'For Once and For All' Transcript: Bernard Hopkins v Chad Dawson

A few (just a few, but golden) tidbits from last weeks transcript from the Bernard Hopson and Chad Dawson media conference call, leading up to this weekend's match in Atlantic City.  

Transcript is being made available courtesy of Swanson Communications & PR.

Chad Dawson

How's everybody doing? I'd like to thank Gary Shaw, Golden Boy, HBO for putting on the fight. I'm just excited and I'm just happy we get to do this one more time. Hopefully this time we'll give the fans what they want to see, a real fight.

Q

I have to tell you, that Tomasz Adamek fight, I think that was one of your best fights ever. Even though you got knocked down you came back stronger. You became focused and you kept that fight and you controlled the pace. Hopkins has a habit, of course, of bullying fighters. He comes in there and he gets into your head mentally. He'll punch, clench, make cute little moves. How are you going to stay-and you've seen that in the first fight-how are you going to stay focused on this fight? How are you going to control the fight from the beginning to the end?

C. Dawson

By just being me. I think the last fight I didn't get a lot of credit for being the aggressor and being the one that tried to press the fight. Bernard backed up the first two rounds, even though there were only two rounds, but I was the aggressor. I was pressing the fight. I tried to get Bernard to fight, but he didn't show any signs that he wanted to fight until the fight was over. So, I mean I plan on going out there, using my jab, using my hinge speed, my youth, and winning the fight.

Q

And kind of a follow up to that too, Bernard still at the same time is remarkable being 47 years old and doing what he does and coming there with a young man, as yourself, who's 29. What kind of kudos do you give Bernard Hopkins for being in the game at this stage and what he's been able to accomplish against world-class opponents?

C. Dawson

I mean like I tell everybody else, I admire everything he's done in the sport of boxing over the last few years, you now, becoming the oldest world champion. Those are the things you can't take away from Bernard Hopkins. You can't take that away from him. The only thing I have to do is go out there and dethrone him. I want to become the world champion. I want the same recognition that Bernard gets. So, on the 28th that's what I'm going out to get.

 Q

Gary, I've got a quick question for you. I know you were dissatisfied when the WBC ordered the rematch. And the money back then, Bernard Hopkins got paid $1 million. Chad's purse was $800,000. How is the money different this time?

G. Shaw

I worked hard to get Chad this mandatory rematch or there's not a chance that Hopkins would've gotten in the ring with him. We had to take short money because that was the ruling by the WBC, but Chad knows that we may take short money this time but this is the last fight. This is the end of Hopkins.  Hopkins won't even do a press conference with Chad. He wouldn't do a one-on-one with Max Kellerman and Chad. He won't do a real press conference with Chad. That tells you all that you have to know about this fight.

Q

And Richard, one question for you sir, too, as we were saying, Bernard has been an exceptional athlete fighting at 47. Do you have plans for him past this fight win or lose?

R. Schaefer

I'm going to be sitting with Bernard after the fight and see how he feels and then we're going to go from there. For big fights you really don't make any plans, I don't think. You just see what happens and then you deal with it.
Q
Chad, in that first fight I know it only lasted not even two full rounds, but in those two rounds it seemed like you were beginning to establish some control of the fight. Do you think that when this fight starts that your mentality will be to sort of try to pick up exactly where you left off? Sort of taking it to him and fighting with a little bit of kind of a chip on your shoulder?

C. Dawson

Yea. I mean the way the last fight ended; I could only take as a confidence builder because I really don't believe Bernard Hopkins was hurt. He showed that he really didn't want to be in the ring with me that night. So it's a confidence booster for me and I want to go in there on the 28th and I want to pick up right where we left off. Be the aggressor. I want to make him fight and hopefully we can give the fans what they came to see the last time, a real fight.

Q

Gary's made it very clear he doesn't believe that Bernard was injured. You've stated that

multiple times today during this call, many times. If that's the case, why do you suppose

that Bernard, with his age, his stature, all the money that he's made, his name, you know he

could've maybe looked elsewhere. If he really wasn't hurt, why do you suppose then he took

this rematch with you when, even though it was mandatory because of the belt, he really didn't

have to do that if he didn't want to being where he is in the sport?

