Light-heavyweight boxing champion Bernard Hopkins has been described as "beastly," "otherworldly" and "gruesome". He has called himself "The Executioner" for his penchant for mowing down his opponents to the ground. And he has done so for over 20 years.

Now 48, the boxing legend has a new explanation for his staying power.

He is, in fact, an alien. Of the extraterrestrial, not of the legal or illegal type.

Hopkins made those remarks in the run-up to his heavily-promoted fight against Iraq-born German fighter Karo Murat to defend his title.

"I am an alien because I am of this world, but I'm not from this world," he proclaimed in a Huffington Post interview on Thursday. In a recent workout in Philadelphia, Hopkins donned a gray mask with egg-shaped, purple eyes while taking on a punching bag.

On Sunday morning (Australia time), Hopkins came down from his mother ship, sort of, when he made a dramatic entrance in an alien costume.

Boxing blogger Alex McClintock tweeted:

I will see your quirky sports story and raise you a 48-year-old Bernard Hopkins in an alien costume pic.twitter.com/mJUB8cxrUa

— Alex McClintock (@axmcc) October 27, 2013

Hopkins took advantage of the shock-and-awe factor, never letting Murat threaten seriously. He was able to get his opponent off his fight plan and showed that he could still mix it up inside even at his age. In fact, in one sequence that saw Murat slip, Hopkins still found time to go to his foe's corner to talk trash. Hopkins won the bout via an unanimous decision, 117-110, 119-108 and 119-108, becoming the oldest fighter to ever successfully defend his world title.

The defending light-heavyweight champ is reportedly eyeing a bout with Floyd Mayweather, Jr. next. Mayweather is coming off a dominant decision win over Saul "Canelo" Alvarez. The Hopkins-Mayweather fight will be a catchweight, and Hopkins has long been vocal about wanting a shot at the still-undefeated welterweight champ.

Watch the Hopkins-Murat highlights below:

 Embed source: Free Sports Live Stream