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HOPKINS PLOTS UNRETIREMENT"-by TIM SMITH
BERNARD HOPKINS wants to come out of retirement to fight WBC heavyweight champ OLEG MASKAEV next June, if MASKAEV still has the title by then.
"The state of the heavyweight division in America is dead," HOPKINS told the Daily News. "BERNARD HOPKINS is the only boxer who can bring it back."
HOPKINS, 41, retired after defeating light-heavyweight champion ANTONIO TARVER in Atlantic City back in March.
It was an inspiring moment, considering that HOPKINS dominated TARVER, who at the time was the best light-heavyweight in the game at that time. But HOPKINS said he wants to end his retirement atfer only five months because he is inspired in a different way.
"I was watching that fight and when it was over, it hit me" Hopkins said.
"(HASIM) RAHMAN was supposed to be the last line of defense for the America heavyweights. He couldn't do it. But I was inspired to come back and do it. It's not something that is unheard of. I can do it."
After MASKAEV KO'd RAHMAN in the 12th round to take the title, all four of the major heavyweight belts were firmly in the hands of boxers who were born in the SOVIET UNION.
HOPKINS had vowed that he wasn't going to come out of retirement, but he finds the opportunity to win a heavyweight title too tempting.
"I know people are going to give me a hard time about coming back," HOPKINS said. "But I think this is a special reason to come back. This is about restoring something bavk to AMERICA. I believe I can be America's heavyweight savior."
"This is like a mouse looking at some cheese in the middle of the room with a trap around it. There's a risk, but that cheese is calling my name."
HOPKINS said he weighs 185 pounds. He pulled up his shirt to show his well-defined abdominal muscles and lack of fat around the middle. He said he would fight at 200 pounds and has made an initial call to MACKIE SHILSTONE, the sports nutrition guru who helped him bulk up to 175 pounds to beat TARVER . HOPKINS said he will only undertake his heavyweight title quest if SHILSTONE will work with him.
HOPKINS said he thinks people will get behind him because of the way that he beat TARVER at 175 pounds.
"I know everybody will be saying, How in the hell will he be able to fight a man that could weigh 230 or 240 pounds,'" HOPKINS said." But the weight is not a problem. I'm not worried about that, just like I wasn't worried about it with TARVER."
HOPKINS said he would he would need nine months to get prepared for a fight against MASKAEV. That part could be troublesome because MASKAEV has been granted a voluntary defense of the title, which he plans to use for a fght against PETER OKHILL, a UGANDIAN HEAVYWEIGHT by way of JAPAN, in MOSCOW on DEC. 23. Then, MASKAEV must make a mandatory defense against SAMUEL PETER after that.
It is not unprecendented that a WBC titlist could make a string of voluntary defenses before making a mandatory. VITALI KLITSCHKO made two voluntary defenses of the title after he won it and never made his mandatory defense against RAHMAN. When he was about to fight RAHMAN, KLITSCHKO injured his knee and retired.
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