C. Dawson

I guess it's all about his legacy. I mean if I was him, I wouldn't want to go out on a bad note like that. I wouldn't want to have anybody saying that you're ducking this guy. So, I'm not going to say he's scared because I don't believe any fighter is scared. If any man gets in the ring with another man they're not a scared person. But if you look at the last fight, he said he dislocated his shoulder but we didn't see any weakness in his shoulder. We didn't see any doctor's notes or anything like that. So like I said, my confidence is through the roof right now, you know, and I'm looking forward to going out there on the 28th. I'm looking forward to becoming a world champion once again.

G. Shaw

They didn't want the fight. They lobbied against the fight, but I won on the floor of the WBC convention. That's why Hopkins is taking it, because without the belt, Hopkins is just an old fighter. So he needs that belt to be someone. He'll lose it on April 28th.

Q
I was just going to ask you, Richard, if you had anything to say.

R. Schaefer   

This is ridiculous. I was recently at Bernard's house. Bernard has more belts than all the people have to hold up their pants. And so the fact is that Bernard at this point, at 47-48 years old, doesn't need any belts. He could have gone and fought Shumenov for the WBA belt. He could have gone and fought Clevery, a youth showdown in the U.K. with huge crowds. I mean there were so many other options, but this is what Bernard Hopkins is.  I mean, this exactly shows again the kind of fighter Bernard Hopkins is. He never turns down a challenge. Everybody felt that he was going to not fight him again, and guess what? He always does the unexpected. He even surprises Gary Shaw and Chad Dawson. And if Gary thinks that the result of Bernard taking the fight is because of some silly ruling from the WBC, he is mistaken. And he knows that.

G. Shaw

Richard, I love you, but that's not true. We chased Hopkins for three years and we only got him in because of what happened with the Pascal fight, and you know that.

R. Schaefer

Well because he was in bigger fights where he made more money, that's why, and then he got it. Bernard Hopkins could've gotten a TV date whether he fights Chad Dawson or not. You know that and everybody on the line knows that. Doesn't really matter. The fact is you know just because the WBC rules something that doesn't mean everybody has to follow, but Bernard wanted the fight and took the fight. He was not obligated, wasn't forced into it.

Q

Thank you, gentlemen. Chad, Bernard's age has been a big topic here. He's 47. I think it was pretty clear that you were doing very well in the first couple of rounds before the aborted ending of the fight. Is the biggest statement that you can make in this fight to knock out Bernard Hopkins and end his career?

C. Dawson

That would be a big statement to make. Due to the fact that he's never been knocked out before, I can't say that I'm going in there looking for the knockout. I had a great training camp. We've been in training camp seven weeks already and everything's been great. We've worked on a lot of different things. We know Bernard is not going to come in the same fighter he was the last fight. We know he's a little stronger than he was the last fight. I hope Bernard comes to fight. He took the fight. He wanted the fight. So hopefully we'll be fighting on the 28th and we'll get our fans their money's worth.

Q

I just meant as far as like-I would imagine that Bernard's going to have fan support and whether you think that that might sway the judges refereeing, unintentionally of course, but could it be a factor? Chad or Gary?

C. Dawson
I'm not worried about that at all. We're not worried about that at all. We've never even brought that up. That's never been a topic of discussion with us. We're just looking forward to going out there on the 28th and becoming a world champion once again. I'm confident in my abilities. I know what's going to happen on the 28th. If Bernard comes to fight, then the fans will get a great fight.

Q
On a similar note, being from Connecticut, relatively close, why is that you've never fought in Atlantic City? It just didn't work out that way?

C. Dawson

I guess it just never worked out. I don't know what it is, but I've got the opportunity now and I hope a lot of my fans and family get to come and watch me laugh.. I got the fire in my eyes and people saw that at the last fight. I really wanted to go out and I really wanted to beat Bernard Hopkins. Bernard had other plans. I'm going to keep saying this; Bernard did not want to be in the ring with me that night. Maybe he undertrained and he didn't expect to see what he saw that night. Maybe he needed more time to get in better shape. I don't know, but I'm here and I'm for real and I'm coming to fight.

