In boxing, the light heavyweight division is the weight division between cruiserweight over 175 pounds (79. ... is the 15th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1965 (MCMLXV) was a common year starting on Friday (link will display full calendar) of the 1965 Gregorian calendar. ... Nickname: City of Brotherly Love, Philly, the Quaker City Motto: Philadelphia maneto (Let brotherly love continue) Location in Pennsylvania Coordinates: Country United States State Pennsylvania County Philadelphia Founded October 27, 1682 Incorporated October 25, 1701 Mayor John F. Street (D) Area    - City 369. ... Motto: (Out Of Many, One) (traditional) In God We Trust (1956 to date) Anthem: The Star-Spangled Banner Capital Washington D.C. Largest city New York City None at federal level (English de facto) Government Federal constitutional republic  - President George Walker Bush (R)  - Vice President Dick Cheney (R) Independence from...

Biography

Bernard Hopkins was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, growing up in the Raymond Rosen housing projects and later in Germantown, where he became involved in crime and gang activity at a young age. Today, he describes himself as a "thug" in his youth and regrets that it took a stint in prison for him to turn his life around. For other uses, see Philadelphia (disambiguation) and Philly. ... Germantown was originally the Borough of Germantown, a town in Philadelphia County, Pennsylvania, and is today a neighborhood in the Northwest Philadelphia section of the city of Philadelphia, about six miles northwest from the center of the city. ...

Late in 1982, when Hopkins was in the 11th grade, he was convicted and sentenced to 18 years in the state penitentiary for "strong-arm robbery" (not armed robbery - beating people and taking their money). For fifty-six months, from 1984 through 1989, Hopkins was one of three thousand inmates in Graterford State Penitentiary in Pennsylvania. While incarcerated, he decided to turn his life around.[1] Hopkins studied for and earned his high school diploma, and also began to take part in boxing again, which he had done off and on as a youth. Eleventh grade (called Grade 11 in some regions, also known as junior year in the U.S.) is a year of education in the United States and many other nations. ... The Pennsylvania State Correctional Institution at Graterford, also known variously as SCI Graterford (SCIG), Eastern Correctional Institution, Graterford Prison, Graterford Penitentiary, and the Graterford Prison Farm, is located by the village of Graterford in Skippack Township, Montgomery County, Pennsylvania, United States, about 31 miles west of the city of Philadelphia... A high school diploma is a diploma awarded for the completion of high school. ...

During four years and eight months in prison, Hopkins won the national penitentiary middleweight championship three times. He converted to Islam [2] during his incarceration and was paroled in 1988, as soon as he was eligible. His dedicated approach to the faith helped him build his successful monastic boxing career by instilling discipline in the once troubled young adult [3]. For people named Islam, see Islam (name). ...

Professional career

He immediately joined the professional boxing ranks as a light heavyweight, losing his debut on October 11, 1988 in Atlantic City, New Jersey to a fighter named Clinton Mitchell. But he showed enough in the loss that respected trainer Bouie Fisher took him on. After a 16-month layoff he resumed his career as a middleweight, winning a unanimous decision over Greg Paige on February 22, 1990. is the 284th day of the year (285th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1988 (MCMLXXXVIII) was a leap year starting on Friday (link displays 1988 Gregorian calendar). ... Map of Atlantic City in Atlantic County Coordinates: , Country United States State New Jersey County Atlantic Incorporated May 1, 1854 Government  - Mayor Bob Levy Area  - City  17. ... is the 53rd day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1990 (MCMXC) was a common year starting on Monday (link displays the 1990 Gregorian calendar). ...

Between February 1990 and September 1992, Hopkins worked his way through the ranks of middleweight journeymen, scoring 20 wins without a loss. He won 15 of those fights by knockout, 11 coming in the first round. A boxer is knocked down and receives the 10-count. ...

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. Hopkins retained his world ranking and defended his USBA belt three more times while waiting for another world title shot. is the 142nd day of the year (143rd in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1993 (MCMXCIII) was a common year starting on Friday (link will display full 1993 Gregorian calendar). ... Aerial photo (looking NW) of the Washington Monument and the White House in Washington, DC. Washington, D.C., officially the District of Columbia (also known as D.C.; Washington; the Nations Capital; the District; and, historically, the Federal City) is the capital city and administrative district of the United... Roy Jones Jr. ... The International Boxing Federation, or IBF, is one of many organizations which sanction world championship boxing bouts, alongside the WBA, WBC, WBO, and a dozen or so others. ...

