Bernard Humphrey Hopkins Jr. (born January 15, 1965) is an American boxer who currently fights as a light heavyweight, but has also been successful as a middleweight.
Hopkins held a share of the world middleweight championship from 1994 to 2005 and made twenty successful title defenses. He won the International Boxing Federation title in 1994, then added the World Boxing Council, World Boxing Association and Ring titles in 2001 and became the first man to hold all four major sanctioned bodies duties when he won the World Boxing Association title in 2004. Ring rated he is No. 3 on their list of “The 10 Best Middleweight Title Holders of the Past 50 Years.”
After losing his title to Jermaine Taylor in 2005 and refusing to win it back in a rematch, Hopkins moved up to the light heavwyweight and won the Ring and International Boxing Organizational titles from Antonio Tarver at 42 years of age, making two Ring title defenses before losing it to Joe Calzaghe. Three years later, Hopkins defeated Jean Pascal for the WBC title and broke George Foreman's record for the 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 Oblak Tavoris in 2013 and again in 2014 when he won the WBA title from Beibut Shumenov, aged 48 and 49 respectively.
In addition to being an active boxer, Hopkins is also a minority partner of the 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 attacking people and was 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 nearly 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. While Hopkins was leaving the prison for final time, the warden told him that he would “see [Hopkins] again when you freak back in here,” to which Hopkins responded, “That I'm never coming back here.” .
Professional career
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 Page at Blue Horizon on February 22, 1990.
Between February 1990 and December 1992, Hopkins orchestrated 21 wins without a loss. He won 16 of those fights by knockout, with 12 coming in the first round.
Coaches
Hopkins was trained by Philadelphia based English “Bouie” Fisher from 1989 until their separation in 2002, which resulted in Fisher suing Hopkins, claiming he was underpaid by $255,000. They reunited in 2003, but split up again in 2005, again with Fisher claiming to be underpaid, this time to the tune of $200,000. Naazim Richardson, Fishers long-term assistant has taken over as Hopkins' head coach since 2005. Fisher received the Eddie Fouch-John F.C.C. Award. Condon was awarded by the Boxing Writers Association of America for Trainer of the Year in 2001. Bouie died at age 83 in June 2011.
Contradiction
On December 7, 2007, Hopkins and Calzaghe faced off in the media room open for Floyd Mayweather Jr.'s 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 hit me. I would never lose to a white boy. I couldn't go back to projects if I let a white boy beat me up." Hopkins would later explain his comments by saying that it was not intended 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. 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 is lost.
In late 2010, Hopkins suggested that African-American fighters who possessed what he described as a "slick" inner-city fighting style would be successful against Filipino boxer Manny Pacquiao. “Perhaps I'm biased because I'm black, but I think that's what is said in 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 real and they don't have the balls to say it. But I do think that a fighter like Ray Leonards or anyone like that would beat a guy [like Pacquiao] if they go with their game. Look, it's not a racial thing, but then again, maybe it is. But the style that most of us black wrestlers are included in, that style could be a problem to any other style of wrestling.”
On May 11, 2011, Hopkins questioned the racial credentials of Minnesota Vikings quarterback Donovan McNabb in a Philadelphia Daily News article online. 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 dark enough or tough enough, at least compared to, say, himself, Michael Vick and Terrell Owens. Hopkins saying in part, “He's tanned. That's all... McNabb is the guy in the house while everyone else is on the field... He's the one who got the extra coat. An extra helping... He thought he was one of them.”
Bernard Hopkins began to lead a life of crime from an early age. At 13, he was involved in an attack on people and had already been stabbed three times. At age 17, he was sentenced to 18 years in prison for committing nine crimes. In 1988, after almost five years in prison, Bernard was released. He converted to Islam and vowed to “quit” crime. Boxing was chosen as the method.
Professional career
1988-1990
He made his debut in October 1988 in the light heavyweight category. In the first fight he lost to Clinton Mitchell. After that, he left boxing for a year and a half.
In February 1990, Hopkins, having dropped to 2nd middleweight, returned to the ring.