R. Schaefer    
... Bernard, at this point in his career doesn't have to do anything, and he's certainly not going to be driven by a mandatory or a mandate at the defense of his title against Chad Dawson. And...again, after everything Bernard has achieved in his career, I mentioned it before, wins against pretty much anyone who was anyone in the last 20 years in our around his weight class from De La Hoya to Trinidad to Tarver to Winky to Pavlik to Jones and on and on and on, people are still doubting him. It's amazing. I guess some people never learn. I'm just telling you guys you bet at your own risk against legendary Bernard Hopkins... with a record of 52-5-2, 32 KOs, from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania...

Enter Bernard Hopkins

Q

Why did you take this fight? You know you don't have to take any fight you don't want to take, you had other fights out there on the horizon, why did you take this fight, this rematch?

B. Hopkins
Because I'm a legend.

Q
Is this the type of fight here, of course you win, your legend gets even bigger, what do you look ahead of accomplishing? If you get this fight, do you want to unify the title? Do you want to move up? You talked about moving to heavyweight. What is there ahead of you if you win this fight?

B. Hopkins
Right now I want to beat Chad Dawson. Right now I want to beat Chad Dawson in one of the greatest places that I've started my career on the mat, and that's Atlantic City. Who knows what the future holds after I beat Chad Dawson, because if you remember when I beat Kelly Pavlik they blackballed and sat me down for 16 months after a hell of a performance that most of you all had me losing, not only by a decision, but by a knockout. So it isn't up to me where I go when I win. Just watch what the establishment might do because there's another person that will want to ... a list of so many young fighters and we never saw them again. Some ran into the trees. Some tried to revamp their career. Some just fell off the planet earth, boxing wise.

So my plan is April 28th because I understand what I'm facing. I understand what I'm up against. And when you understand that for years and years and years of my career, I don't think as far as you all do. I know where to think and I know where to cut it off. I know what a win would do and what a win won't do for me, only me. This is the only Bernard Hopkins' rule they got for me. This isn't anybody else's rule in boxing, not Floyd Mayweather, not Amir Khan, not any other fighter the last 15-20 years. It's the Bernard Hopkins rules that they made up.

So winning isn't always a good thing in the politics of Bernard Hopkins. Trust me. Look at the track record. When you see come the 28th of April and you see me reenact what I did in October of 2008, even better performance, then I'll think about what I'm going to do not what they want to do with me. That's the difference.

Q

Bernard, I think those might look at this match up and see you're the underdog, as you've been other times, and it's almost like it's where you want to be; underdog against Tarver, underdog against Trinidad, underdog against Pavlik. You pulled the rabbit out of the hat and beat all three of those guys. You didn't just beat them; you beat them decisively.

Are you basically in a spot where you want to be? Where you thrive the best when there are not a lot of people that give you the real legitimate chance to actually win the fight against a guy that's so much younger than you are, almost 20 years younger than you?

B. Hopkins
Well that's being kind of mild. I was born in 1965 and a great year for segregation. I was the underdog based on being black. So being the underdog in boxing or being the underdog when others have their opinion, this is kids play.

You've taken it a little too deep than what it is. To be the underdog, obviously you're blessed not to have a sun tan like me, but trust me, people like me, and I say people like me, understand underdog as the sport - whether it's sport, whether it's play, whether it's corporate America, whether it's just being the situation you are. So am I comfortable being in this situation? Maybe. Maybe I got immune to it. Maybe it grew on me over the years.

But whatever it is, it doesn't take away the talent of Bernard Hopkins in the last 20 plus years. It doesn't take away what I do in the ring and what I've done out of the ring. At the end of the day, whether it's the underdog because they say I should be the underdog, I can say I fight and I prove that and I'm going to continue to show that you might have opinions, whoever, but that don't mean that you have to be right. And that's my job to prove it come April 28th.

