Hall-of-fame boxer, and an executive at Golden Boy Promotions, Bernard Hopkins became a focal point of the fight between Ryan Garcia and Gervonta Davis. Hopkins’ interaction at the weigh-in with Davis became that of folklore, myth, and exaggeration. Fans of Hopkins will say it was pure jest and good-natured fun, his exchange with one of the biggest stars of boxing, whereas his detractors will point to a malicious conspiracy theory.
Last month, Ryan Garcia was stopped via a body shot that was heard around the world that might become the most iconic knockout of Davis’ career. As in front of a sold-out T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada, Davis stopped Garcia in a battle of undefeated prizefighters. When speaking to FightHype recently, Hopkins shared his opinions on the outcome of the fight.
"I think [Ryan Garcia] will be back sooner rather than later,” said Hopkins to FightHype.com. [This the perfect] opportunity to correct a lot of things that he brings from the amateurs and one of those things is defense, and based on how many rounds the fight lasted he has to work on his defense.”
Hopkins was famous for being able to fight well into his forties based on his defensive skill. Hopkins, who was known for his smarts both in and out of the ring, was brilliant at being a hard-to-hit target something the hall-of-famer wants to see Garcia work on some more traditional forms of defense instead of using athleticism and power to get him by at the world-class level of boxing.
Though Hopkins was critical, he still maintained a positive outlook and ensured that Golden Boy Promotions was still behind Ryan Garcia despite his recent adversity. Hopkins furthered that he believes that Garcia has what it takes to bounce back from this setback and make it back to the top of the division.
"I believe [Garcia] has what it takes to put this loss behind him and achieve greatness,” said Hopkins. “From what I saw in the locker room, he still has that hunger. He was upset, he was apologizing to everyone. But I told him that he doesn't have to apologize to us, that he knows what he has to do, that I'm with him and that Golden Boy is also with him."
