Bernard Hopkins

From Infogalactic: the planetary knowledge core
Jump to: navigation, search
Bernard Hopkins
File:Bernard Hopkins making a speech at the United States Capitol, Feb. 2014.jpg
Hopkins making a speech at the United States Capitol in February 2014 at a summit organized by the Lou Ruvo Center for Brain Health
Statistics
Real name Bernard Humphrey Hopkins, Jr.
Nickname(s) The Executioner
The Alien[1]
B-Hop
Rated at Middleweight
Light heavyweight
Height 1.85 m (6 ft 1 in)
Reach 191 cm (75 in)
Nationality American
Born (1965-01-15) January 15, 1965 (age 59)
Philadelphia,
Pennsylvania, U.S.
Stance Orthodox
Boxing record
Total fights 66
Wins 55
Wins by KO 32
Losses 7
Draws 2
No contests 2

Bernard Humphrey Hopkins, Jr. (born January 15, 1965) is an American professional boxer who currently fights at light heavyweight and previously at middleweight.

Hopkins reigned as world middleweight titlist from 1994 until 2005, unifying and successfully defending his title a record 20 times. He won the International Boxing Federation title in 1994, then added the World Boxing Council, World Boxing Association, and The Ring titles in 2001 and became the first man to hold all four major sanctioning bodies' titles when he won the World Boxing Organization title in 2004. The Ring ranked him #3 on their list of the "10 best middleweight title holders of the last 50 years."[2]

After losing his title to Jermain Taylor in 2005 and failing to regain it in a rematch, Hopkins moved up to light heavyweight and won the Ring and International Boxing Organization titles from Antonio Tarver at 42 years of age, making two defenses of the Ring title before losing it to Joe Calzaghe. Three years later, Hopkins defeated Jean Pascal for the WBC title and broke George Foreman's record for oldest fighter to ever win a world championship at the age of 46. Hopkins later broke his own record by winning the IBF title from Tavoris Cloud in 2013 and again in 2014 when he won the WBA title from Beibut Shumenov at age 48 and 49, respectively.[3]

Nicknamed "The Executioner," and later "The Alien," Hopkins is a highly strategic and defensive boxer, known for carrying good speed and power along with counterpunching skills. Hopkins credits mastering the boxing fundamentals and a great defense for his longevity in the sport. He is also a very seasoned fighter, being able to take advantage of a wide variety of situations in the ring and implement rough and dirty tactics while fighting on the inside or in a clinch.[4][5][6][7]

In addition to being an active boxer, Hopkins is also a minority partner with Golden Boy Promotions.

Background

Born to Bernard Hopkins, Sr. and his wife Shirley, Bernard grew up with his family in the Raymond Rosen housing project in Philadelphia. Hopkins turned to crime early in his life. By the age of thirteen he was mugging people and had been stabbed three times. At seventeen, Hopkins was sentenced to 18 years in Graterford Prison for nine felonies. While in prison he witnessed the murder of another inmate in an argument over a pack of cigarettes, but also discovered his passion for boxing. After serving almost five years, Hopkins was released from prison in 1988. He then decided to use boxing as an escape from his previous life, and converted to Islam.[8] While Hopkins was leaving the prison for the final time, the warden told him he'd "see [Hopkins] again when you wind up back in here," to which Hopkins replied "I ain't ever coming back here."[9]

Professional career

File:Bernard Hopkins 2010.jpg
Bernard Hopkins 2010

Hopkins immediately joined the professional boxing ranks as a light heavyweight, losing his debut on October 11, 1988, in Atlantic City, New Jersey to Clinton Mitchell. After a sixteen-month layoff, he resumed his career as a middleweight, winning a unanimous decision over Greg Paige at the Blue Horizon on February 22, 1990.

Between February 1990 and December 1992, Hopkins scored 21 wins without a loss. He won 16 of those fights by knockout, 12 coming in the first round.

Hopkins vs. Jones I

Hopkins met Roy Jones on May 22, 1993 for the vacant IBF Middleweight title. Hopkins was out-pointed throughout most of the fight, en route to losing a unanimous decision. All three judges scored the fight 116–112 for Jones.

Middleweight Title

The IBF came again knocking at Hopkins's door on December 17 of that year, matching him with Segundo Mercado in Mercado's hometown of Quito, Ecuador. Mercado knocked Hopkins down twice before Hopkins rallied late and earned a draw. It has been argued that Hopkins was also not properly acclimated to the altitude of nearly 10,000 feet.[10]

The IBF called for an immediate rematch, and on April 29, 1995, Hopkins became a world champion with a seventh-round technical knockout victory in Landover, Maryland.

In his first title defense he defeated Steve Frank, whom he stopped in twenty-four seconds. By the end of 2000, he had defended the IBF title 12 times without a loss, while beating such standouts as John David Jackson, Glen Johnson (undefeated at the time), Simon Brown, and Antwun Echols.

