Joe Rogan is like a worm who loves to dig deep when it comes to boxing. His ability to break down fights and analyze them deeply has already impressed most of the fighting community. But on episode #2300 of the Joe Rogan Experience, the famed UFC color commentator played a defensive game. He shielded Bernard Hopkins from the accusation of getting his bouts rigged. But what exactly pushed him to do that? 

Well, during the conversation with Kyle Dunnigan, Rogan highlighted how Hopkins broke his own record by winning the IBF light heavyweight title in 2013 and then in 2014. It was a time when he fought valiantly against Tavoris Cloud. Later on, he conquered the WBA super title from Beibut Shumenov when he was 48, and repeated the feat again at the age of 49. Rogan exclaimed, “That’s f—— crazy! So, he wins two titles. A title age 48 and a title at age 49. Incredible!” However, his guest seemed to have a doubt. Dunnigan asked, “Are those rigged?” 

But the JRE host was all in to defend one of his favorite boxers of all time. He said, “No, no, no, no, no! The way that he would box was super intelligent. Like he was very defensively minded. You didn’t get clean shots off on Bernard Hopkins. He was very clever. And he understood boxing at a very, very deep level. Like, his footwork was always on point, never drank, never smoked, always took care of his body, ate only organic food, worked out every day, never got out of shape. Just all discipline. And so he was able to maintain his body.”

People have often praised Joe Rogan’s deep understanding of the sport. Even Hopkins once claimed that the UFC color commentator was a very educated man when it came to boxing, and this was pretty clear in his defense of Hopkins. However, there was more to the sport than just knowing the fighters. 

Joe Rogan and Bernard Hopkins expose the dark truth about boxing

On episode #148 of the JRE MMA Show, Rogan and Hopkins had a brief discussion about the dark aspects of boxing. The former world champion said, “Boxing is a great sport. The business – red light district. And any red light district, that I know of, is not a good a good place to be if you’re gonna be preaching at church on Sunday.“ Needless to say, the 57-year-old podcaster nodded in agreement. According to Rogan, boxing was always controlled by crime figures, the mob, and crooked lawyers. But Hopkins cut him short. 

The 60-year-old boxer claimed, “But that was then… now, it’s a different time and way to do it. Those days with the envelope underneath the table… no! That been stopped. The way it’s being done now, is based on favoritism – who they want in; who they want out. When it comes to who they can exploit… who they can make more money with and who they can and cannot influence.”

Nevertheless, Rogan’s knowledge about the realm of the squared rings shone through yet again. With his stance about Bernard Hopkins, we can rest assured that the UFC color commentator would never really let his stars go down, even though he had quite a bit of complaints regarding the sport’s management. 

What are your thoughts on Hopkins’ achievements? Who is your favorite boxer from the UFC roster? Let us know what you think in the comments down below.