Bernard Hopkins is following Satchel Paige’s advice. He is not looking back to see whether something is gaining on him.
At the age of 46, Hopkins is only looking forward, even minutes after his stunning and dominating performance against Jean Pascal on Saturday night to capture the World Boxing Council light heavyweight championship, making him the oldest man to win a major title.
“I do want to fight a major fight before the end of the year, and I do want to keep the engine running,” Hopkins told Yahoo! Sports. “I’m that aging car, the ’65 Lincoln with suicide doors. I got to keep the car running and keep it oiled and going around the block. I don’t have to drive it too far, but I want to keep the engine running. If you sit around for six months, it’s too much for me. No matter how great I look at 46, trust me: 46 is 46. I have to keep that engine running. Even if I don’t bring it out of the garage, I have to start it up.”
This old car — the Hopkins model — is perhaps the greatest ’65 Lincoln we have seen in the world of sports.
His 12-round beating of Pascal, 28, in the former champion’s hometown of Montreal is the most remarkable senior moment in sports history.
Gordie Howe scored a goal in an NHL game at the age of 51. Paige pitched in an MLB game when he was 59 years old. But those were novelty moments, to be kind — not championship moments.
Julio Franco played for the New York Mets when he was 49 years old. Nolan Ryan threw his seventh no-hitter at age 44.
But while Ryan’s performance was nearly as remarkable as what Hopkins did, it did not take place in a championship setting.
In championship moments, Jack Nicklaus is always mentioned for winning the Masters at 46. Al Unser won the Indianapolis 500 when he was 47. And jockey Willie Shoemaker rode a winner in the Kentucky Derby at the age of 54.
But we are talking about boxing — one of the most physically demanding sports. The condition and determination necessary not only to compete but to dominate a younger, championship opponent for 12 rounds of boxing make it a more impressive accomplishment.
Hopkins has put together a winning record in his senior years, going 7-3-1 in 11 fights since he turned 40. Several of those losses — and the draw to Pascal in their first fight — were disputed. And he says he is not done yet.
Hopkins may be looking ahead, but it is something he carries with him from his past that drives him forward — a photo of Smokey Wilson, who taught Hopkins how to fight during a five-year stint at the State Correctional Institution at Graterford in Pennsylvania.
It is that experience nearly 30 years ago that made Hopkins the unprecedented champion he is today.
Examiner columnist Thom Loverro is the co-host of “The Sports Fix” from noon to 2 p.m. Monday through Friday on ESPN980 and espn980.com. Contact him at [email protected].