2001 Middleweight Tournament

The arrival of former welterweight and light middleweight champion Félix Trinidad into the middleweight ranks set off a series of unification fights between major middleweight title-holders. The boxers involved in the tournament would be reigning IBF champion Bernard Hopkins, WBC champion Keith Holmes, WBA champion William Joppy, and Félix Trinidad.

Hopkins vs Holmes

On April 14, 2001, Hopkins won a unanimous decision over WBC champion Keith Holmes in New York City. Trinidad, however, knocked out Middleweight mainstay William Joppy in an impressive five rounds.[11] This led to many to believe that Felix Trinidad was simply too much, too strong for Bernard Hopkins.[12]

Hopkins vs Trinidad

<templatestyles src="Module:Hatnote/styles.css"></templatestyles>

Then, on September 29, 2001, WBA champion Trinidad challenged Hopkins for middleweight unification in Madison Square Garden.

For the first time in many years, Hopkins was an underdog in the betting, which led the confident Hopkins to place a $100,000 bet on himself to win the bout. (The $100K came from a sponsorship deal Hopkins had with online casino site Golden Palace; Hopkins even had the GoldenPalace.com website displayed on his back for the fight.[13]) During promotion for the bout, Hopkins caused huge controversy by throwing the Puerto Rico flag on the floor in press conferences in both New York and Puerto Rico, the latter conference leading to a riot in which Hopkins had to be run to safety from the angry mob.[14]

During the fight, Hopkins was on his way to a lopsided decision victory when, in the 12th and final round, he floored Trinidad. Referee Steve Smoger called a halt to the fight after Trinidad's father (who was also his trainer) entered the ring to stop the fight. It was the first loss of Trinidad's career, and it made Hopkins the first undisputed world middleweight champion since Marvin Hagler in 1987. 'The Ring' magazine and the 'World Boxing Hall of Fame' named Hopkins as the 2001 Fighter of the Year.

He defended the undisputed title six times. Hopkins bested Carl Daniels on February 2 surpassing Carlos Monzon's division record of 14 defenses, 2002, by tenth-round technical knockout; Morrade Hakkar on March 29, 2003, by eighth-round TKO; William Joppy on December 13, 2003, by unanimous decision; and Robert Allen on June 5, 2004, also by unanimous decision.

Hopkins vs. De La Hoya

<templatestyles src="Module:Hatnote/styles.css"></templatestyles>

In the highest-paying fight of his career, Hopkins fought six-division titleholder Oscar de la Hoya for the undisputed middleweight championship on September 18, 2004, in Las Vegas. They fought at a catch weight of 158 lbs, two pounds below the middleweight limit of 160 lbs.[15] Hopkins won the bout by knockout in the ninth round with a left hook to the body and thus became the first boxer ever to unify the titles of all four major sanctioning bodies. At the time of the stoppage, Hopkins was ahead on two of the scorecards, with De La Hoya ahead on the other.[16] Hopkins earned a career high of $10 million and De La Hoya made $30 million.

In November 2004, De la Hoya invited Hopkins to join his boxing promotional firm, Golden Boy Promotions, as president of its new East Coast chapter.

At 40 years old, an age at which most boxers are retired, Hopkins reached the middleweight record of 20 title defenses on February 19, 2005, against ranked #1 WBC contender Howard Eastman, the European middleweight champion. Hopkins dominated the fight from start to finish, winning 119–110, 117–111 and 116–112.

Hopkins vs Taylor

<templatestyles src="Module:Hatnote/styles.css"></templatestyles>

In his next fight on July 16, 2005, Hopkins lost his undisputed middleweight championship to Jermain Taylor via a split decision. Hopkins started slowly but came on strong over the final four rounds. Many press row writers scored the fight for Hopkins.[17]

Light Heavyweight

Hopkins vs. Tarver

Following his two losses to Jermain Taylor, Hopkins at 41 decided not to retire and made the decision to jump two weight divisions to face off against The Ring light heavyweight champion Antonio Tarver on June 10, 2006. Going into the fight, Tarver was a 3-to-1 favorite and had been the first man ever to TKO Roy Jones Jr. Many now placed Tarver among the sports top competitors. He was constantly ranked in the P4P rankings. However, Bernard Hopkins picked up a lopsided unanimous decision, scoring 118–109 on all three judges scorecards.

Antonio Tarver also lost a $250,000 bet with Hopkins, after he failed to stop Hopkins in the first six rounds.[18]

Hopkins vs Wright

On July 21, 2007, at the Mandalay Bay Resort & Casino in Las Vegas, Hopkins defended The Ring light heavyweight championship against former undisputed junior middleweight champion Winky Wright. During the weigh-in, Hopkins shoved Wright with an open-hand to the face, igniting a brawl between both fighters' entourages.[19] Hopkins was fined $200,000 for instigating the brawl.[20] Hopkins prevailed with a unanimous decision victory by scores of 117–111, 117–111 and 116–112.[21]

Hopkins vs Calzaghe

<templatestyles src="Module:Hatnote/styles.css"></templatestyles>

On April 19, 2008, at the Thomas & Mack Center in Las Vegas, Hopkins lost The Ring light heavyweight title to Joe Calzaghe via split decision (116–111 and 115–112 for Joe Calzaghe; 114–113 for Hopkins). Hopkins started the fight well, dropping Joe Calzaghe in the first round and using his ring savvy to confuse the challenger. Calzaghe caught up in the later rounds and won on a split decision.

