The search for Floyd Mayweather Jr.'s next opponent is ever expanding, and a new name has floated into "Money" May's orbit...Bernard Hopkins.
Hopkins is set to face Karo Murat in Atlantic City this Saturday, but if he can defeat him as is expected, some are throwing his name into the Mayweather sweepstakes. Hopkins had responded to these questions with interest, and said he believes he can cut weight down to 160 lbs. relatively easily to fight Floyd at middleweight.
"'And when I realized that there is a fight that they owe him in May of next year, and whether I'm willing or can I make 160, and I said, well, if I have that much time, a guy like me, the way I live and the way I keep my body right, even six pounds from fight night next week, sure," Hopkins said.
While Hopkins is 48 years old, he has proven there's still a lot left in the tank.
A fight at middleweight appears preposterous, but Hopkins intimated boxing's movers and shakers have approached him and the possibility is real.
"'They didn't act like they were joking, and we're talking powerful people. So I'm sitting back saying, "Okay, hey, you know," because no one else is going to beat Floyd Mayweather in their 20s and even in their early 30s."
"The Executioner" made clear he's not looking past Murat at all, but also brought up the popularity of Showtime's All Access series that leads up to major fights, and indicated a series featuring him and Mayweather would be excellent television.
"I would love to put a feather in my cap to go down two weight classes after coming up two weight classes to make history with [Antonio] Tarver, almost six, seven years ago," he added. "I mean can you imagine the 'All Access' [Showtime build up show]? Can you imagine the promotion for that fight? Because I'm not a shy guy and I don't have a shy camp."
Fans shouldn't get their hopes up too much, though. Golden Boy CEO Richard Schaefer threw a bit of cold water on everything by saying he thinks the jump in weight is too vast.
"I don't think he's going to be moving up to 160," Schaefer said. "I just don't see it happening because Floyd is really a 147-pounder. For a fight or two he might be moving to 154, but he's not a middleweight."
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