Taking on Joe Smith Jnr in a WBC light-heavyweight title bout, the veteran showed that age has not taken away those silky boxing skills that had served him well over the years.
In fact for the first seven rounds of this contest Hopkins had his opponent befuddled by his skill and ring craft
Unfortunately it was to all fall apart for Hopkins in the eighth round. Smith Jnr trapped Hopkins on the ropes and unleashed a flurry of crunching head-shots that saw Hopkins go through the ropes and out of the ring.
Given twenty seconds to get back into the ring Hopkins didn?t manage it and Smith Jnr was awarded the fight with a technical knockout being declared as the result.
Hopkins, talking about his failure to return to the ring, reckoned he?d been shoved out of the ring and had banged his head in the fall. The veteran also reckoned he?d twisted his ankle and couldn?t stand up.
The veteran also confirmed that last night was his last fight and that his 28-year career is over with his record standing at 55 wins, 8 defeats and 2 draws.
Hopkins Career Ends With a Defeat
