Bernard Hopkins knows he'll be seen as the bad guy when he steps into the ring with local favorite Jean Pascal, and he plans to use some hockey gear to rub it in.
Hopkins said he will wear a Philadelphia Flyers jersey with No. 16 on the back into the ring when he challenges the WBC light heavyweight champion from Montreal on Saturday night at the Bell Centre.
The number was worn by Flyers captain Bobby Clarke on two Stanley Cup teams in the 1970s, when Philadelphia had a rivalry with the Montreal Canadiens.
''Bobby Clarke - remember the Broad Street Bullies? I got his number,'' Philadelphia native Hopkins said after a quick workout at the Underdog Boxing Gym. ''I'm going to take my two front teeth out, too.
''I'm wearing a Flyers jersey in the ring - that tells you I'm trying to be friends with the fans? The fans are going to be my friends when they watch the fight. You know anyone 40 and up is going to be hollering and screaming for me. I don't care if they're Canadians or where they come from.''
The 46-year-old Hopkins is trying to become the oldest boxer to win a world title since a 45-year-old George Foreman became heavyweight champ with a victory over Michael Moorer in 1994.
The 28-year-old Pascal, of Montreal, will defend his title for the fifth time. It is a rematch of their Dec. 18 bout in Quebec City, which ended in a draw.
