Bernard Hopkins said he's very much interested in fighting pound-for-pound champion Floyd Mayweather Jr., if he's given enough time to trim down excess baggage, the 48-year-old champion told the media during Wednesday's pre-fight press conference ahead of his light heavyweight showdown with Karo Murat.
Hopkins said that he didn't have a conversation with Mayweather's camp, but it's something Hopkins would consider after the Grand Rapids native Mayweather danced his way to a majority decision win over Canelo Alvarez in September.
Considered as one of the greatest middleweight champions of all time, Hopkins said he can easily make the 160-pound weight limit, especially if the Mayweather fight will be set in May.
"Well, first of all I had no conversations, but it was a conversation said to me, and that's why I responded," said Hopkins. "And when I realised 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 told the press via Boxing News 24.
Hopkins believed Mayweather is just too unstoppable against up-and-coming boxers in their 20s and even 30s, adding that a seasoned champ like him might have the best shot at ending Money May's unbeaten streak.
"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," Hopkins said.
"Not this checkerboard man colony, young fighters who can be great later, but right now they just don't have the degrees to do it. So that's the only reason I threw my hat in there," he added.
Amir Khan's Dream Fight in Trouble
With the emergence of Hopkins as a possible contender to Mayweather, Amir Khan's dream of getting the biggest paycheck of his career by fighting the top American boxer could be in jeopardy.
Though Floyd Mayweather Sr. wants his son to fight a so-called "easy" matchup with Khan next, the intrigue and fanbase Hopkins brings to the table may be too enticing for boxing promoters to turn down.