Winning the IBF Middleweight Title

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 and built a big lead on the scorecards before Hopkins rallied late and earned a draw. The IBF called for a rematch, and on April 29, 1995, Hopkins became a world champion with his seventh-round technical knockout of Mercado in Landover, Maryland. December 17 is the 351st day of the year (352nd in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Quito is the capital city of Ecuador. ... is the 119th day of the year (120th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1995 (MCMXCV) was a common year starting on Sunday (link will display full 1995 Gregorian calendar). ... Abbreviation: TKO A victory in boxing, with immediate termination of the match, awarded by the referee when it appears that one fighter is too badly injured or unable to continue. ... Landover is an area of Prince Georges County in the State of Maryland in the United States of America. ...

After winning the title, Hopkins followed the example of former world middleweight champion Marvelous Marvin Hagler and followed a strict training regimen to always keep his weight close to the division limit of 160 lb (73 kg), when he wasn't fighting. Meanwhile, he fought many mandatory challengers and was soon considered by many as the best world middleweight titleholder. By the end of 2000, he had defended the IBF title 12 times without a loss, while beating such standouts as John David Jackson, Glencoffe Johnson, Simon Brown, and Antwun Echols. His second fight with Antwun Echols on December 1, 2000 was one of the strangest in boxing history, as Hopkins was the victim of a wrestling-like takedown in the 6th round which injured his right arm. The referee offered Hopkins the win as a result of disqualification, but Hopkins decided to fight on and eventually stopped Echols via TKO in the 10th round using mostly his left arm. This helped Hopkins gain the reputation of a true "old-school" fighter and was a testament to his toughness. Marvelous Marvin Hagler (born Marvin Nathaniel Hagler in Newark, New Jersey, May 23, 1954), is a former American boxer. ... The pound or pound-mass (abbreviations: lb, lbm, or sometimes in the United States, #) is a unit of mass (sometimes called weight in everyday parlance) in a number of different systems, including English units, Imperial units, and United States customary units. ... “Kg” redirects here. ... People named John David Jackson include: J. D. Jackson, a physicist John David Jackson (boxer) This is a disambiguation page, a list of pages that otherwise might share the same title. ... Glencoffe Johnson (b. ... Simon Brown (born August 15, 1963 in Clarendon, Jamaica) was a professional boxer. ... Antwun Echols (born December 4, 1971, in Memphis, TN ) is an American boxer. ... Antwun Echols (born December 4, 1971, in Memphis, TN ) is an American boxer. ...

2001 Middleweight Unification Tournament

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 all three belts in Madison Square Garden. During the publicity tour in the weeks leading up to the fight, both camps grew more contemptuous of the other. Tensions finally boiled over when during a stop in San Juan, Hopkins threw a Puerto Rican flag on the ground in front of several hundred Trinidad supporters. Hopkins later apologized, but the anticipation for the fight had reached a fever pitch, with both Trinidad and Hopkins impatient to prove their dominance in the middleweight division. April 14 is the 104th day of the year (105th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar, with 261 days remaining. ... Year 2001 (MMI) was a common year starting on Monday (link displays the 2001 Gregorian calendar). ... WBC logo mark “WBC” redirects here. ... Keith Pickett Holmes, born March 30, 1969 in Washington, DC, is an American boxer. ... New York, New York and NYC redirect here. ... is the 272nd day of the year (273rd in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... World Boxing Association (WBA) is a boxing organization that sanctions official matches, and awards the WBA world championship title, at the professional level. ... Madison Square Garden, often abbreviated as MSG, known colloquially simply as The Garden, has been the name of four arenas in New York City, United States. ...

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 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. This is a comprehensive list of all Boxing Undisputed Middleweight Champions, following the undisputed champion definition set forth by the major boxing organizations. ... Marvelous Marvin Hagler (born Marvin Nathaniel Hagler in Newark, New Jersey, May 23, 1954), is a former American boxer. ...