I know what I know and I start getting kind of old in boxing because to be honest with you, I don't really have too much to say any more the last two or three years even though I try to push myself to give people something because it's part of the game in boxing. You do a lot of talking. Then you do a lot of backing up. Some do and some don't, but I think I am 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.

It's not that people are wrong for asking me, it's that I've been around so long. 24 years if my math is right, 1988. If you take half of those 24 years, what else can you ask Bernard Hopkins? The news isn't when I win. The news is if I lose. That becomes news to you all, and I understand that because I've built a track record. I've been right more than I've been wrong. You all have been wrong more than you have been right. It's nothing personal.

I just want to lay the platform out there for everybody who's on the air listening that I understand that you have to dig in the bag of tricks or a rabbit out of the hat, because it's what else are you going to ask me? "Are you going to stay, Bernard?" You can't ask me that or, "Are you mentally ready, Bernard?" You damn sure aren't going to ask me that. So you got to find these things to create what, a conversation. I'd rather talk about something else, but this is part of the protocol game so let's play the game.

April 28th is the only thing I want to say, the only thing I want to show, and you're going to see it. You're going to want to come up and shake my hand and tell me how great I am. And that's when I'm going to say, "Thank you," and go home and sleep in my bed that I haven't been in for nine weeks.

 Q

Bernard, with this fight, you've made a big deal about your age for a long time. 47 years old now going into this fight, do you think about it, win, lose, draw, whatever the case may be; do you see yourself with a future in boxing beyond this fight?

B. Hopkins
I just repeated something that happened in October of 2008. Now I'll repeat it again. The rules are different for Bernard Hopkins. The rules should be different for Bernard Hopkins because I've made them that way, in the ring and out of the ring.

Winning doesn't mean that you might see me fight HBO or Showtime again. You know why? Because if you remember, as Richard eloquently reminded ya'll, that after the Pavlik fight, which any other fighter would become an instant, if he wasn't a star, he would have been a triple star, instead I went fishing for 16 months. Do you think that was an accident?

No, what I'm saying is this. When you ask me questions like that, if I was any other fighter, from top to bottom, it would be already there before you know the next move. The next move would've not been even a question of where that person would go, where that fighter would go.

But see, I didn't already establish a lot of things that you can't really see things will be great and dandy after this fight because they'll find an excuse to say, "Well Chad Dawson wasn't." They'll find a loophole, like in court, to say what Chad Dawson didn't have all of a sudden, but they're going to reserve that just in case they're right about what they predicted. So I know what I'm dealing with here and they know I know what I'm dealing with and they know me. So let's play the game and let's see who can play it the best.

There's one thing everybody on this line can understands and knows; I've been right more than I've been wrong. How many reporters can say they've been more right about their predictions than more wrong? How many are honest to say he was more right than wrong? But when it comes to me, I guess the predictors; they know what my track record is. They know what my track record is. I don't have to repeat that. I don't have to repeat that. I'll just say we're on the countdown right now, and any other sticky coat questions or scenarios or what's going to happen, this better be shown April 28th, because at the end of that day that's all that really matters.

You know you're going to get a sound bite from him. You're going to get a sound bite from me. But at the end of the day, what you care about is when you sit down there in the audience and is Bernard going to do what you said earlier, pull a rabbit out of a hat? I will see a rabbit out of a hat. I will say I'll just continue to kick the naysayer's ass in and out of the ring, because that's the task that I've always been up against. And I don't mind that. It's not anger. It's a challenge. You all have been by biggest motivator. Without that, it wouldn't be me where I've been.

--

'For Once and For All' will be a 12-round bout for Hopkins' WBC and Ring Magazine light heavyweight world championships, is presented by Golden Boy Promotions and Gary Shaw Productions. Also featured will be a 12-round heavyweight battle between Seth "Mayhem" Mitchell and "The Gentleman" Chazz Witherspoon for the vacant NABO heavyweight title. The event will take place at Boardwalk Hall in Atlantic City, New Jersey and will be televised live on HBO World Championship Boxing beginning at 10:15 p.m. ET/PT.

Ticketsat the Boardwalk Hall box office, by calling Ticketmaster at (800) 736-1420 or online at ticketmaster.com.