May 31, 1990 Bernard Hopkins - Jovin Mercado
- Venue: Var Memorial Auditorium, Rochester, New York, USA
- Result: Hopkins win by TKO in the 2nd round in a 4-round fight
- Status: Rating battle
- Referee: Frank Adams
- Time: 0:43
- Weight: Hopkins 76.2 kg; Mercado 77.9 kg
- Broadcast: ESPN
In May 1990, Hopkins met with Jovin Mercado. At the end of the 1st round, Hopkins pressed his opponent to the ropes and delivered a series of hooks to the jaw. Mercado collapsed to the canvas. At the same time, the gong sounded. Mercado stood at the count of 3. The referee did not count any further and sent Mercado to the corner. At the beginning of the 2nd round, Hopkins again pressed his opponent to the ropes and delivered a right hook to the jaw. Mercado collapsed onto the floor. The referee began to count the knockdown. Mercado stood up, staggering. His eyes betrayed inadequacy. The referee, seeing his condition, stopped the fight. Mercado was unhappy with the stop
November 17, 1990 Bernard Hopkins - Mike Sapp
- Venue: Lee County Civic Center, Fort Myers, Florida, USA
- Result: Hopkins win by TKO in the 1st round in a fight with an unknown number of rounds
- Status: Rating battle
- Referee: Mike Bodges
- Weight: Hopkins 72.8 kg; Mike Sapp 70.3 kg
In November 1990, Hopkins entered the ring against Mike Sapp. At the beginning of the 1st round, he landed a left uppercut. Sapp collapsed to the floor. He tried to get up, but did not have time to stand at the count of 10. The referee recorded a knockout.
July 9, 1991 Bernard Hopkins - Danny Mitchell
- Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA
- Result: Hopkins win by knockout in the 1st round in a fight with an unknown number of rounds
- Status: Rating battle
- Referee: Joe O'Neil
- Time: 3:00
- Weight: Hopkins 73.9 kg; Mitchell 74.4 kg
In July 1991, Hopkins met with Danny Mitchell. At the end of the 1st round, Hopkins pinned his opponent to the ropes and began bombarding him with punches. Mitchell tried to dodge, but ended up crouching between the ropes. The knockdown was counted. After the count was over, the referee asked Mitchell if she was ready to continue the fight. Mitchell responded in the negative. The battle was stopped. The spectators greeted the stoppage of the fight with a dissatisfied roar.
January 31, 1992 Bernard Hopkins - Dennis Milton
- Venue: Blue Horizon, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA
- Result: Hopkins win by TKO in the 4th round in a 10-round fight
- Status: Rating battle
- Referee: Harley McCall
- Time: 3:00
- Weight: Hopkins 73.0 kg; Milton 73.5 kg
- Broadcast: ESPN
In January 1992, a fight took place between Bernard Hopkins and former world middleweight title challenger Dennis Milton. In the middle of the 1st round, Hopkins landed a right hook to the head. Milton knelt down. He got up at the count of 8. Milton tried to run back. At the end of the 1st round, Hopkins landed a left hook to the opponent's chin. Milton could not resist and fell to the canvas, but immediately got up. The referee counted the knockdown. Milton was able to avoid a knockout by holding out until the bell. The fight took place with an abundance of clinches, accompanied by whistles and roars from the audience. Between the 4th and 5th rounds, Milton's corner stopped the fight. Hopkins won by technical knockout.
Hopkins Bernard is a light heavyweight boxer born in Philadelphia in 1965 on January 15th. The athlete can boast of two outstanding achievements - the title of world champion and the title of the first middleweight champion in Philadelphia.
Childhood and youth
It is known that Hopkins Bernard grew up in a rather poor family, where he did not receive the right upbringing. The great boxer spent his entire childhood on the street, where he constantly participated in fights with boys. Incorrect upbringing, or rather its complete absence, the influence of the street and freedom are factors that negatively affected the development of the personality of the future athlete. One of the street fights ended unsuccessfully for the guy; he was stabbed at the age of 13.
The boxer's teenage years were not like those of most teenagers. In 1983, a court hearing was held at which the verdict was announced for several teenagers, among them was Bernard Hopkins.
The boxer's biography is quite colorful, but only on the negative side. He spent almost 5 years behind bars, was released from custody in 1988, became a Muslim and swore an oath not to return to his criminal past. He chose boxing as a means of correcting his own life.
First failure
The boxer's professional career began 29 years ago - in 1988. The first fight took place on October 11, and Hopkins’ opponent was Clint Mitchell. The battle was lost. Hopkins did not become upset about his defeat, but only insisted that of the two closed gates, one would still be open. This statement can be called true in this case.
The defeat to Mitchell was the impetus for the athlete, who signed a contract with English Fight coach Fisher. The joint tandem brought positive results. 22 victories, 16 of which were knockouts, 3 years of hard work to obtain the first championship belt - the initial achievements that Bernard Hopkins can boast of. The boxer's biography, from a sports point of view, began right then.
