By Riley Perez
Bernard Hopkins is sometimes called B-Hop, the Executioner, or The Alien. He seems equally comfortable wearing the lofty title of the Greatest Middleweight of all time. His style and record easily justify the title. His 21 consecutive wins from February 1990 until December 1992(16 by KO) made the early chapter of his career an eye opener for challengers – boxing fans would soon follow – and the sports writers. He held major titles every year from 1994 through 2005 – He defended those titles a record 20 times. B-Hop is the first middleweight to have held all four titles (WBC, IBC, WBO, and The Ring) – The first undisputed middleweight since Marvelous Marvin Hagler (’87). Few would contest the title, the Greatest, being affixed after the name Hopkins.
I spoke with Hopkins after his fight with Oscar De La Hoya in 2004 – Hopkins had dispatched De La Hoya in grand fashion. I wanted to know about his time in prison; how he maintained a training routine under such depressingly violent conditions? I had no expectations of what his answer would be, or how introspective of an answer I might get. I didn’t know which B-Hop would respond to my question; the Executioner, the Alien, or the Greatest.
An excerpt from an encounter with Hopkins as he left the gym:
RP: I know you tangled with crazier dudes when you were locked up. BH: But none of them was paying the money we getting now.
RP: Amen. You gonna give Oscar a rematch?
BH: No need to. That case is closed.
In the five minutes that we exchanged jokes, Hopkins showed himself to be the champ of the people. He spoke to every young fighter that approached. He showed that he could talk to a crowd, and still show the bright-eyed kid in the crowd how to throw a proper jab.
Someone in the group said, “I was praying for you.” Hopkins responded, without missing a beat, “I guess he heard you…” Someone else shouted, “Who you fighting next?” Hopkins continued posing for photos with people that approached, responded, “Whoever wants to step up.”
To be in the running for the Greatest, one should be able to check off the following: a) A solid record. B) The ability to charm a hostile crowd. c) A right or left hand that is possessed with electricity. d) A chin made of stone. e) Dogged perseverance.
The last prerequisite has carried many fighters miles further than where ordinary people would’ve traveled. Hopkins resolve to “stick to it” may have been forged in the streets, scrapping to make a buck, or on the prison yard, where, he survived violent times. Wherever he decided to take up the vocation of boxing, he – like other champions before him – knew that what they had was one fight away from being stripped away, so preparing for the next fight began immediately after the last round ended on the last.
Hopkins has maintained a regimented lifestyle. It appears that he is always within a week of his fighting weight. He now fights at light heavyweight. From the looks of his frame, it is a matter of comfort for him if he wanted to fight at middleweight again. He is 49 years old. An age when some men are comfortable with being weekend warriors. Hopkins has shown that he is a perpetual warrior, without an off season. How many more fights do we have to see history in the making?