Hopkins Still Trying to Get Noticed

If only the fight is this good. . . .

Desperate to escape the shadow of Saturday’s Felix Trinidad-Fernando Vargas junior-middleweight title fight at the Mandalay Bay Events Center, Bernard Hopkins staged a news conference Wednesday down the strip at the Venetian hotel that left even Don King, master of the outrageous, impressed.

Hopkins, nicknamed “the Executioner,” will defend his International Boxing Federation middleweight title tonight against Antwun Echols at the Venetian in a fight to be shown on HBO.

Playing off his nickname, Hopkins stood at the dais Wednesday, flanked by a pair of bare-chested bodyguards, their faces covered by executioners’ masks, battle-axes in their hands.

Declaring that the condemned man always gets a last meal, Hopkins then beckoned a waiter, who set a plate of hot food in front of Echols.

Echols shoved it aside.

Theatrics aside, tonight’s fight is significant. If Hopkins (37-2-1, 27 knockouts), who has already beaten Echols (24-3-1, 23) once, on a unanimous decision last December, can do it again, he will tie Marvin Hagler for the second-most successful middleweight title defenses with a dozen.

The record is 14 by Carlos Monzon.

But even a victory won’t satisfy Hopkins, who believes he has never been a part of big-time, big-money shows, such as Trinidad-Vargas, because opponents fear him.

“I’m 35,” said Hopkins, who will make $550,000 tonight. “How long do I have to wait to get the big fights? Echols just happens to be the dummy who will allow me to show why [the high-profile stars] won’t fight me.

“You all got cheated because it took you this long to see the greatness of Bernard Hopkins.”

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Also on the card, Marco Antonio Barrera (51-3, 37) defends his World Boxing Organization junior-featherweight crown against Jesus Salud (62-9, 37).

At stake for Barrera, besides his title, is his fight March 3 against Prince Naseem Hamed, which is contingent on a Barrera victory.

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There is another rival promotion trying to ride the wake of Trinidad-Vargas.

Tonight, at the MGM Grand Hotel, on a card to be shown on ESPN2, former World Boxing Union junior-lightweight champion Angel Manfredy (33-5-1, 26) takes on Carlos Ramirez (17-3, 14).

In the semi-main event, former WBO welterweight titleholder Jose Luis Lopez (43-4-2, 34) fights David Lewter (18-3, 14).