At 48 years old, Bernard Hopkins has reinvented himself.
Having gone by the nickname “The Executioner” throughout much of his 25-year career, Hopkins is now calling himself “The Alien” as he prepares to defend his IBF light heavyweight title against top contender Karo Murat of Germany on Saturday night at Boardwalk Hall in Atlantic City. Showtime will televise.
Also on the card, New York’s Peter “Kid Chocolate” Quillin (29-0, 21 KOs) will defend his WBO middleweight title against Gabriel Rosado of Philadelphia (21-6, 13 KOs), and Deontay Wilder of Tuscaloosa, Ala., who has won all 29 of his fights by stoppage, faces Nicolai Firtha (21-10, 8 KOs) of Akron, Ohio, in a 10-round heavyweight fight.
Hopkins, the oldest boxer ever to hold a world title, said he became The Alien to answer “why I can still do what I do on this level” some 14 months shy of his 50th birthday.
“Aliens don’t get old,” Hopkins said. “Aliens aren’t restricted to the norm. When you’ve been constantly asked over and over, ‘How do you keep doing it and how long are you going to keep going?’ I had to come up with something so I wouldn’t keep hearing that again. I’m just letting people understand that I’m not human. I’m an alien.”
Apparently, there are no rules under the New Jersey State Athletic Control Board that prohibit aliens from being prize fighters as long as they have a boxing license and pass the necessary medical tests. Hopkins (53-6-2, 32 KOs) normally enters the ring wearing an executioner’s hood, but Saturday night he will wear an alien mask he first donned during a media workout earlier this month in his native Philadelphia.
It’s not just a Halloween gag, either. Hopkins says he’ll be known as The Alien until further notice.
“I’m not human because what I’m doing has never been done in any sport at this level,” Hopkins said. “This is a sport where you have to have physical attributes to even duck a punch, let alone throw one. In 14 months, I’ll be 50 years old. As long as I’m in the ring and I’m winning and I’m champion, I’ve already answered the question why I’m able to keep doing what I’m doing. I’m an alien.”
The 30-year-old Murat hopes to be a “Men in Black”-style agent. He is the mandatory challenger, fighting for the first time in the United States. He sees a few wrinkles in The Alien.
“You see the mileage on him,” Murat said. “To me he looks like a 48-year-old. He doesn’t have the speed anymore he may have had at 30 years old. He tries to clinch a lot and to win the fight through his experience. I respect him, but I will try to beat him.”
Hopkins will be defending the title he won by beating Tavoris Cloud at Barclays Center last March after becoming the oldest boxer to capture a major world title by beating Jean Pascal in May 2011. Though he hasn’t scored a knockout since stopping Oscar De La Hoya in 2004, Hopkins has used his ring smarts, defensive skills and superb conditioning to rattle younger opponents. He’s also a master of psychological warfare and promotion, which is why he seems serious about the alien persona.
“As crazy as it might seem to people, I’ve put some thought in it and I’m going to make it work,” Hopkins said. “And the only way to make it work is by winning. Winning makes an insane man look sane.”
PREDICTION: The Alien by decision.