I disagree with Eddie F. From everything I have heard Hopkins is financially stable and set. He is partners in Golden Boy Promotions in charge of recruiting fighters in the Southern part of the US. He can also go into training fighters if he wanted to. He has made enough and does not spend foolishly as other highly paid boxers do and have.
Hopkins is motivated by ego, pride, and a competitive spirit. He was told when he left prison that they would see him back in soon. He took that to heart and dedicated himself to staying out of trouble. I think that he sees boxing as his salvation and like Alex said, he loves the sport and credits it with his life and lifestyle. He is a very proud man and wants to keep proving to his doubters (if he even has any left) that he is still at the top of the sport. If you listen to most of his interviews he has consistently said that he was out to prove people wrong. Pride and competitiveness is his main drive.
It's mostly money.
Like someone said above, B-Hop is financially stable and doesn't NEED money. But if you can go out, make a million dollars, AND at the same time prove to the boxing public you're still elite, then why not do it?
Hopkins' can't achieve more at this point, the only thing he can do is break his OWN record. So if anything motivates him to fight, it's making more of that long paper.
I think Bhop is trying to scale an Everest in boxing, that is remaining an elite and champion fighter even in his 50s. Not even the greatest Sugar Ray Robinson was able to achieve that although he fought well into his 40s spanning nearly three full decades,.
Roberto Duran remains as the only modern boxer to have fought longer, i.e. from the 1960s through the 2000s.
Bhop is already on his 25th year as a pro since debuting in 1988 ironically with a DQ loss. He may not be able to duplicate Duran's feat of fighting in four decades but he could be the first fifty-ish fighter to remain a champion and among the best at least in his division.
Not even the Klitschkos could equal Bhop in term of longevity as a continuously champion/world class fighter in 21 years and counting since attaining that status way back in 1992 yet when he won the USBA middleweight title.
On the other hand, Duran achieved world class status when he won the lightweight title over Ken Buchanan in 1972 but he had his last world title by 1989 though he would still had a last try at a legit crown in 1998 losing to William Joppy.
Hopkins already holds the record as the oldest world boxing titlist but he is still on course as far as being the first modern pro fighter to have had the longest continuous tenure/status as championship or world class fighter at 21 years and counting.
I guess the love for the sport, he's done it for so long its tough to walk away from that, and plus he's still a top fighter even at his age. He should retire though, he hasnt been all that exciting to watch for the last decade almost and he struggles against fighters who set a fast pace and are on the offensive. He's a partner in golden boy promotions and has made a ton of money throughout his career, so I think he's just boxing for himself now.
Hopkins is pushing 50yrs... He has no skills outside of boxing, no advanced educational certificates... How else will he earn the same money he gets for fighting?
B-Hop isn't going to get a job on Wall St when he retires... He knows he is in the twilight of his career, his next payday could be his last...
Hopkins needs a couple of good pay checks to top his pension fund up.... When he hangs his gloves up, he must ensure his finances are in order....
Motivation - Money... Simple as that!
Smashing his own records then its in the history books forever,, he's believes he still can beat certain fighters so maybe he's taking advantage of today's lack of talent also trying to turn himself in legend doing so ?
He is a fighter, and fighters fight.
After all his achievements and at this age...what drives him to fight?