Hopkins vs Pavlik

<templatestyles src="Module:Hatnote/styles.css"></templatestyles>

On October 18, 2008, Hopkins met middleweight champion Kelly Pavlik in a non-title fight at a catch-weight of 170 lbs. Fans and pundits alike felt that knockout king Kelly Pavlik would become the first man to knock Hopkins out. Pavlik was a 4–1 betting favourite heading into the contest. On the night of the fight, Hopkins turned back the clock to produce a performance he claimed to be the best of his career winning a unanimous decision (117–109, 119–106, 118–108) over the undefeated Pavlik. Hopkins prepared for this fight in the late summer heat at his second home, Danny Hawk's "World Famous" Normandy Gym in Miami Beach, FL.

During the Ricky Hatton vs. Manny Pacquiao media conferences before their fight on May 3, 2009, Bernard Hopkins stated he would be "interested" in a proposed fight with British super middleweight champion Carl Froch.

On December 2, 2009, Bernard Hopkins fought in his home city of Philadelphia for the first time since 2003 beating Enrique Ornelas via 12-round unanimous decision (120–109, 119–109 & 118–110) in what served as a tune-up bout for the 44-year-old Hopkins who had not fought since his October 18, 2008 12-round upset victory over undisputed middleweight champion, Kelly Pavlik.

The bout was supposed to be a tune-up for a scheduled March 13, 2010 rematch with Roy Jones, Jr. The rematch was later postponed as a result of Jones, Jr. falling to a first round technical knockout loss to Australian, Danny Green.

Hopkins vs. Jones II

<templatestyles src="Module:Hatnote/styles.css"></templatestyles>

Hopkins and old foe Roy Jones Jr. agreed to fight in a rematch on April 3, 2010 at the Mandalay Bay Events Center in Las Vegas. The two boxers fought again 17 years after their first bout in 1993. Hopkins defeated Jones by a unanimous decision in a 12-round bout marred by illegal blows and a skirmish at the end of the sixth round involving ring entourage, the referee and security guards. Judges Don Trella and Glenn Trowbridge scored it 117–110 for Hopkins, while Dave Moretti favored him 118–109. The Associated Press had it 119–108, scoring 11 of 12 rounds for Hopkins.[22]

He then challenged WBA Heavyweight Champion David Haye who had successfully defended his title against John Ruiz.[23] Following Hopkins challenge, Haye ruled out the fight stating Bernard was only looking for a payday.[24] Hopkins later stated his intentions to fight Lucian Bute following Bute's third round technical knockout victory over Edison Miranda. Golden Boy Promotions also tried to approach retired boxer Joe Calzaghe for a potential rematch in 2010, but Calzaghe, who stated he no longer had the appetite, turned the offer down.[25]

Hopkins vs. Pascal I & II

File:Pascal vs Hopkins 5081.jpg
Pascal defending versus Hopkins.

<templatestyles src="Module:Hatnote/styles.css"></templatestyles>

At 45 years old, Hopkins fought Lineal/WBC/The Ring light-heavyweight champion Jean Pascal on December 18, 2010 at the Colisée Pepsi in Quebec City, Quebec, Canada. The bout ended in a majority draw decision. Judge Steve Morrow had it 114–112 for Hopkins, but was overruled by Claude Paquette (113–113) and Daniel Van de Wiele (114–114).[26] Following the controversy of the fight, WBC chairman Jose Sulaiman sanctioned an immediate rematch.

<templatestyles src="Module:Hatnote/styles.css"></templatestyles>

On May 21, 2011, at the Bell Centre in Montreal, Canada, Hopkins defeated Pascal by unanimous decision to capture the Lineal/WBC/The Ring light-heavyweight championships.[27][28] The official scores were 115–113, 116–112 and 115–114.[29] With the win, Hopkins became the oldest man in the history of the sport to win a major world title, supplanting George Foreman, who had previously held the distinction after his knockout victory over Michael Moorer.[30] Hopkins won at 46 years, 4 months, 6 days, while Foreman was 45 years, 10 months. After the bout, ESPN columnist Dan Rafael stated: "Bernard Hopkins already had lived several boxing lifetimes, but he was born yet again in Saturday's decision over Jean Pascal, becoming the oldest champion in history."[30]

Hopkins vs. Dawson I & II

<templatestyles src="Module:Hatnote/styles.css"></templatestyles>

Hopkins told the world of boxing that his next fight was going to be against former champion Chad Dawson. They fought on October 15, 2011. Hopkins lost via TKO for being unable to continue after injuring his shoulder when Dawson threw him off of his back.

