Fear of failure still drives Hopkins on

BERNARD HOPKINS admits he is reaching the end of a remarkable journey which began in ignominious fashion 26 years ago when he emerged from a Pennsylvania prison cell to lose his first professional fight.

Having dominated the middleweight division for over a decade, then moved up to light-heavyweight to destroy former undisputed champion Antonio Tarver, there is little left for the 43-year-old to achieve.

But Hopkins, who was lustily booed by a smattering of Calzaghe supporters when he made his “grand arrival” at the Planet Hollywood resort on Monday, says the memory of that rare failure is what drives him forward to finish on a high.