Bernard Hopkins has been in the ring with some of the biggest punchers in the sport.
The boxing legend was a two-weight world champion at middleweight and light heavyweight, and also held undisputed honours at 160lbs.
During his illustrious career he faced off with fighters such as Roy Jones Jr, Sergey Kovalev and Oscar De La Hoya, and so knows full well just how hard each of them hits.
It appeared to be an easy decision for Hopkins when it came to picking who hit hardest, as he revealed to the Spit Bucket podcast that it was a shot he received from Jones Jr that was the most powerful he had ever faced.
“The hardest punch I got hit with was when Roy hit me with a left hook early in that fight. I believe the 4th or 5th round. He hit me with a left hook to the body, to the ribcage, it got underneath my elbow.
“I knew I better not get hit with that no more tonight. My strength and determination is one of the reasons I didn’t go down, but it felt like a knife, that I was getting stuck with a knife.
“I couldn’t show Roy. Roy knew he got there he just knows I didn’t go nowhere. That changed my whole approach and had me hesitant. I learned from that. History shows that fight made me better and that experience made me better. I know what a shot like that can do to you.”
‼️ 🚨 Bernard Hopkins talks about the hardest shot he took in the ring and how it changed his career 🚨 ‼️ #TheSpitBucket#Boxingpic.twitter.com/q6bp063Pga
— The Spit Bucket Podcast (@TSBBoxing) November 23, 2024
Hopkins has also recently given an emphatic knockout prediction for the upcoming heavyweight rematch between Oleksandr Usyk and Tyson Fury.
