Bernard Hopkins Believes Young Fighters Don't Want To Fight Manny Pacquiao

Legendary boxer Bernard Hopkins believes a lot of young fighters don’t want to fight Manny Pacquiao.

The whole welterweight division is undeniably rooting for a shot at Pacquiao. Just recently, the Filipino legend has been linked to another younger opponent, Mikey Garcia. As more and more fighters target Pacquiao even at his 40’s, boxing icon Hopkins had a different thought about the matter.

In a brief talk with Ellie Sechback of EsNews, “BHop” first let his fans know that he is pleased with being ranked “no. 6” in BoxRec’s greatest boxers of all time. According to Hopkins, he’s honored to be placed closely behind all time greats like Muhammad Ali, Floyd Mayweather and Pacquiao.

Hopkins, who fought until the age of 54, was then asked about his thoughts on Pacquiao being still active in his 40’s. “The Executioner” was quick to answer that he believes Pacquiao will break his record and fight for a decade more.

“Pacquaio probably will break my record and fight way into his 50’s,” Hopkins said.

Hopkins also added that Pacquiao’s legs still look competitive and as an ageing fighter, “Pacman” looks like he can handle anybody younger than him.

“Because he lives right, he’s got good bounce in his legs, he got a good spirit. He looks energetic, he looks like he can handle anybody out there that’s younger than him,” Hopkins added.

Surprisingly, Hopkins is not only convinced that Pacquiao can beat any younger fighter he will face. As per legendary fighter, he believes younger fighters do not want to share the ring with Pacquiao.

“Ain’t too many people grabbin’ Pacquiao and use him as a big name to extend or put credibility on (their) record, Manny now is probably ducked by a lot of young fighters,” Hopkins pointed out.

Last month, Hopkins already mentioned the reason why he and Pacquiao lasted longer in boxing. He said that fighters like Pacman remain successful even at 40 because they take good care of their body.

The 54-year-old boxing icon also emphasized that him and Pacquiao are considered “all-around fighters” because they know when to adjust styles and adapt to different types of opponent.

Pacquiao is still expected to face Mayweather in their highly anticipated rematch. When asked about the said fight, Hopkins was unsure if Mayweather will agree to face Pacquiao again. But he predicted that the outcome will be the same as the first fight.

“I don’t think anything is gonna happen different than the first fight,” Hopkins predicted.