Bernard Hopkins is getting bored [Archive] - The Diamond David Lee Roth Army

POJO_Risin

07-09-2006, 10:36 PM

Hopkins bored
Bernard Hopkins vowed that his June 10 fight against Antonio Tarver would be his last, and after shocking the boxing world with a systematic annihilation of Tarver to easily win a decision and the light heavyweight world championship, he announced his retirement.

At 41, there was nothing else for Hopkins to accomplish, not after a record-setting 20 middleweight title defenses, winning the light heavyweight title and earning millions in purses.

Now, it has been less than a month since his historic victory and already Hopkins is restless. Although he insisted he won't return to the ring, he sure didn't sound too convincing.

"I'm bored as hell," Hopkins told ESPN.com from his Delaware home. "I'm sitting here in this kitchen and I am bored as hell. I've been retired three weeks and I am bored as hell. I can't stand still. I'm either mowing the lawn, washing the car or picking weeds."

Even when Hopkins and his wife, Jeanette, and their 7-year-old daughter, Latrice, went on vacation to Miami last week, Hopkins couldn't help himself. He woke up early to run even though there was no fight to train for.

"I [was] in Miami for a week and I ran every other day," Hopkins said, adding that he is maintaining the 185 pounds he got up to during a grueling training camp for the Tarver fight. "Then I went to talk to 300 juvenile delinquents. It's supposed to be vacation, but I can't stop. I'm always talking about boxing. I'm doing the same things I always did -- except planning for the next fight. I think it will come down to that I just have to mellow out.

"I cannot shut my body down from being so active. I'll get sick. I'll go out and run. That's in me. Maybe it will wear off in 10 years. I've been programmed to be like this for so many years, so it will take time for me to settle down."

He said he will still get into the ring from time to time to spar with his young stable of fighters, including nephew Demetrius Hopkins, Rock Allen and Ishe Smith.

"I could be 80 years old and when they tell me to put gloves on, as long as I can make it up those steps, I will get in there to spar," he said.

To pass the time one day this week, Hopkins, a longtime boxing memorabilia collector, spent an afternoon sorting through his collection of posters, pictures, programs and other items he collected during his career.

"I'm just trying to stay busy," he said. "Here I am going through old boxing stuff."

He plans to take many of the items to an office he rented in Philadelphia that will serve as the East Coast base for Golden Boy Promotions and his Make A Way foundation.

"I'm like, 'I'll clean all this stuff up,'" he said of his collection. "I have boxes of stuff all over the place that I can clean up. But what happens when I am done with all this? When I'm done cleaning and done organizing? I'm not having fun in retirement. I'm doing a lot of housework."

So what about a ring encore?

"I'm still not coming back. Besides, no one offered me anything to even think about coming out of retirement to get abused by the media for going back on my word," he said. "And who the hell is there to fight? You can't get no better than the last one. I'm not a cruiserweight or a heavyweight. And [fighting a rematch with] Roy Jones? Even if he knocks Badi Ajamu's head off, who the hell is Badi Ajamu? There is nobody out there that can motivate me to fight."

He said he can't wait to get to Las Vegas next week, where he will help Golden Boy promote the July 15 Mosley-Vargas rematch at the MGM Grand.

"I can't wait to get out there and promote," he said. "I have all these nice suits to wear. I will have fun doing that. I'll do more interviews than Mosley and Vargas."