Hopkins 'giving back' in return to his hometown

Promoter Richard Schaefer introduced Bernard Hopkins yesterday as Philadelphia's "fifth sports franchise." As evidence, the CEO of Golden Boy Promotions said he had loosely added up the TV and ticket revenues from Hopkins' fights dating back 20 years and said it came to almost a quarter-billion dollars.

That may be the case, and Hopkins may be the most accomplished boxer ever born and bred in Philadelphia, but his biggest wins and paydays have been away games.

Now, maybe for the final time, Hopkins will fight in Philadelphia, for the first time since 2003 and only his second time in 16 years. He and his team were in the city to announce that the Germantown native, a former middleweight and light-heavyweight world champion, will face Enrique Ornelas on Dec. 2 at the Liacouras Center.

The fight is designed to be a tune-up for Hopkins, who has signed to face nemesis Roy Jones in 2010. But Hopkins said he took this relatively low-profile match to accomplish multiple goals, including raising money for several charities, "giving back" to Philadelphia, and kick-starting his post-boxing career as a promoter with Golden Boy.

"The only selfish goal I have in this: I want to win," Hopkins said. Other than that, he said, he's taking a severe cut from his usual pay to give the locals a good show.

"I don't want to use the term sacrificing millions. . . . If I get zero at the end of the day," he said, making a zero shape with his fingers, "I don't want to lose money, but if I get zero, I'll still feel good."

The big money will come in February when Hopkins, if he does win in December, faces Jones in a pay-per-view event. In 1993, Hopkins, now 49-5-1, lost a decision to Jones in Washington, in Hopkins' first try for a world title. Since then, their careers have soared, but they continually put off a return bout, claiming disputes over how to split revenue. No venue has been set for that bout yet. Jones also has a Dec. 2 tune-up fight, against unranked Danny Green in Australia.

Hopkins didn't want to stay idle for the entire year and had been shut out of 2009 dates to fight on HBO, so the Ornelas fight will be televised on a Wednesday night on the Versus network. Hopkins said it establishes a relationship between Golden Boy and Comcast-owned Versus that will lead to more televised boxing from Philadelphia in 2010, showcasing the city's young prospects. Hopkins is a partner in Oscar De La Hoya's Golden Boy firm and president of Golden Boy East, which is promoting the Hopkins-Ornelas fight.

Ornelas (29-5) wouldn't seem to be a huge obstacle for Hopkins, even though he will turn 45 in January. In his last fight, in October 2008, Hopkins destroyed then-undefeated middleweight champion Kelly Pavlik in a nontitle fight. Since then, Pavlik has beaten Marco Antonio Rubio, who has beaten Ornelas. But aggressive Ornelas ought to be tougher than Morrade Hakkar, the recoiling French challenger whom Hopkins outclassed in an embarrassing 2003 match at the Wachovia Center. Naazim Richardson, Hopkins' trainer, called Ornelas a "Mexican Joe Frazier. He will be on Bernard. Enrique is not the guy you walk out in the yard and pick the fight with."

The Hopkins-Hakkar bout in 2003 was a financial dud, and for years Hopkins had quietly said he wouldn't fight in Philadelphia again. That wasn't for lack of fan support, Hopkins' attorney, Joseph Arnold, said yesterday. It was because of city taxes. But Hopkins, who likes to defy expectations, found reasons to justify the homecoming. To draw a crowd, Hopkins and his team are keeping ticket prices low, from $25 to $200. And in a way that came off more as advice to fans than as a boast, Hopkins talked about aging sports greats like Brett Favre and Lance Armstrong and advised: "The only thing I can say is enjoy me while I'm here. It won't last forever."