Bernard Hopkins announces plans for final fight

US boxer Bernard Hopkins speaks during a press conference in Washington,DC on March 11, 2014
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Former two-weight world champion Bernard Hopkins will face Joe Smith in Los Angeles on December 17 in what will be his final fight of a legendary career.

Bernard Hopkins has said that he will be fully focused on "knocking out" Joe Smith when he competes in his final bout of a 28-year professional career.

Hopkins will meet light-heavyweight contender Smith in Los Angeles on December 17, but ahead of his 65th fight, he is keen to avoid any sentiment as he looks to bow out in style against an opponent who stopped Andrzej Fonfara in one round in June.

The 51-year-old said: "A lot of people will focus on my age, the history of my run in the sport, the titles, but I'm focused on one thing - knocking Joe Smith out.

The American last fought in November 2014 when he suffered a points defeat to unified world champion Sergey Kovalev.

He heads into his last fight having won 55 of his 64 fights as a professional, while has held multiple world titles at both middleweight and light-heavyweight.

Nathan Cleverly during a training session on August 12, 2013
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