Hopkins' Fight in Philly 'From the Heart'

Cheescake. That's about the worst thing Bernard Hopkins said he will ever put into his body.

"I'm not a vegetarian. I don't smoke, don't drink, I work out and I don't put caffeine in me. But I'll admit to eating a lot of cheesecake," said Hopkins, a 44-year-old whose professional boxing skills have long belied his age.

"Other than that, I haven't eaten that many sweets since I got out of prison" in 1988, said Hopkins. "We'll put the best gas in our car, but put the worst things in our body."

Hopkins will put his relative youth, experience and longevity on the line yet again on Dec. 2 in a 12-round light heavyweight (175 pounds) bout when he he takes on Enrique Ornelas at Temple University's Licouras Center in his hometown of Philadelphia.

The fight, to be televised on the VERSUS network, will benefit three charities:

The Make-A-Wish Foundation of Philadelphia & Susquehanna Valley, to which Hopkins will donate in memory of 2008 brain cancer victim Shaun Negler; the Hero Thrill Show, an annual day of events designed to raise money for the education of relatives of police and fire personnel killed in the line of duty; and the National Breast Cancer Foundation Inc., in memory of Hopkins' deceased mother, Shirley.

"This is a homecoming for one of the biggest fighters ever to come out of Philadelphia. There are four great sports franchises in Philadelphia. But there is a fifth franchise and that franchise is boxing. And boxing is Bernard Hopkins," said Richard Schaefer, CEO of Oscar De La Hoya's Golden Boy Promotions.

"Oscar de la Hoya and Golden Boy Promotions will be matching the donation made by Bernard Hopkins to the charities to which he chose to donate," said Schaefer. "By coming to support Bernard, you will be supporting these organizations and the city of Philadelphia."

For Hopkins (49-5, 32 knockouts), the matchup also precedes an agreed-upon rematch with Florida's multi-champion Roy Jones (54-5, 40 KOs) that is slated for perhaps late January or early February, assuming Jones gets past Austrailia's tough Danny Green (27-3, 24 KOs) on the same night before Green's home crowd in Sydney.

Jones defeated Hopkins by unanimous decision in May 1993.

"People keep asking me about the Roy Jones fight but I am not thinking about that right now. He will be fighting the same night across the world and we both have to take care of what is first in front of us before I start thinking about fighting him," said Hopkins, who will turn 45 on January 15 -- one day after Jones turns 41.

"And don't forget, I am 44 years old and it wouldn't be smart of me to think ahead. I only have to think about who is right there in front of me," said Hopkins, who has not fought in Philadelphia since an eighth-round KO of Morrade Hakkar in February 2003.

"All I can say is enjoy me while I am here," said Hopkins. "If you can do it at this age, then understand that once it's gone, it might not be exposed to you in your lifetime. I am here to give you that history."

A former undisputed titlist, Hopkins earned the middleweight (160) on April 29, 1995, with a knockout of Segundo Mercado. He made a division record 20 title defenses before losing a split decision to Jermain Taylor on July 16, 2005.

Hopkins has not been in the ring since last October 18, when he decisioned middleweight (160) world champion Kelly Pavlik of Youngstown, Ohio, to rebound from an April 2008 loss to unbeaten Joe Calzaghe of Wales.

"You are going to want to be able to say to your kids and grandkids that you saw Bernard Hopkins. This man needs to be appreciated as he is an exceptional athlete," said Hopkins' trainer, Nazim Richardson. "He is one of the most dedicated human beings I know, and with all that he does, he makes everyone around him want to be a better person."

Since losing to Calzaghe last November, Jones has knocked out Omar Sheika (5 rounds in March) and Jeff Lacey (10 rounds in August), respectively.

"Both Roy and I have been around long enough to have gone on and done historic things. Roy went on to win the heavyweight championship, and I ran off 20 consecutive title defenses," said Hopkins. "I'm content with my legacy in the sport. But my thing is that, yes, it's [fighting Jones] something that I would have loved to have done a long time ago, but right now is right time to do it."

"All I can say is enjoy me while I am here."
- Bernard Hopkins A hard-puncher with a record of 29-5 with 19 knockouts, Ornelas is a native of Mexico who now lives in La Habra, Calif., and who has lost three of his last seven bouts, being stopped once during that time.

"This is the opportunity of a lifetime and I am going to step it up and go toe-to-toe with Bernard Hopkins. I am looking forward to the fight. I want everyone to know I am going to train my hardest and it is going to be a great night," said Ornelas, 29. "Thank you to those who spread the word and make sure you let people know that December 2 is going to be a night fight fans won't want to miss."

Ornelas is the younger brother of super middleweight (168 pounds) Librado Andrade (28-2, 21 KOs) of La Habra, Calif., who will face Montreal southpaw IBF champion Lucian Bute (24-0, 19 KOs) on Nov. 28 in a rematch of their Oct. 24 bout.

"My brother has all the skills in the world. I don't know how he has lost any of his fights. The only person who doesn't see that as true is my brother himself," said Andrade, who will fight Bute at the Pepsi Coliseum in Quebec, Canada.

"I get criticized for taking a lot of punches in the ring. I just want to fight and I don't care if I get hit," said Andrade. "I hope in this fight that my brother makes the best of it. One thousand thank you's and more to Bernard. Our family can't thank Bernard enough for giving my brother this opportunity."

Calling Ornelas "a Mexican Joe Frazier," Richardson said that he believes that Ornelas is capable of pulling the upset if Hopkins is not on his game.

"When Bernard told me he was fighting Enrique, I said 'What the hell for?' He isn't a guy you go and pick a fight with. Enrique is a hell of a challenge. You all can take it from there," said Richardson.

"Come out and see this fight, because you are going to be very impressed with this young man. But Bernard is from a different era," said Richardson. "The words 'legend' and 'champion' are thrown around too much. But Hopkins is really a legend, and you are going to regret the fact that he was right there for you to come and see fight and if you don't come and see him fight on Dec. 2."

Hopkins said that supporting the charities, however, is as important to him as it is to defeat Ornelas in the ring.

"I have to win this fight for the big picture. But at the end of the day this fight is not about me because I wanted to do something good and bring something good to Philadelphia," said Hopkins.

"I am not looking to get Vegas money or Atlantic City money. If I come out of this fight with zero balance in my pocket I am good," said Hopkins. "Everything we are doing, someone can relate and understand that this is a good thing and it is coming from the heart."