After an investigation by the WBC following a protest filed by Oscar De La Hoya, the WBC ruled that Dawson intentionally fouled Hopkins and returned the belt to Hopkins. The Ring magazine also decided to continue to recognize Hopkins as their champion pending the California State Athletic Commission's ruling on a protest filed on behalf of Hopkins.[31] Also on December 13, California State Athletic Commission (CSAC) has ruled that the decision will be overturned to a no-contest upon official review and the testimony of referee of the bout, Pat Russell.[32]

A rematch with Dawson was set for April 28, 2012. Hopkins lost the bout via majority decision. Hopkins would not fight again in 2012, making it the first calendar year since 1989 that he did not win a fight.

Hopkins vs. Cloud

Hopkins would make his return to the ring on March 9, 2013 at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, against IBF Light Heavyweight Champion and Ring No. 2 ranked Light Heavyweight, Tavoris Cloud. Hopkins broke his own record becoming the oldest man in the history of the sport to win a major world boxing title, by defeating Cloud by unanimous decision.

Hopkins vs. Murat

Hopkins defended the IBF Light Heavyweight Championship against Karo Murat on October 26, 2013. The mandatory title defense was originally scheduled for July 13, 2013, but was later postponed due to visa issues for Murat. In the meantime, the IBF originally made Sergey Kovalev Hopkins's new mandatory challenger, but Kovalev instead faced and beat then WBO champion Nathan Cleverly to win the title, so Murat was reinstated as the IBF mandatory challenger and the bout was rescheduled for October 26, 2013.[33] Hopkins won by unanimous decision with two scores of 119–108 and one of 117–110.[34]

Hopkins vs. Shumenov

Hopkins fought Beibut Shumenov in a championship unification bout on April 19, 2014, where Hopkins would be defending the IBF Light Heavyweight title and Shumenov would be defending the WBA Super and IBA Light Heavyweight titles, the latter not on the line for Hopkins. On fight night Hopkins knocked down Shumenov with a jab and followed with a powerful overhand right that nailed Shumenov on the side of the head and dropped him with only less than two minutes left in the round. Hopkins won by split decision with scores of 113-114, 116-111 and 116-111, becoming the oldest boxer in history to unify titles in a weight division.[35]

Hopkins vs. Kovalev

Shortly after Sergey Kovalev defeated Blake Caparello in a second round knockout on August 2, 2014, Hopkins announced he would face the former in a match where his WBA Super and IBF titles would be on the line against Kovalev's WBO title. The match was signed after neither fighter could secure a contest with WBC and lineal champion Adonis Stevenson. The fight took place at Boardwalk Hall in Atlantic City on November 8, 2014 and was televised by HBO; this marked the end of a feud between Hopkins' promoter Golden Boy Promotions and the network which saw HBO cut ties with Golden Boy fighters.

In a one-sided fight, Hopkins was knocked down in the first round by Kovalev. Although he became the first fighter to take Kovalev past eight rounds, Hopkins lost every single round on all three judges' scorecards and took a 120-107, 120-107, 120-106 unanimous decision defeat, losing his titles.[36]

Timeline championship

Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.

