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| Bernard Hopkins | |
| Statistics | |
|---|---|
| Real name | Bernard Hopkins |
| Nickname(s) | The Executioner B-Hop |
| Rated at | Light Heavyweight |
| Nationality |  American
|
| Birth date | January 15 1965 |
| Birth place | Philadelphia, Pennsylvania |
| Stance | Orthodox |
| Boxing record | |
| Total fights | 54 |
| Wins | 48 |
| Wins by KO | 32 |
| Losses | 4 |
| Draws | 1 |
| No contests | 1 |
Bernard "The Executioner" Hopkins (born January 15, 1965, in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania) is an American boxer and the reigning Ring magazine light heavyweight champion.
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He 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 on February 22, 1990.
Between February 1990 and September 1992, Hopkins scored 20 wins without a loss. He won 15 of those fights by knockout, 11 coming in the first round.
His first chance at a world title came on May 22, 1993 in Washington, DC, against Roy Jones Jr. for the vacant IBF middleweight belt. Hopkins lost by unanimous decision but retained his world ranking and defended his USBA belt three more times.
Jones abandoned the middleweight ranks in 1994, and 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 the scorecards before Hopkins rallied late and earned a draw. 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, Simon Brown, and Antwun Echols.
The arrival of multiple-division champion Félix Trinidad into the middleweight ranks set off a series of unification fights between major titleholders. On April 14, 2001, Hopkins won a unanimous decision over WBC champion Keith Holmes in New York City. Then, on September 29, 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. He was on his way to a lopsided decision victory when, in the 12th and final round, he floored Trinidad and referee Steve Smoger called a halt to the fight after Trinidad\'s father entered the ring to stop the fight. It was the first loss of Trinidad\'s career, and 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, 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.
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. Hopkins won the bout with a knockout in the ninth round. Hopkins became the first boxer to ever unify the titles of all four major sanctioning bodies by defeating De La Hoya.
In November 2004, de la Hoya soon thereafter invited Hopkins to join his boxing promotional firm, Golden Boy Promotions, as president of its new East Coast chapter.
Hopkins reached the middleweight record of 20 title defenses on February 19, 2005, against Howard Eastman, the European middleweight champion.
In his next fight on July 16, 2005, Hopkins lost his undisputed middleweight championship to Jermain Taylor via split decision.
On December 3, 2005, Hopkins lost his rematch against Jermain Taylor by unanimous decision. All three judges scored the fight 115-113 for Taylor.
On June 10, 2006, Hopkins defeated The Ring light heavyweight champion Antonio Tarver via unanimous decision. All three judges had him winning the bout 118-109.
Hopkins defended The Ring light heavyweight championship again former light middleweight champion Ronald "Winky" Wright on July 21, 2007. Hopkins won a unanimous decision, with the judges scoring the fight 116-112, 117-111, 117-111.
Hopkins\' next fight will be against undisputed super middleweight champion Joe Calzaghe in a 175 lb. fight which will take place on April 19, 2008 in Las Vegas.
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| Sporting positions | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by Vacated by Reggie Johnson | USBA Middleweight Champion December 4, 1992 – 1994 | Succeeded by Vacancy filled by Robert Allen |
| Preceded by Vacated by Roy Jones Jr. | IBF World Middleweight Champion April 29, 1995 – July 16, 2005 | Succeeded by Jermain Taylor |
| Preceded by Keith Holmes | WBC World Middleweight Champion April 14, 2001 – July 16, 2005 | |
| Preceded by Félix Trinidad | WBA World Middleweight Champion September 29, 2001 – July 16, 2005 | |
| Preceded by Oscar de la Hoya | WBO World Middleweight Champion September 18, 2004 – July 16, 2005 | |
| Preceded by Vacated by James Toney | The Ring World Middleweight Champion September 29, 2001 – July 16, 2005 | |
| Preceded by Antonio Tarver | The Ring Light Heavyweight Champion June 10, 2006 – present | Incumbent |
| Honorary titles | ||
| Preceded by Roy Jones Jr. | Pound for pound #1 boxer (The Ring) 2004 – 2005 | Succeeded by Floyd Mayweather Jr. |
| Preceded by Felix Trinidad | Ring Magazine Fighter of the Year 2001 | Succeeded by Vernon Forrest |
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