Hopkins may fight Cleverly

NATHAN CLEVERLY, the undefeated WBO light heavyweight champion, has been talking about Bernard Hopkins since last summer.

At one point in August, Hopkins referred to him as "Cleary" and said he didn't know him and never saw him fight.

That has changed, and now Hopkins, the WBC champion, could be entertaining a fight in Wales with Cleverly this summer.

Cleverly (23-0, 11 KOs), 24, is scheduled to defend his title in Cardiff, Wales, on Feb. 25, possibly against Tommy Karpency.

"Hopkins is coming around to the idea," Vince Cleverly, the fighter's father and trainer, told the Daily Mail in London. "It would sell out the Millennium Stadium [in Cardiff].

"This year was brilliant and all went to plan. Let's hope 2012 can be even better. Barring injuries, Nathan will unify the division."

Hopkins, who turns 47 on Jan. 15, has his own unification plans, but those could be put on hold by the WBC having ordered a rematch with Chad Dawson. The WBC returned its belt to Hopkins after it changed the verdict of Dawson's win over Hopkins to a no-contest. Hopkins injured his left shoulder and could not continue after Dawson lifted him up and threw him down to the canvas.

"I would like to fight the WBA guy [Beibut Shumenov] or the WBO guy; he's been calling me out on certain websites," Hopkins told RingTV.com. "Chad Dawson? Under the right circumstances. The worst circumstances are that I would have to fulfill the obligations of the WBC.

"I would like to see if his side and my side can find an interest from someone who wants to put up money for the fight, but I doubt it."

Dawson's promoter, Gary Shaw, said Dawson wants the rematch and is eager to begin negotiations. It is unlikely Dawson would step aside, since he already has done that, allowing Hopkins to bypass him as the top challenger and fight Jean Pascal.

If Hopkins declines to fight Dawson, the WBC could strip him of the title.

"I don't want my next fight to be just a fight," Hopkins told the website. "It has to be historic. If I fight just a fight, then I would probably lose. That's a deep thing to say. But it has to be something that people can look at and say, 'Man, he's taken on all of the ones who say that they're the best.

"I want at least one or two more fights. Then I want to exit out of this game. I would feel as if I shut the door of history-making to the max with all of the things that I've done all the way up until now."