Professional boxing record

55 Wins (32 knockouts), 7 Losses, 2 Draws, 2 No Contests[37]
Res. Record Opponent Type Rd., Time Date Location Notes
Loss 55–7–2 (2) Russia Sergey Kovalev UD 12 2014-11-08 United States Boardwalk Hall, Atlantic City, New Jersey Lost IBF & WBA (Super) Light Heavyweight titles.
For WBO Light Heavyweight title.
Win 55–6–2 (2) Kazakhstan Beibut Shumenov SD 12 2014-04-19 United States D.C. Armory, Washington, D.C. Retained IBF Light Heavyweight title.
Won WBA (Super) Light Heavyweight title.
Win 54–6–2 (2) Germany Karo Murat UD 12 2013-10-26 United States Boardwalk Hall, Atlantic City, New Jersey Retained IBF Light Heavyweight title.
Win 53–6–2 (2) United States Tavoris Cloud UD 12 2013-03-09 United States Barclays Center, Brooklyn, New York Won IBF Light Heavyweight title.
Loss 52–6–2 (2) United States Chad Dawson MD 12 2012-04-28 United States Boardwalk Hall, Atlantic City, New Jersey Lost WBC & The Ring Light Heavyweight titles.
NC 52–5–2 (2) United States Chad Dawson NC 2 (12), 2:48 2011-10-15 United States Staples Center, Los Angeles, California Retained WBC & The Ring Light Heavyweight titles.
Win 52–5–2 (1) Canada Jean Pascal UD 12 2011-05-21 Canada Bell Centre, Montreal, Quebec Won WBC, IBO & The Ring Light Heavyweight titles.
Draw 51–5–2 (1) Canada Jean Pascal MD 12 2010-12-18 Canada Pepsi Coliseum, Quebec City, Quebec For WBC, IBO & The Ring Light Heavyweight titles.
Win 51–5–1 (1) United States Roy Jones, Jr. UD 12 2010-04-03 United States Mandalay Bay Events Center, Las Vegas, Nevada
Win 50–5–1 (1) Mexico Enrique Ornelas UD 12 2009-12-02 United States Liacouras Center, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Win 49–5–1 (1) United States Kelly Pavlik UD 12 2008-10-18 United States Boardwalk Hall, Atlantic City, New Jersey
Loss 48–5–1 (1) United Kingdom Joe Calzaghe SD 12 2008-04-19 United States Thomas & Mack Center, Las Vegas, Nevada Lost The Ring Light Heavyweight title.
Win 48–4–1 (1) United States Winky Wright UD 12 2007-07-21 United States Mandalay Bay Events Center, Las Vegas, Nevada Retained The Ring Light Heavyweight title.
Win 47–4–1 (1) United States Antonio Tarver UD 12 2006-06-10 United States Boardwalk Hall, Atlantic City, New Jersey Won IBO & The Ring Light Heavyweight titles.
Loss 46–4–1 (1) United States Jermain Taylor UD 12 2005-12-03 United States Mandalay Bay Events Center, Las Vegas, Nevada For WBC, WBA (Super), WBO & The Ring Middleweight titles.
Loss 46–3–1 (1) United States Jermain Taylor SD 12 2005-07-16 United States MGM Grand Hotel & Casino, Las Vegas, Nevada Lost IBF, WBC, WBA (Super), WBO & The Ring Middleweight titles.
Win 46–2–1 (1) United Kingdom Howard Eastman UD 12 2005-02-19 United States Staples Center, Los Angeles, California Retained IBF, WBC, WBA (Super), WBO & The Ring Middleweight titles.
Win 45–2–1 (1) United States Oscar De La Hoya KO 9 (12), 1:38 2004-09-18 United States MGM Grand Hotel & Casino, Las Vegas, Nevada Retained IBF, WBC, WBA (Super) & The Ring Middleweight titles.
Won WBO Middleweight title.
Win 44–2–1 (1) United States Robert Allen UD 12 2004-06-05 United States MGM Grand Hotel & Casino, Las Vegas, Nevada Retained IBF, WBC, WBA (Super) & The Ring Middleweight titles.
Win 43–2–1 (1) United States William Joppy UD 12 2003-12-13 United States Boardwalk Hall, Atlantic City, New Jersey Retained IBF, WBC, WBA (Super) & The Ring Middleweight titles.
Win 42–2–1 (1) France Morrade Hakkar TKO 8 (12), 3:00 2003-03-29 United States Spectrum, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania Retained IBF, WBC, WBA (Super) & The Ring Middleweight titles.
Win 41–2–1 (1) United States Carl Daniels TKO 10 (12), 3:00 2002-02-02 United States Sovereign Center, Reading, Pennsylvania Retained IBF, WBC, WBA (Super) & The Ring Middleweight titles.
Win 40–2–1 (1) Puerto Rico Félix Trinidad TKO 12 (12), 1:18 2001-09-29 United States Madison Square Garden, New York City, New York Retained IBF and WBC Middleweight titles.
Won WBA (Super) & vacant The Ring Middleweight titles.
Win 39–2–1 (1) United States Keith Holmes UD 12 2001-04-14 United States Madison Square Garden, New York City, New York Retained IBF Middleweight title.
Won WBC Middleweight title.
Win 38–2–1 (1) United States Antwun Echols TKO 11 (12), 1:42 2000-12-01 United States The Venetian Resort Hotel Casino, Las Vegas, Nevada Retained IBF Middleweight title.
Win 37–2–1 (1) Canada Syd Vanderpool UD 12 2000-05-13 United States Conseco Fieldhouse, Indianapolis, Indiana Retained IBF Middleweight title.
Win 36–2–1 (1) United States Antwun Echols UD 12 1999-12-12 United States Miccosukee Resort & Gaming, Miami Retained IBF Middleweight title.
Win 35–2–1 (1) United States Robert Allen TKO 7 (12), 1:18 1999-02-06 United States Washington Convention Center, Washington, D.C. Retained IBF Middleweight title.
NC 34–2–1 (1) United States Robert Allen NC 4 (12), 2:57 1998-08-28 United States Las Vegas Hilton, Las Vegas, Nevada Retained IBF Middleweight title.