Boxer's triumph
Many have claimed that Bernard is the new light heavyweight boxing star. The athlete has every chance to fulfill his dream of becoming a world champion. Moreover, at that time, the great and invincible Jones gave up his title to move to another weight.
In 1995, fate gave Hopkins a gift: a fight with Segundo Mercado, who was in second place in the boxing rankings. The fight between boxers took place in the town of Maryland.
Bernard Hopkins, whose biography, personal life and career is replete with interesting facts, has fulfilled his dream. He became the absolute IBF champion. All subsequent fights to confirm the title were won by Hopkins.
Path to glory
The following years were successful for the boxer. In 1998, a fight took place between Bernard Hopkins and Allen, during which the athlete was seriously injured. During the fight, Hopkins injured his ankle when he fell through the rope fence of the ring.
A year later, a rematch took place, which had to be interrupted due to a technical knockout. It is worth noting that the rematch ended in victory for Bernard, because, fortunately, he quickly managed to recover from the injury.
Last bow
Hopkins Bernard has been boxing professionally for 29 years. Then, at the beginning of his boxing career, he swore that he would never return to that old life and end up in one of the meaningless street fights.
The boxer kept his promise. His opponents argued that to beat Hopkins it was not enough to use his hands hard and fast. You need to learn not to “let” him into your own head, not to let him read your thoughts - this is exactly the strength that Hopkins can boast of. Photos of the boxer prove that he has a sharp and precise stinging gaze that is difficult to escape.
Hopkins Bernard's last fight was with Joe Smith Jr. In the first two rounds, it was difficult for the young boxer to resist the professional. Hopkins resisted quite zealously, which proved that his old skills had not yet been lost. But it is worth noting that Smith’s youth took over, he was able to increase his speed, but Hopkins, due to his age, was not.
The eighth round was decisive. Joe gathered all his strength and attacked Bernard, knocking him out of the ring. Most likely, Bernard understood that everything would not end for him as he would like, and stopped resisting, waiting for the referee’s verdict.
At the end of the fight, Hopkins Bernard accused Smith of violating the rules. He claimed that the young boxer pushed him out of the ring, which should not be done. Then he talked about his sore ankle; he supposedly rested on it when he fell. But the recordings showed that the athlete fell head down, but not with his feet. Perhaps Bernard did not want to admit to himself that his film had come to an end, and a calm and peaceful old age awaited him.
Life outside the ring
Throughout his entire adult professional life, Bernard paid great attention to children whose childhood could not be called colorful and correct. He visited dysfunctional families, spent a lot of time with children, and many thought that such actions would have a bad effect on the boxer’s career. Bernard tried in every possible way to guide young people on the true and correct path; he told children about the positive impact of sports. And his own life was an example. Until now, he actively promotes a healthy and sports lifestyle among teenagers.
In addition, Bernard Hopkins finds words for teenagers that make even wealthy adults think. For example, he says that he was not born in a shirt and not in an environment where everything comes easily and simply. He claims that everyone is capable of building their own correct life, everyone can fulfill their dreams, the main thing is to do everything wisely. The athlete gives himself as an example with the phrase: “I am a simple homeless street boy who has achieved unimaginable success on his own.” And it's true.
As for the boxer’s personal life, he has a wonderful wife, whom he met many years ago after being released from prison. All friends, fans and those around him know that Bernard publicly idolizes his wife. Hopkins claims that without his wife he could not achieve half of what he has now.
During his life, this famous boxer achieved dizzying success in his career and built strong relationships. You will learn about how Bernard went to his victories and how he experienced his downfalls in our article.
Childhood and adolescence
As you know, Hopkins Bernard was born into a dysfunctional family, so the boy never received a proper education. The future boxer spent his childhood on the street, devoting all his free time to fights with peers. Lack of upbringing, freedom of action, bad influence - all this significantly affected the development of Bernard's personality. In one of the street fights, Hopkins received And this at only 13 years old.
Jail
As you know, Hopkins acquired most of his skills by participating in all kinds of street fights. The guy's school teachers claimed that Bernard was unlikely to live to see his 18th birthday.
At the age of 17, the young man stands trial. He faces the terrible prospect of going to jail for 18 years. As the boxer Bernard Hopkins himself said: “I regret everything I’ve done in my life, I regret that I chose this path. I admit that I have never stolen from children, women or old people. It just so happens that you have to answer for all your actions.”
