FORMER HEAVYWEIGHT CHAMPION Wladimir Klitschko should start winding down his career against lower quality opposition and go out on his own terms, says Bernard Hopkins.
Klitschko (64-5) dominated the division for close to a decade before losing his IBF, WBA and WBO belts by a unanimous decision to Tyson Fury in November 2015.
The 41-year-old Ukrainian failed to reclaim two of those prizes in front of 90,000 people at Wembley Stadium last weekend when he was knocked out by Anthony Joshua.
After the defeat, Klitschko said he was yet to make a decision on whether he would activate a rematch clause in the fight contract.
Hopkins, who retired last December aged 51, warned against taking up that option, but still urged Klitschko to focus on making a quick comeback.
Asked if he would recommend a rematch with Joshua, Hopkins told Omnisport: “No. If I was in Klitschko’s position, I would evaluate things very quickly and I would try to get my ass in there [the ring] before the year’s out.
“I wouldn’t wait another year because then other stuff starts seeping in your mind, whether you take a long vacation, whether you eat apple pie for the first or second time in your life, you wait around seven or eight months, your belly’s starting to come over the belt … and then you start missing it and you want to do one more fight and then it’s really bad because the engine was turned off and now you’ve got to turn it back on and it’s a year later.
“I don’t want to see that. You want to get right back in there, win, lose or draw, within a reasonable [number of] months after a knockout.
“Of course, you’re suspended for 90 days, I believe, depending on which state or country you live in.
“I think he should get back in there no later than the top of next year, just to say I’m going, bye bye, it’s been fun.”
Hopkins believes Klitschko still has fighting left in him and would be better served by taking on opponents of a lower grade before making his final exit from the ring.
“I think he should carry on only if it matters, but I don’t think he should carry it on past one or two fights,” said the American.
“I think that he should go in that ring to fight a B level, maybe B-plus type fighter where the threat would still be there, but not an A-plus fighter like Joshua.
“I think that if he wants to show that this is the way he wants to go out, like I wanted to do with no regrets, I think he deserves and [has] paid his dues to be able to write the script for how he wants to go out, [rather] than how he went out [against Joshua].
“I think certain athletes in any sport get a pass to go out the way they feel. That’s just my humble opinion.”
Slippy G knowns how to win a league. Oh wait
Get in, love it. Making a contest of it Rangers, Stevie making a cracking start to management.
@Marty Morrisey: Rangers are rank rotten ,Terrible side ,Celtic will pump them next week.
@Midland Celt: And yet they lie 1 point off the Pumpers.
@Marty Morrisey: BTW With a game in Hand ,
@Midland Celt: like literally pump them?
@Marty Morrisey: you are a sad sad troll .
@Niall James Fergal McCormack: Cheers for the glorious input shorty.
@Marty Morrisey: thanks you sad man . Not sure what the shorty comment is about but f**k me I hope you are under 18 because if not it makes the way you act on the 42 even sadder . Grow up !
@Niall James Fergal McCormack: Glorious input cheers shortie.
@Marty Morrisey: you had the spelling of ‘shorty’ correct the first time. Trolling with illiteracy, Marty, is only a step above fingering a badger.
@Ian Michael O’Carroll: 1 in the stink 2 in the pink like ?
@Ian Michael O’Carroll: fingering a badger. Lol.
Steven Gerard’s Rangers were awful from start to finish. A team completely devoid of ideas. It was great to watch them toil. Morelos gets into great positions and pulled them out of a hole.
I’d imagine Celtic can’t wait for the game on the 29th.
@Ciaran Rice: 3 points all the same.
@Mark Glynn: of course but that doesn’t mask how poor Steven Gerard’s Rangers are.
@Ciaran Rice: To be fair though, they are a growing side..have had to start all over again and are making progress
@Mark Glynn: eh, the side has been getting worse every week. They are now making very few chances and scoring hardly any goals. There also have around the same points total after this round of games as they did last season.
@Ciaran Rice: If celtic win their game in hand it puts 4 points between the teams. A couple weeks back you were giving out that the Premiership has no competition when City were 3 points clear haha
@Turkish: I said the SPFL is more competitive than the EPL this season (and last season), which it is. Celtic are a point ahead. There have been 5 changes for first place in December alone. There are currently only 11 points separating 1st to 8th and 6 different sides have led the league so far this season.
Liverpool have played almost an entire round of games and are still unbeaten. Not much competition there.
@Ciaran Rice: so there not making progress, from having to start in bottom division with a new crop of players-now there in the premiership..
@Mark Glynn: if you think finishing 3rd every season, spending more than any other side whilst winning nothing is progressing then that’s up to you.
@Ciaran Rice: How much more than Celtic did they spend this season?
@Ciaran Rice: what do you mean winning nothing. Rangers secured promotion back to the Premiership having won three promotions in four years.
@The Bloody Nine: think they spent 2-3 million more than Celtic. That is going on the reported £9 million Celtic spent on Edouard, which I don’t believe is the case. The Rangers also spent more than Celtic last summer also.
@Mark Glynn: back to the premiership? They had never been there in the first place.
@Ciaran Rice: you sure mate, pretty sure it’s called the Scottish Premiership. Do your research.
Who is this Rangers you speak of? Are they anything to Steven Gerrards Rangers??
Doing well on a shoe string budget hopefully rangers pull of a shock with this squad and win it
@Colgate: oh god he’s got yet another account
@Colgate: spent most in the league . Your trolling is poor and creating new accounts so often is pathetic . Grow up !
@Niall James Fergal McCormack: 2 people on this article, just article alone you have attacked. Glorious input as per shorty.
@Marty Morrisey: 2 people? You mean you and you!! You are as bad as Andy Gorum!!!
@Marty Morrisey: what a sad sad person.. people like u that sit in there room all day and have 1 friend that’s your 8 year old sister!!
@Jay Murphy: I have 6 sister’s all older than me. Hugs n X’s JJ
@Marty Morrisey: haha shortie . I like the way that’s sticking for you because it makes no sense . Are you trolling yourself ? I’ve no idea what you are talking about but you are a very sad man .