Win 34–2–1 United States Simon Brown TKO 6 (12), 1:00 1998-01-31 United States Trump Taj Mahal, Atlantic City, New Jersey Retained IBF Middleweight title.
Win 33–2–1 United States Andrew Council UD 12 1997-11-18 United States The Show Place Arena, Upper Marlboro, Maryland Retained IBF Middleweight title.
Win 32–2–1 Jamaica Glen Johnson TKO 11 (12), 1:23 1997-07-20 United States Fantasy Springs Resort Casino, Indio, California Retained IBF Middleweight title.
Win 31–2–1 United States John David Jackson TKO 7 (12), 2:22 1997-04-19 United States Memorial Auditorium, Shreveport, Louisiana Retained IBF Middleweight title.
Win 30–2–1 United States William Bo James TKO 11 (12), 2:02 1996-07-16 United States Resorts Casino Hotel, Atlantic City, New Jersey Retained IBF Middleweight title.
Win 29–2–1 United States Joe Lipsey KO 4 (12), 2:50 1996-03-16 United States MGM Grand Hotel & Casino, Las Vegas, Nevada Retained IBF Middleweight title.
Win 28–2–1 Guyana Steve Frank TKO 1 (12), 0:24 1996-01-27 United States Arizona Veterans Memorial Coliseum, Phoenix, Arizona Retained IBF Middleweight title.
Win 27–2–1 Ecuador Segundo Mercado TKO 7 (12), 1:10 1995-04-29 United States USAir Arena, Landover, Maryland Won vacant IBF Middleweight title.
Draw 26–2–1 Ecuador Segundo Mercado SD 12 1994-12-17 Ecuador Coliseo General Rumiñahui, Quito For vacant IBF Middleweight title.
Win 26–2 Mexico Lupe Aquino UD 12 1994-05-17 United States Resorts Casino Hotel, Atlantic City, New Jersey Retained USBA Middleweight title.
Win 25–2 United States Melvin Wynn TKO 3 (10), 0:48 1994-02-26 United States The Sands Casino Hotel, Atlantic City, New Jersey
Win 24–2 United States Wendall Hall TKO 3 (12), 0:28 1993-11-23 United States The Blue Horizon, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania Retained USBA Middleweight title.
Win 23–2 United States Roy Ritchie TKO 7 (12), 1:47 1993-08-03 United States Riviera Hotel Casino, Las Vegas, Nevada Retained USBA Middleweight title.
Loss 22–2 United States Roy Jones, Jr. UD 12 1993-05-22 United States RFK Memorial Stadium, Washington, D.C. For vacant IBF Middleweight title.
Win 22–1 United States Gilbert Baptist UD 12 1993-02-16 United States McNichols Sports Arena, Denver, Colorado Retained USBA Middleweight title.
Win 21–1 United States Wayne Powell TKO 1 (12), 0:21 1992-12-04 United States Resorts Casino Hotel, Atlantic City, New Jersey Won vacant USBA Middleweight title.
Win 20–1 United States Eric Rhinehart KO 1 (10), 1:47 1992-09-14 United States Eli's Pier 34, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania[38]
Win 19–1 United States James Stokes KO 1 (10) 1992-08-28 United States Trump Plaza, Atlantic City, New Jersey
Win 18–1 Colombia Anibal Miranda PTS 10 1992-05-21 France Paris, Île-de-France
Win 17–1 United States Randy Smith UD 10 1992-04-03 United States Trump Plaza, Atlantic City, New Jersey
Win 16–1 United States Dennis Milton TKO 4 (10) 1992-01-31 United States The Blue Horizon, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Win 15–1 United States Willie Kemp UD 10) 1991-12-13 United States Convention Center, Atlantic City, New Jersey
Win 14–1 United States David McCluskey TKO 7 (10) 1991-11-26 United States Blue Horizon, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Win 13–1 United States Ralph Moncrief TKO 1 (10), 1:28 1991-09-23 United States Blue Horizon, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Win 12–1 United States Danny Mitchell KO 1 (8) 1991-07-09 United States Blue Horizon, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Win 11–1 United States Pedro Marquez TKO 1 (?) 1991-06-20 United States Parsippany, New Jersey
Win 10–1 United States Steve Langley TKO 1 (?), 1:10 1991-03-18 United States Mirage Hotel & Casino, Las Vegas, Nevada
Win 9–1 United States Richard Quiles KO 1 (6) 1991-02-26 United States National Guard Armory, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Win 8–1 United States Mike Sapp TKO 1 (6) 1990-11-17 United States National Guard Armory, Fort Myers, Florida
Win 7–1 United States Darren Oliver TKO 1 (6) 1990-10-20 United States Trump Plaza, Atlantic City, New Jersey
Win 6–1 United States Percy Harris UD 6 1990-08-05 United States Convention Center, Atlantic City, New Jersey
Win 5–1 United States Khalif Shabazz KO 1 (6) 1990-06-30 United States Trump Castle, Atlantic City, New Jersey
Win 4–1 United States Jouvin Mercado TKO 2 (4) 1990-05-31 United States War Memorial Auditorium, Rochester, New York
Win 3–1 United States Eddie Tyler TKO 1 (?) 1990-05-18 United States Sands Casino Hotel, Atlantic City, New Jersey
Win 2–1 United States Keith Gray TKO 1 (?) 1990-02-22 United States Blue Horizon Hotel, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Win 1–1 United States Greg Paige UD 4 1990-02-22 United States Blue Horizon Hotel, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Loss 0–1 United States Clinton Mitchell MD 4 1988-10-11 United States Resorts Hotel, Atlantic City, New Jersey Professional debut.