Bernard spent 5 years in the Grayford Colony of Pennsylvania. The authorities believed that during this time the guy had completely improved. As the boxer himself said: “After so many years in prison, I’m afraid to spit on the sidewalk.”
It should be noted that after leaving prison, Bernard Hopkins converted to Islam.
First failure
Bernard Hopkins began taking his first steps towards a boxing career in 1988. The battle in which he participated was lost. The fight took place in New Jersey and lasted 4 rounds. The loss did not in any way affect the boxer’s further aspirations, but, on the contrary, pushed him to move on with renewed vigor.
Victories and first achievements
After his first defeat, Bernard Hopkins, whose quotes were read by millions, decides to hire a coach. The choice falls not on anyone, but on English Fisher (Bowie) himself. Under his leadership, Hopkins won 22 times, with 16 of his fights ending by knockout.
Championship title
After some time, Bernard Hopkins meets with the fight for the IBF title. Bernard hopes that this particular day will be fateful for him. But it didn’t happen - the boxer lost on points. Despite the loss, many recognized Hopkins as a true middleweight boxing star.
A year later, the boxer again has a chance to make his dream come true. On April 29, 1995, he faces second-ranked Segundo Mercado. The fight takes place in the city of Maryland. Finally, Bernard Hopkins, whose biography is full of interesting facts, achieves his goal. He is the IBF champion. Subsequent fights to confirm the title ended in knockouts of opponents. Among the losers was John Jackson, who was unable to resist his opponent already in the 7th round of the fight.
Victories, victories, victories...
In 1998, the boxer met with Robert Allen. The fight ended with Hopkins injured. He fell over the rope and injured his ankle. Fortunately, Bernard quickly came to his senses and in the rematch easily defeated his opponent, knocking him out in the 6th round.
World recognition
Despite the fact that Hopkins fought all his fights, winning only victories, he never achieved world recognition. In 2001, he signed a contract with and in the same year became part of his diamond collection of middleweight champions.
In 2001, he again won, this time over Hopkins. Now Hopkins is the record holder for the number of successful defenses of the championship title.
Next he faces a fight with Trinidad, a boxer from Puerto Rico. It should be noted that Hopkins has always been distinguished by his rash actions. So it is in this case. The day before the fight, the boxer threw the Puerto Rican flag on the floor and stood on it with his feet. The whole world was waiting for an apology from Bernard, but it never came. Moreover, in front of tens of thousands of Puerto Ricans, Hopkins threw the flag again and wiped his shoes on it. Then he barely escaped the angry crowd.
Fight with Trinidad
The fight was expected to be bloody. Hopkins provoked his opponent more and more. On September 15, 2001, the long-awaited battle took place. It was the first time in his life that a Puerto Rican boxer had been beaten like that. His father even had to stop the fight due to multiple injuries on his son’s face.
In the same year, Hopkins was recognized as 2001.
Further career development
In 2004, Bernard faced and defeated Hopkins. Now he holds championship titles in 4 organizations. As the boxer himself says: “My life has finally acquired a new color. Now I am an innovation in boxing. I am the guru and god of boxing. No one will ever be able to defeat me.”
Social activities
Hopkins has always paid a lot of attention to children from disadvantaged families. He spent so much time with them that it could hinder the development of his career. Hopkins tried to have a positive influence on the boys and demonstrate his own example from life. To this day, the boxer tries to pay maximum attention to them.
Personal life
After Bernard Hopkins was released from prison, he was lucky enough to meet a good girl. The couple is still together to this day. The boxer always says publicly that this is his beloved woman, to whom he is grateful for everything.
Bernard "The Executioner" Hopkins
WBC, IBF, WBA and WBO middleweight champion
Date of birth: 01/15/1965
Place of birth: Philadelphia, USA
Height: 185 cm
Weight: 72.5 kg
Attack distance: 178 cm
Track record: 45 wins (32 knockouts), 2 losses, 1 draw
Hopkins acquired much of his boxing skills in street fights, fighting with teenagers from the neighborhood. Hopkins' teachers said he wouldn't live to see 18. At 17, he faced the prospect of spending 18 years in prison. “I went to court 30 times in two years,” says Bernard. - I have never stolen from women or used weapons. In truth, I went to court to escape the violence of the street. I regret all the things I did then, but the path I chose later speaks for itself.” Hopkins spent almost 5 years, from 1984 to 1989, in the Graterford Penitentiary in Pennsylvania. “I haven’t even spit on the sidewalk since then,” Hopkins says.
