopkins - that no other fighter really has to do deal with because they've never been in my situation is - how I continue to keep making history
"Anybody at the right time and the right place can get knocked out. It is his job to do what others try to do. It is my job to do what I've been doing.
"Come November 8 on HBO you get to watch artwork. You're watching Miles Davis and Louis Armstrong with gloves on.
"It's such a testimony to see a 50-year-old man - less than 100 days from now - go 30 plus minutes with a young strong Russian puncher and not get a scratch on him.
"I understand humans have a timeline of when they are supposed to go. Age 35 and you're done - I don't care what sport you're in. It's a fact. I don't know what type of evidence I need to show I'm an alien other than what is there."
OSCAR DE LA HOYA, President & Founder of Golden Boy Promotions
"This fight is the best against the best in the light heavyweight division.
"I really do feel that this is not just a fight, but an event. I am glad that it's on HBO and I'm glad its not on pay-per-view, which it easily could have been, but you have to give credit to the fighters who are doing it for the fans.
"I believe that many people over the years have doubted Bernard Hopkins. He's over 40-years-old, how can he win? All of those questions are no longer being asked. Everything that he does, he deserves.
"At 49-years-old, being the oldest champion in any sport, he deserves tons of respect. The fact that he's facing the 'Krusher,' is just another of the many dangerous fighters that Bernard has faced.
"Being the best middleweight in the history of this sport, with 20 defenses and now to be 49 at light heavyweight, he's still going strong. I'm now convinced he is an Alien."
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Hopkins vs. Kovalev, a 12-round unification bout for the IBF, WBA and WBO Light Heavyweight World titles, taking place at Boardwalk Hall in Atlantic City on Saturday, November 8 is presented by Golden Boy Promotions and Main Events in association with Caesars Atlantic City, Corona Extra, AT&T and Hortitsia Vodka.
Tickets priced at $300, $200, $150, $100 and $50, plus applicable fees and service charges, go on sale on Friday, Sept. 5 at noon ET and will be available for purchase at the Boardwalk Hall box office, by calling Ticketmaster at (800) 736-1420 or online at www.ticketmaster.com.
For more information, visit www.goldenboypromotions.com, www.mainevents.com, www.hbo.com/boxing or http://www.boardwalkhall.com/.
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