Pay-per-view bouts

Date Fight Billing Buys Revenue
September 29, 2001 Trinidad vs. Hopkins And Then There Was One 475,000 $20.4m
September 18, 2004 De La Hoya vs. Hopkins It's History 1,000,000 $56m
July 16, 2005 Hopkins vs. Taylor Next In Line 370,000 $17.5m
December 3, 2005 Taylor vs. Hopkins II No Respect 410,000 $20.5m
June 10, 2006 Tarver vs. Hopkins Fight To The Finish 330,000 $16.5m
July 21, 2007 Hopkins vs. Wright Coming To Fight 330,000 $16.5m
April 3, 2010 Hopkins vs. Jones II The Rivals 150,000 $7.5m
Total
7 Pay Per View Fights
3,065,000
$154.9m

Coaches

Hopkins has been coached by Philadelphia-based English "Bouie" Fisher from 1989 until their split in 2002 which resulted in Fisher taking Hopkins to court, claiming he was underpaid by $255,000. They re-united in 2003, but split again in 2005, again with Fisher claiming to be underpaid, this time to the tune of $200,000. Naazim Richardson, Fishers long-term assistant took over as Hopkins' head coach from 2005. Fisher won the Eddie Futch-John F.X. Condon Award, awarded by the Boxing Writers Association of America, for Trainer of the Year in 2001. Bouie died aged 83 in June 2011.

Controversy

On December 7, 2007, Hopkins and Calzaghe met face to face in the media room set up for the Floyd Mayweather, Jr. vs. Ricky Hatton fight. Hopkins and Calzaghe began shouting insults and taunting each other, with Hopkins shouting, "You're not even in my league! I would never let a white boy beat me. I would never lose to a white boy. I couldn't go back to the projects if I let a white boy beat me." Hopkins would later explain his comments, saying that it was not meant to be taken as a racial slur or a reflection of his feelings on white fighters, but simply said to create some hype for his fight with Calzaghe.[citation needed] On January 23, 2008, the fight was officially announced to take place on April 19, 2008, at the Thomas & Mack Center in Las Vegas. Hopkins lost the fight.

In late 2010, Hopkins suggested that African American fighters who possessed what he described as a "slick" inner-city style of fighting would be successful against Filipino boxer Manny Pacquiao. "Maybe I'm biased because I'm black, but I think that this is what is said at people's homes and around the dinner table among black boxing fans and fighters. Most of them won't say it [in public] because they're not being real and they don't have the balls to say it. But I do think that a fighter like the Ray Leonards or anyone like that would beat a guy [like Pacquiao] if they come with their game. Listen, this ain't a racial thing, but then again, maybe it is. But the style that is embedded in most of us black fighters, that style could be a problem to any other style of fighting."[39][40]

On May 11, 2011, Hopkins questioned Minnesota Vikings quarterback Donovan McNabb's racial credentials in a Philadelphia Daily News online article. Marcus Hayes of The Philadelphia Inquirer reported that according to Hopkins, McNabb had a privileged childhood in suburban Chicago and, as a result, is not black enough or tough enough, at least compared with, say, himself, Michael Vick and Terrell Owens. Hopkins saying in part, "He's got a suntan. That's all... McNabb is the guy in the house, while everybody else is on the field... He's the one who got the extra coat. The extra servings . . . He thought he was one of them."[41]

In late 2013 he again suggested that African Americans possess a "slick" style of boxing which is superior to other styles (presumably practiced by non-African Americans). "The great Sugar Ray Leonard, right now, if he was boxing, the way that they want you to fight, the people that pull the strings of the puppet, he would be boring today. Ray Robinson – the great Robinson – would be boring today…Because the feeders of the people that buy entertainment. They're being fed that if they duck, don't buy it. If they're slick, and they beat [their opponent] nine out of the 12 rounds, and the guy just can't hit him because they were slick and smart enough to hit and not get hit, 'He's not crowd-pleasing, he don't sell tickets.' Because they done fed the followers and they done fed [that] to the customers. The customers will drink anything that you give them if it's promoted right…But when you take away the skill and you take away the slick, and you take away the boxing ability and say that's not entertaining, or that's not entertainment, then, to me, it's like trying to erase a culture that you know has dominated the sport way back then where you were slick. And I'm talking about black fighters. Yes, I said it," said Hopkins.[42]

