Bernard Hopkins not having much to say before a fight is like Floyd Mayweather not caring about money. Yet, Hopkins has been quiet as a church mouse since signing for Saturday night’s rematch with Chad Dawson for the WBC light heavyweight championship at Boardwalk Hall in Atlantic City.
HBO will televise the bout along with a 12-round heavyweight matchup between Seth Mitchell (24-0-1, 18 KOs) of Washington D.C. and Chazz Witherspoon (30-2, 22 KOs) of Philadelphia. Tickets priced from $300 to $25 remain available.
Hopkins hasn’t had much to say about his bout, declining to do a face-off interview with Dawson for HBO or any press other than a recent telephone conference call.
“I think I’m getting kind of old in my age where right now I get agitated even doing these interviews because it seems to be the same questions and nobody else has anything different to ask me,” said the 47-year-old Philadelphia native.
Some view Hopkins’ reluctance to engage Dawson verbally with a reluctance to challenge him physically in the ring. The two first met last October in Los Angeles where the fight ended in bizarre fashion in the second round. The two became entangled with Hopkins winding up on a Dawson’s shoulders. When Dawson lunged to get Hopkins off him, Hopkins landed on the canvas and couldn’t continue because of an injured shoulder. Initially, Dawson was declared the winner, but the decision was ultimately ruled a no-contest by the WBC and a rematch was ordered.
Dawson, 29 and a former champion, claims Hopkins faked the injury as a way of escaping certain defeat.
“I really don’t believe Bernard Hopkins was hurt,” said the southpaw from New Haven, Conn. “He showed that he really didn’t want to be in the ring with me that night. I want to pick up right where we left off. I want to make him fight and hopefully we can give the fans what they came to see the last time, a real fight.”
Hopkins said he has the medical records to prove his injury, and stands by his record as evidence he’s afraid of no man. The long-time middleweight champion is now the oldest boxer to hold a world title. Yet, Dawson is viewed as the favorite based on his youth, long-jab and southpaw style.
Being an underdog is nothing new for Hopkins who has scored upsets against such notable foes as Tito Trinidad, Oscar De La Hoya, Antonio Tarver and Kelly Pavlik.
“I believe I’m the most underrated fighter that ever walked on the planet earth that reached this level,” Hopkins said. “When it comes to speed, when it comes to talent, when it comes to hit and not get hit without running, when it comes to the basic fundamentals of boxing, I believe that I’m the most underrated fighter that ever laced a pair of gloves.”
Dawson (30-1, 17 KOs) said he believes he’s better than anyone Hopkins (52-5-2, 32 KOs) has faced.
“If Bernard comes to fight then the fans will get a great fight, and I will be the one who comes out on top,” Dawson said.
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Brooklyn native Paulie Malignaggi attempts to gain another world title today when he challenges Vyacheslav Senchenko for the WBA welterweight championship in the Ukraine.
The fight, scheduled for 1 p.m. ET, is available on pay-per-view for $29.95 and also on-line at http://www.ustream.tv/integratedsportsppv.
Malignaggi, a former junior welterweight champion, moved up to welterweight after losing a WBA title fight to Amir Khan in 2010. Malignaggi (30-4, 6 KOs) has since won three straight fights as a welterweight. Senchenko (32-0, 21 KOs), a 2000 Ukraine Olympian, has successfully defended his title three times.
“This is a good style match-up,” Malignaggi said. “Fans will see what Paulie Malignaggi has left and if Senchenko is for real.”
george.willis@nypost.com