Bernard Hopkins -- I'm Proud of Mickey Rourke ... Fighting Ain't About Age
Bernard Hopkins I'm Proud of Mickey Rourke 'Fighting Ain't About Age'
Mickey Rourke is getting major support from boxing legend Bernard Hopkins -- who tells TMZ Sports he's PROUD of the 62-year-old for getting back in the ring ... and thinks he has a real shot to win!
49-year-old Hopkins -- who says he's still open to fighting into his 50s -- says he commends Rourke for taking a fight with a 29-year-old fighter in Russia on November 28th.
"The only way you're gonna know what you're capable of is by challenging yourself," Hopkins says.
"Most people can't see themselves doing what I or Mickey have done. So they talk down to it. That's a motivation for me. And I'm sure it is for him."
So the question ... can Rourke actually win the fight?
"I'm gonna go with the experienced guy [Rourke] who knows how to take care of himself," Hopkins says ... "It's not a slam dunk that he'll win, but at the least I think it's going to be a competitive fight."
As for Bernard's future in the ring -- he tells us, "I'm going to make a decision if I'll fight again after the holidays. But I do have an option with HBO."
He adds, "If I fight, it's not going to be a fight just to fight, it's going to be a fight that I could just as well lose if I'm not on my game. I want to push the envelope like I always have."