See also

References

  1. Rafael, Dan (October 27, 2013) Hopkins otherworldly in decision win. ESPN.com
  2. Fischer, Doug. (September 30, 2011) 10: Best middleweight titleholders of the last 50 years | RingTV. Ringtv.craveonline.com. Retrieved on August 5, 2012.
  3. Hopkins vs Cloud live results: Round 12 – Bernard Hopkins wins unanimous decision to become oldest world champ ever. SBNation.com. Retrieved on November 20, 2013.
  4. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aH053p5IQg0
  5. http://www.doghouseboxing.com/Benz/Benz041212.htm
  6. http://www.secondsout.com/archive/anthony-evans/taylor-dirty-hopkins-is-no-great
  7. http://www.boxingscene.com/kovalev-explains-why-bernard-hopkins-dirty-fighter--83715
  8. Steve Bunce (November 11, 2001) The forgotten prince Guardian. Retrieved on July 29, 2009.
  9. Jake Donovan (July 15, 2005). "Still Waiting for Bernard Hopkins to Grow Old?" July 15, 2005.
  10. Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  11. Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  12. Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  13. JPG image of Hopkin's back. boxingfutures.com
  14. Manuel Suarez (July 12, 2001). Riot in Puerto Rico during a Trinidad-Hopkins press conference. latinosportslegends.com
  15. Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  16. Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  17. Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  18. Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  19. Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  20. Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  21. Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  22. Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  23. Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  24. Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  25. Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  26. Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  27. Hopkins-Pascal WBC title rematch ordered. AFP. January 6, 2011.
  28. Hopkins does it!!!. Fightnews.com (May 21, 2011). Retrieved on August 5, 2012.
  29. Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  30. 30.0 30.1 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  31. RING light heavweight belt won't change hands pending appeal | RingTV. Ringtv.craveonline.com. October 18, 2011.
  32. Rosenthal, Michael. (December 14, 2011) California commission rules Hopkins-Dawson fight 'no-decision' | RingTV. Ringtv.craveonline.com. Retrieved on August 5, 2012.
  33. Bernard Hopkins to fight Karo Murat on October 19 | Boxing News. ESPN.co.uk (July 21, 2013). Retrieved on November 20, 2013.
  34. Greisman, David P. (October 27, 2013) Bernard Hopkins Brawls His Way To Overcome Murat – Boxing News. Boxingscene.com. Retrieved on November 20, 2013.
  35. Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  36. Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  37. Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  38. Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  39. http://offthebench.nbcsports.com/2010/11/19/bernard-hopkins-wonders-why-pacquiao-hasnt-fought-any-top-notch-black-fighters
  40. http://thewellversed.com/2010/11/19/bernard-hopkins-says-pacquiao-ducking-african-americans-mayweather-would-beat-him/
  41. http://articles.philly.com/2011-05-11/sports/29532616_1_rich-burg-bernard-hopkins-donovan-mcnabb
  42. http://www.boxing.com/b_hops_claim_racist.html/

Further reading

  • David Van Deusen, B-Hop's Claim Racist? www.boxing.com, October 21, 2013.

External links

Achievements
Vacant
Title last held by
Reggie Johnson
USBA Middleweight Champion
December 4, 1992 – 1994
Vacated
Vacant
Title next held by
Robert Allen
Vacant
Title last held by
Roy Jones, Jr.
IBF Middleweight Champion
April 29, 1995 – July 16, 2005
Succeeded by
Jermain Taylor
Preceded by WBC Middleweight Champion
April 14, 2001 – July 16, 2005
New title
Unified titles against Félix Trinidad
WBA Middleweight Super Champion
September 29, 2001 – July 16, 2005
Vacant
Title last held by
Marvin Hagler
Undisputed Middleweight Champion
September 29, 2001 – July 16, 2005
Vacant
Title last held by
Sumbu Kalambay
The Ring Middleweight Champion
September 29, 2001 – July 16, 2005
Preceded by WBO Middleweight Champion
September 18, 2004 – July 16, 2005
Preceded by IBO Light Heavyweight Champion
June 10, 2006
Immediately vacated
Vacant
Title next held by
Antonio Tarver
The Ring Light Heavyweight Champion
June 10, 2006 – April 19, 2008
Succeeded by
Joe Calzaghe
Preceded by WBC Light Heavyweight Champion
The Ring Light Heavyweight Champion

May 21, 2011 – April 29, 2012
Succeeded by
Chad Dawson
Preceded by IBF Light Heavyweight Champion
March 9, 2013 – November 8, 2014
Succeeded by
Sergey Kovalev
Preceded by WBA Light Heavyweight Super Champion
April 19, 2014 – November 8, 2014
Sporting positions
Preceded by Ring Magazine Pound-for-pound #1 Boxer
May 15, 2004 – July 16, 2005
Succeeded by
Floyd Mayweather Jr.
Records
Preceded by Oldest boxer to win a world title
March 9, 2013–present
Incumbent
Preceded by Oldest world champion
April 18, 2013 – present
Incumbent