Hopkins began his professional career on October 11, 1988, losing on points to Clinton Mitchell. The fight took place in Atlantic City, New Jersey and lasted 4 rounds. Hopkins didn't worry about losing because his Dream was still achievable. Someone said: “When one door is closed, another is always open.” In the case of Bernard Hopkins, this saying turned out to be true. After losing to Mitchell, he makes the fateful decision to hire English "Bouie" Fisher as his trainer. Under his leadership, Hopkins wins 22 victories in a row, 16 of them by knockout, and three and a half years later wins the first championship belt in his life. His Dream almost came true on May 22, 1993, when Hopkins faced Roy Jones for the vacant IBF belt. Hopkins was ranked No. 1, Jones No. 2. Bernard took the distance game that Jones forced on him and lost on points. Despite the loss, the second of his career, many were forced to recognize Hopkins as the new star in the middleweight division. He had another chance to make his dreams come true when Jones gave up the title to move up to the next weight class to face James Toney.
On December 17, 1994, Hopkins entered the ring against Segundo Mercado, who was ranked second. This fight for the vacant IBF title took place in the Ecuadorian city of Quito and ended in a points draw. During the 12 rounds of the fight, the boxers exchanged blows only twice.
Hopkins' dream finally came true in a rematch with Mercado, which took place on April 29, 1995 at the USAir Arena in Maryland, two hours from his hometown of Philadelphia. This time Hopkins did not rely on the judges' decision. He watched tapes of Tyson's fights for inspiration, and during the match he threw right hands, one blow after another. Ultimately, the fight was stopped in the seventh round. The next five title defenses ended in knockouts. One of them was ex-champion John David Jackson. The fight took place on April 19, 1997. Left-handed Jackson laid out all his trump cards in the opening rounds, and in the 7th he found himself helplessly pinned in the corner, which forced referee Johnny Femia to stop the fight.
Bernard scored another 11th-round knockout over future light heavyweight champion Glencoffe Johnson on July 20, 1997, and later that year defeated Andrew Council on points. On January 31, 1998, Hopkins once again confirmed that he has the right to claim the title of the best boxer in the world in all weight categories, stopping Simon Brown in the sixth round. On August 28, 1998, in Las Vegas, Hopkins met with Robert Allen. In the fourth round, while referee Mills Lane was breaking up the boxers in a clinch, Hopkins slipped and fell through the ropes to the floor, injuring his ankle. The rematch, which took place on February 6, 1999, ended in a technical knockout in the 7th round. December 12, 1999 In Miami, Bernard Hopkins met with Antwun Echols. Echols, who had a heavy blow, simply stunned Hopkins in the first round, but Bernard found the strength to maintain his composure and won the fight on points. On May 13, 2000, Hopkins fought with Syd Vanderpool, and on December 1, a rematch with Echols took place. In both fights, the victory remained with Hopkins: Vanderpool lost on points by unanimous decision, Echols - by technical knockout in the 10th round (in this fight, Echols knocked Hopkins down with a rugby lunge, dislocating his shoulder, but Hopkins refused to win due to the disqualification of his opponent and continued the fight, knocking down his opponent in the next round). Both of these fights were remembered for the scandals that erupted around them. The ability to create controversy by attracting attention to fights became a characteristic of Hopkins, which he later used to achieve the most important fight of his life. Even though Hopkins had already made 12 successful defenses of his title, he never received the worldwide recognition he deserved. His next move changed that, as well as the history of boxing in general.
In 2001, Hopkins, who had been extremely distrustful of promoters all his life, made the fateful decision to sign a contract with the legendary Don King. Hopkins immediately joins Don King's diamond collection of middleweight champions, which included WBC champion Keith Holmes, WBA champion William Joppy and Puerto Rican superstar undefeated Felix "Tito" Trinidad, a five-time world champion. who gave up his IBF and WBA junior middleweight belts to move up to middleweight. On April 14, 2001, Hopkins faced Holmes and defeated him by unanimous decision, using his usual fighting style, developed in street fights in Philadelphia. This was Hopkins' thirteenth defense, breaking Marvin Hagler's record for most successful middleweight title defenses. He takes the WBC belt from Holmes and, intending to move on, participates in the tournament along with the rest of Don King's middleweight champions.
On May 12 at Madison Square Garden, in front of 18,235 of his fellow Puerto Ricans, Trinidad fought Joppy. Already at the end of the first round, Trinidad drops his opponent with his famous left hook, sends him to the floor again in the fourth round, and twice in the fifth, after which the beating is stopped by referee Arthur Mercante. Hopkins watched the fight from ringside. Now he had to face Trinidad. First of all, he had to convince Trinidad and his headquarters that for Tito this battle would be the most important in his life.
