As part of its runup coverage of tomorrow's Oscar De La Hoya-Manny Pacquiao welterweight bout in Las Vegas, KNBR's Tom Tolbert talked with Hopkins for about 20 minutes; 15 of which turning out to be on the subject of every Philly native's favorite punching bag, McNabb. Wackiness ensued.

Tolbert first asked Hopkins what he thought of McNabb in general.

"Oh man, lack of performance, lack of heart. I wish the Wizard of Oz would come back out, man, so I could put McNabb in it as the character who needs to see the wizard to get a heart. The thing is this, man: Philadelphia is hungry for — yeah we've got the Phillies — but I mean the Super Bowl year. It's all about character and heart and wanting to win the biggest trophy in football. There is just no urgency of going out on your shield to try and win the biggest prize.

"You look out there and he's throwing up; maybe he had a bad oyster. Is this guy focused and is his head in it? Or is the money already banked and he just doesn't care? The worst personnel move that Philadelphia has made was getting rid of Garcia and getting rid of T.O. I know that T.O. wasn't a church mouse, wasn't an angel, but the chemistry was there for a moment to win. If they listen to me over there in personnel, get McNabb over to Chicago, or whoever will take him, I don't know. But that won't happen as long as Andy Reid is there. They need to get rid of those two cancers for the team to move forward."

And what does Hopkins think of the infamous McNabb overtime controversy?

"Come on, that's just like me being a boxer for more than 20 years, and I get knocked out on the canvas and I say OK, I've got 15 seconds to get up, and I get up and say 'Why'd you stop the fight?' These are the idiotic things he's been doing all along."

Hopkins is a little wacky, sure. But it's refreshing to see someone who's hit it big be that impassioned about goings-on in his home town, especially when they're not even related to his own sport. Oh, and for the record, I would surely pay $10.75 to see a version of The Wizard of Oz cast by Bernard Hopkins.

Bernard Hopkins Interview [KNBR 680]
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As you may be aware, Pavlik is something of an inspiration to the downtrodden denizens of Youngstown, Ohio. Oh...and he's white! Yes, the fearless young middleweight with the fists of lead makes a great story, and anytime boxing gets positive coverage from the mainstream media it's a good thing. But for the love of God people, you need to stop comparing him to Rocky fucking Balboa. Pavlik is certainly a great young champion whose time has come, but his opponent tonight is also somewhat of a heroic figure, and he's actually a Philadelphian!

Hopkins doesn't have the fighting style that endears him to the casual fan, yet the 43 year-old future hall of famer has been a hugely popular figure, especially in his hometown. Hopkins got into a life of crime from an early age, eventually landing in prison for five years as a young adult. However it was there that he discovered a passion for boxing, one that would carry him to heights he never could have imagined, inspiring young men all over the country during his rise.

The Executioner has lost three of his last five fights, all by decision, but he hasn't been decisively defeated since his first major title fight against Roy Jones Jr. in 1993. He's still never been knocked out, in fact he's only been knocked down by one man in his career (Segundo Mercado in 1994 in a fight that would eventually end in a draw in Ecuador).

Nobody doubts that Pavlik is the big favorite, so the real question is whether Hopkins can use his unparalleled defensive tactics to stay on his feet and keep things close against a dangerous young puncher.