Bernard Hopkins, the self-titled "Alien" because he believes he is not of this Earth due to his mind-blowing longevity as one of boxing's elite fighters, ain't done yet.
As he celebrates his 50th birthday -- yes, the big 5-0 -- Thursday, Hopkins still has his mind on making more history inside the ring, where he has worked since 1988, meaning more than half of his life.
Most top athletes are done with their careers in a meaningful way in their late 30s. Some still perform well into their early 40s. Hopkins was still going strong at 49, although he got knocked down and lost a lopsided decision and his two light heavyweight belts to Sergey Kovalev in a unification bout Nov. 8.
But that defeat -- in a fight many favored him to win -- has not convinced Hopkins to walk away.
"I want to fight one fight at 50 but I want it to be a meaningful fight," Hopkins told ESPN.com this week. "I'd rather it be a championship fight and I'd like it to be done in a timely fashion, hopefully before June. We have to see what makes sense and what don't.
"But for right now, I am not retired. In 2015 I'm looking to do something at 50 to make history and to keep proving that age is nothing but a number. But whatever happens, I'm comfortable with it.
"I will not sleepwalk my way through something. I have too much pride [to take a small fight]. I'm not going to be a circus act for anybody. I don't have to, but I want to keep us old guys relevant. But I know I can't do it for my entire life."
Hopkins' achievements are remarkable. In 2001, he knocked out Felix Trinidad in the 12th round of a one-sided fight to become the first undisputed middleweight champion since the great Marvelous Marvin Hagler in the 1980s. In all, Hopkins held a middleweight title from 1994 to 2005 and made a division-record 20 defenses before losing twice to Jermain Taylor by debatable decisions.
Then Hopkins (55-7-2, 32 KOs with 2 no contests) jumped up two weight classes to light heavyweight and upset Antonio Tarver to win the lineal title. He also upset Kelly Pavlik and, in 2011, outpointed Jean Pascal in a rematch of their draw to become, at 46, the oldest fighter in history to win a world title. He surpassed that record in 2013 when he was 48 and beat Tavoris Cloud to become a three-time light heavyweight titlist.
The age records really began to mount when he was 49 as he became the oldest fighter to defend a title (against Karo Murat) and oldest fighter to unify belts (against Beibut Shumenov).
Then Hopkins lost his belts to Kovalev, a fight many were surprised Hopkins even pursued in the first place. He said he would do it all over again despite the loss.
"I made it happen with no regrets," Hopkins said. "Champions should fight champions. I've always tried to do that." So what is left for the "Alien" to do?
He said he'd like a chance to fight for another light heavyweight belt but also said he would be comfortable going down to the super middleweight division for a title shot, or even to face middleweight titlist/destroyer Gennady Golovkin at a catch weight.
"I skipped over super middleweight when I jumped up and made history by beating Tarver, but I'm not the biggest light heavyweight," Hopkins said. "Matter of fact, I'm considered one of the smallest light heavyweights of the last 15-20 years. So I can fight at super middleweight, but it has to be somebody who has a title or who is relevant."
Hopkins said he recalls Golovkin mentioning his name so he'd be willing to do that.
"He has nobody to fight who anybody cares about," Hopkins said. "It would be the best teaching to a student other than what I did to Kelly Pavlik. But I think Triple G is better than Kelly Pavlik. I can fight at 168 with no problem."
Another name Hopkins mentioned was unified titlist Carl Froch, the Englishman who badly wants to have a major fight in Las Vegas.
"Froch is a big fight that I think people would be interested in," Hopkins said. "It wouldn't be an easy fight, but it would be a good fight that would be challenging for both of us. I would entertain that. No problem. That would be something I could get up for. He's a credible guy and that's one of the guys that I'd like to fight if I'm going to do something special, if I do one more fight, two more fights -- nothing I can see past that -- that would be a good fight."
Hopkins, of course, has nothing left to prove. He has a historic legacy. He will be a surefire Hall of Famer. He said he has millions of dollars in the bank and in numerous conservative investments, including numerous real estate holdings that generate monthly income.
He likes to brag that after making tens of millions in his career he and his family -- his wife, 15-year-old daughter and 3-year-old son -- can easily live off the interest.
He also is set up for success after boxing besides his wealth. He is heavily involved working as a promoter (and shareholder) of Golden Boy Promotions, and will celebrate his birthday in Las Vegas, where the company is co-promoting the Bermane Stiverne-Deontay Wilder heavyweight title fight Saturday night at the MGM Grand.
Hopkins also said he has gotten a lot of interest from companies seeking his services as a motivational speaker. And he also believes his story -- from the jailhouse as a convicted felon for armed robbery as a young man to boxing legend -- would make for a great Hollywood movie.
So, why the unquenchable desire to keep fighting, at least for a little longer?
"I want to do a big fight at 50 years old because it's historic," Hopkins said. "Nobody ever done it on this level. And that's what I see as a milestone. That's something that gets my juices flowing. Anything else is a waste of everyone's time and my time. I'm really serious about it.
"I made history so many times. I am addicted to it."