Hopkins rushes through a four-city press tour, starting in New York, where he angrily throws a Puerto Rican flag to the ground. Many expected Hopkins to apologize the next day, but he refused to do so. "I won't apologize," Hopkins said. - I always think before I do something. And I won’t back down.” But then Hopkins did something really rash: in the Roberto Clemente Coliseo, on Trinidad's home soil in Puerto Rico, in front of ten thousand Puerto Ricans, he threw their country's flag to the floor again. A scandal broke out. Hopkins was barely able to escape the outraged crowd. In subsequent interviews, Hopkins reinforced the belief that he was going to use his usual tactics in the fight against Trinidad and rain down blows on his opponent to the body, but this was the greatest frame-up in the history of boxing. “I get accused of fighting dirty,” Hopkins said, “but this is boxing, not golf. If you don't like it, watch golf and drink iced tea." After the flag incident, Hopkins made quite a few accurate predictions for the fight. “I saw the fear in Trinidad's eyes when I let go of the flag (and dropped it to the ground) in New York. Maybe for the first time in his life he is not sure of his victory. In his entire career, Trinidad has never had to use a Plan B, but when the time comes, he will dance to my tune.” “I'm too good for Trinidad. I will throw him to such depths where he has never been before. Trinidad's best qualities are his fortitude, will and determination. He won't back down. The referee and Trinidad Dad (Felix's father and coach) will be forced to save him. I prefer to win by knockout, but Trinidad will not give up and because of his tenacity he will have to endure so much pain that people will be shocked.” Most still believed that Trinidad would win this fight, and many were confident that the fight would be dirty, but they were all wrong.
Even the terrorist attacks of September 11, which caused the fight to be moved from September 15 to the 29th, could not distract Hopkins from his goal. In front of a crowd of nineteen thousand gathered at Madison Square Garden, Hopkins demonstrated such composure and quality of boxing that he disarmed Trinidad and in doing so shocked the entire boxing world. In this fight, which will forever be remembered by boxing fans, Bernard boxed magnificently. Apparently Hopkins and his trainer Bowie Fisher spent many hours watching tapes of Tito's fights and trying to find the key to him. During the fight, Hopkins moved around the ring a lot and punched, and the puncher Trinidad only tried to throw his terrible left hook over and over again. Felix looked confused: he had never been beaten like that in his entire career. All of Hopkins' predictions for this fight came true, including the fact that Trinidad's father and trainer was forced to stop the fight to save his son from being beaten. This happened in the second minute of the last, twelfth, round, after a crushing right hand that Hopkins unleashed on his opponent. Trinidad was still trying to muster the strength to continue the fight, but his father decided that enough was enough. Referee Steve Smoger had only to make it official. Bernard Hopkins became the first undisputed middleweight champion since Marvin Hagler. Asked when he realized Trinidad was afraid of him, Hopkins replied: “When he signed the contract. Honestly, I'm the best middleweight boxer in the world. I am the new reincarnation of Ray Robinson and Marvin Hagler." USA Today named Hopkins the best boxer of 2001, and he received the same honor from the Boxing Hall of Fame in Los Angeles.
On February 2, 2002, in his native Pennsylvania, Hopkins made a mandatory title defense against IBF challenger Carl Daniels. Hopkins controlled the fight from the start, and after the tenth round Daniels gave up. This was Hopkins' fifteenth successful title defense. He broke Carlos Monzon's record set in 1977. In his next three fights, against Morad Hakkar, William Joppy and Robert Allen, Hopkins also scored convincing victories, further cementing his reputation as one of the greatest boxers of our time.
On September 18, 2004, Bernard Hopkins met Oscar De La Hoya and, having defeated him by knockout in the ninth round, became the first boxer in history to unify the championship titles of four major organizations: WBC, WBA, IBF and WBO.
In recent years, Hopkins has also been involved in community work, interacting a lot with children and disadvantaged areas. Bernard tries to help the boys choose the right path in life. He spends so much time with them that sometimes it threatens his career, since there is very little time left for training. One of his favorite pastimes is connecting with the youth of Philadelphia. Hopkins is trying to be a positive influence on them. “I wasn’t born wearing a shirt,” says Bernard. - All these guys can achieve anything they want in life if they put in enough effort and approach their dreams wisely. I use myself as an example of how a boy who grew up on the streets can succeed in life.”