Undisputed Middleweight Champion

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. Carl Bryant Daniels (born August 26, 1970 in St. ... is the 33rd day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... Also see: 2002 (number). ... Morrade Hakkar (born January 19, 1972) in Besancon, France is a middleweight boxer who has held a number of regional championship belts during his 11-year professional career. ... is the 88th day of the year (89th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2003 (MMIII) was a common year starting on Wednesday of the Gregorian calendar. ... William Joppy is an American middleweight boxer. ... is the 347th day of the year (348th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2003 (MMIII) was a common year starting on Wednesday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Robert Allen (born c. ... is the 156th day of the year (157th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2004 (MMIV) was a leap year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar. ...

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. He said he ended the de la Hoya fight with a perfect punch to the liver, later describing it as "Chopped liver with Hopkins sauce". Hopkins became the first boxer to ever unify the titles of all four major sanctioning bodies WBO, WBA, WBC and IBF by defeating De La Hoya. Oscar de la Hoya (IPA pronunciation: [1]) (born February 4, 1973) — nicknamed the Golden Boy — is an American boxer who won a gold medal for the United States Boxing Team at the Barcelona Olympic Games. ... is the 261st day of the year (262nd in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2004 (MMIV) was a leap year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Vegas redirects here. ...

Oscar de la Hoya soon thereafter invited Hopkins to join his boxing promotional firm, Golden Boy Promotions, as president of its new east coast chapter. Their alliance was announced publicly on November 20, 2004. Hopkins is expected to sign and guide the careers of young east coast fighters, including several from his hometown of Philadelphia. Golden Boy Promotions, Inc. ... is the 324th day of the year (325th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2004 (MMIV) was a leap year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar. ...

Hopkins reached the all time middleweight record of 20 title defenses on February 19, 2005 against Howard Eastman, the European middleweight champion. [[Media:Italic text]]{| style=float:right; |- | |- | |} is the 50th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2005 (MMV) was a common year starting on Saturday (link displays full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... Howard Anthony Eastman (Born 8 December 1970 in New Amsterdam, Guyana) is a London, England-based Middleweight boxer nicknamed the Battersea Bomber, and currently promoted by Hennessy Sports. ...

Hopkins vs. Taylor

In his next fight on July 16, 2005, Hopkins, Now 40 years old and unbeaten since 1993, lost his undisputed middleweight title to the undefeated, 26 year old Olympian Jermain Taylor. Hopkins started slowly against his younger opponent but dominated the last quarter of the fight, hurting Taylor on several occasions. Taylor was awarded a disputed split decision. Press row occupants had scored the fight almost unanimously for Hopkins, but HBO Boxing analyst and "unofficial" ringside scorer Harold Lederman called the fight 115-113 in favor of Taylor. Compubox statistics showed that Hopkins out landed Taylor 96-86 in total punches and 78-50 in power punches. This statistics may be misleading, however, as Hopkins' successful punch output was somewhat bunched into the last four rounds and the majority of Taylor's connects where not effective. is the 197th day of the year (198th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2005 (MMV) was a common year starting on Saturday (link displays full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... Jermain Taylor (born August 11, 1978, Little Rock, Arkansas) —nicknamed Bad Intentions— is a professional boxer current Undisputed World middleweight boxing champion. ... HBO Boxing is a successful TV series that has shown many of boxings greatest fights and historic events during the last 30 years. ...

Hopkins felt the fight was corrupted on account of a judge [Duane Ford]scoring the 12th round for Taylor, Costing Hopkins a draw and his titles. This was a round most felt was clearly won by Hopkins. A protest was filed but no actions were taken. Critics stated that he started too slow and lost too many early rounds. Supporters felt the early rounds where extremely close and should not have gone exclusively to Taylor. Regardless, The longest middleweight title reign in boxing history had come to an end. A rematch was already negotiated before the fight.

On December 3, 2005, Hopkins lost his rematch against Jermain Taylor by another close and disputed decision. All three judges scored the fight unanimously [115-113] for Taylor. Hopkins again out landed Taylor 124-130 in total punches and 60-101 in power punches. Despite almost doubling Taylor in total power punches landed the judges did not feel Hopkins had done enough to win a decision. Now 2 months shy of his 41st birthday Hopkins would leave the middleweight division for good. It should be noted that Jermain Taylor was awarded 2 more controversial decisions before losing his title in 2007. is the 337th day of the year (338th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2005 (MMV) was a common year starting on Saturday (link displays full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ...

