EPISODE 4 OF JIM ROME ON SHOWTIME PREMIERES TONIGHT AT 10 P.M. ET/PT ON SHOWTIME®
Rome Goes One-On-One With Bernard Hopkins, Kevin Durant, Josh Cribbs and Jared Allen; Bill Cowher, Harry Edwards and Ron Shelton Join Jim Rome in The Forum
LOS ANGELES (Dec. 12, 2012) – This week on JIM ROME ON SHOWTIME former boxing world champion Bernard Hopkins joins the program via satellite to give his take on the future of Manny Pacquiao’s career after the devastating knockout he suffered last Saturday night. Hopkins also speaks about the return of boxing to CBS for the first time in 15 years on Saturday. Episode four premieres tonight, Wednesday, December 12 at 10 p.m. ET/PT on SHOWTIME.
Also on the episode, Super Bowl winning coach and current CBS analyst Bill Cowher, professor, sociologist and author Dr. Harry Edwards, and acclaimed film director/screenwriter Ron Shelton join host Jim Rome in an open forum on today’s hottest sports topics.
Additionally, Rome conducts one-on-one interviews withOklahoma City Thunder star Kevin Durant and Cleveland Browns wide receiver and kick returner Josh Cribbs. Plus, Rome dishes out “10 Questions” to Minnesota Vikings defensive lineman Jared Allen.
JIM ROME ON SHOWTIME, in its first season on SHOWTIME, airs Wednesdays with multiple replays each week on SHOWTIME and SHOWTIME EXTREME® and availability on SHOWTIME ON DEMAND.
Following are excerpts from this week’s episode:
BERNARD HOPKINS INTERVIEW
On the punch that sent boxing legend Manny Pacquiao face first into the canvas last Saturday night…
ROME: Is that the type of punch that ends careers?
HOPKINS: Absolutely. That’s the type of punch that takes more than one fight out of you. It takes a couple of fights out of you. It’s one of those types of knockouts that you can recover from in life, but I don’t think you can recover fully in the sport. That was a devastating knockout that has a long-term effect…. I know when you see a guy get knocked out and hit in that way, they are considered damaged goods and they live up to that title.
ROME: So it sounds like you would advise him to retire.
HOPKINS: I would advise him to grab his wife and kids and take a long vacation. Take a long year off. Regroup physically, mentally, spiritually and then you make the decision there. Truthfully it was such a devastating knockout that I don’t think he will ever be the Pacquiao that he was.
ROME: Boxing returns to CBS after 15 years on Saturday night. You won the last fight on CBS back in 1997. What kind of boost do you think the network presence will give the sport?
HOPKINS: To me that’s what we’ve been missing. Corporate America ran from boxing for many reasons. But now they’re coming back. I’m so glad that not only Golden Boy, but other promoters have good relationships with these networks. This is something great. I remember growing up and watching boxing on “Wide World of Sports.”
JOSH CRIBBS INTERVIEW
ROME: What do you think about the proposed kickoff rule change?
CRIBBS: I’m upset that’s it’s even being discussed. The tradition and the history of the NFL wouldn’t be the same without a kickoff. I’m disturbed that this is even being talked about or considered by our commissioner to mess up such a great game as the NFL.
ROME: Are returning punts any safer than returning kicks?
CRIBBS: No. Not at all. The thing about punts is that you have one guy standing back there by himself and people are still coming at you full speed. There will still be collisions and there will still be injuries. If you get rid of kickoffs and punts then we’ll just have offense and defense and we’ll just have intramurals.
ROME: The 4th-and-15, is that a suitable replacement. Is that a fair and equitable swap?
CRIBBS: Definitely not. I guarantee if you talk to some players around the league it will gain some laughter. That’s just what it is: A joke. It’s a terrible travesty and I don’t know why they would even be considering this for our great NFL league.
KEVIN DURANT INTERVIEW
ROME: What’s the biggest thing you take away from Kobe Bryant?
DURANT: Just how hard he plays and how much he demands from his teammates. He has no friends and that’s the type of approach I have to take and that’s what I’m doing right now.
ROME: You have said people want you and LeBron James to hate each other. Why do you think that is?
DURANT: People always tell me (Larry) Bird and Magic (Johnson) didn’t like each other and people try to compare us with them. But I don’t play on hate. I play to compete and win. That’s what I’m about.
10 QUESTIONS WITH JARED ALLEN
ROME: If you become commissioner of the NFL, if you could, what changes would Commissioner Allen make first?
ALLEN: I’d probably undo everything that Roger Goodell has done. I’d get football back to its rawest, simplest form and just, you know, take all these horse collar tackles and all these so-called illegal hits out and just get back to football at its rawest form.
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