Light Heavyweight

On June 10, 2006, Hopkins defeated The Ring Magazine Light Heavyweight champion and Roy Jones Jr. conqueror Antonio Tarver in a completely one-sided fight by a unanimous decision to win Tarver's Light Heavyweight Title. Hopkins knocked Tarver down in Round 5. Hopkins played to the crowd (made up mostly of Hopkins fans) throughout the fight including one moment, in round 10, where Hopkins turned his back to Tarver, raised his arms, and then turned back around and ran after Tarver, hitting him with a flurry of punches before the bell rang. Hopkins stated after the fight that he was "done."[4] All three judges had him winning the bout 118-109.Hopkins became the first middleweight in history to jump to the light heavyweight division and capture the title in 1 fight. He succeeded where the great Sugar Ray Robinson had failed.^[1] is the 161st day of the year (162nd in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2006 (MMVI) was a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Front cover of the first issue of Ring Magazine Ring Magazine is a boxing magazine that was first published in 1922. ... In boxing, the light heavyweight division is the weight division between cruiserweight over 175 pounds (79. ... Roy Jones Jr. ... Antonio Deon Tarver (born November 21, 1968), nicknamed the Magic Man, is a professional boxer from Orlando, Florida, who is the former undisputed light heavyweight champion of the world. ...

Return in 2007

Bernard Hopkins (42) agreed to return to the ring to face former undisputed Light Middleweight champion Ronald "Winky" Wright, in a light heavyweight bout on July 21, 2007, for The Ring Magazine's title which is held by Hopkins. The fight took place at the Mandalay Bay Events Center in Las Vegas. Hopkins won a unanimous decision, with the judges scoring the fight 116-112, 117-111, 117-111. There was a clash of heads, which opened a deep gash over Wright's eyebrow in the third. Hopkins did a better job between the two, especially in the championship rounds . Hopkins seemed content to out-box Wright with well-timed jabs and combinations on the outside . Although Wright did cause Hopkins some trouble in the middle rounds , Hopkins staggered Wright in the 12th . It was Winky's first loss in over 8 years. After the fight, Hopkins challenged undefeated WBO super middleweight champion Joe Calzaghe to a fight in New York Yankee Stadium in the spring of 2008. A weight division in professional boxing made popular in recent times by the likes of Thomas Hearns, Julian Jackson and Terry Norris, although the best that the division had to offer was probably lesser star Mike McCallum. ... Ronald Lamont Winky Wright (born November 26, 1971 in Washington, DC) is an American boxer, the former Jr. ... Front cover of the first issue of The Ring The Ring (often called Ring Magazine) is an American boxing magazine that was first published in 1922 as a boxing and wrestling magazine. ... Mandalay Bay casino from the north Mandalay Bay Resort and Casino is a hotel/casino on the Strip in Las Vegas, Nevada. ... Vegas redirects here. ... Joe Calzaghe (born 23 March 1972 in Hammersmith, London England) is a Welsh boxer of Sardinian and Welsh descent, who is nicknamed The Pride of Wales. He currently lives in Cwmbran, Wales, and is one of the pound for pound top 10 boxers in the world according to the Ring...

References

^[2] Year 2007 (MMVII) is the current year, a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar and the AD/CE era in the 21st century. ... is the 280th day of the year (281st in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ...

Record

• Amateur boxing: 95-4
• Professional boxing: 48-4-1-1 (32 KOs)

Olympic boxing or Amateur boxing is found at the Olympic Games and Commonwealth Games. ... For other senses of these words, see boxing (disambiguation) or boxer (disambiguation). ...

Trivia

• Hopkins had a cameo role in the Beanie Sigel film State Property 2.
• Hopkins' nephew Demetrius Hopkins is a rising boxing prospect in the light welterweight division.
• Hopkins' bout with Félix Trinidad at New York City's Madison Square Garden was originally scheduled for September 15, 2001, but was postponed for two weeks because of the September 11, 2001 attacks.
• Bernard Hopkins is reported to be a vegetarian. [5] [6]
• Hopkins currently resides in Newark, DE
• Hopkins is on the cover of Fight Night round 2 and is featured in the demo for Fight Night Round 3 along with Roy Jones Jr..
• Hopkins made a cameo appearance in rapper Xzibit's music video 'Hey Now (Mean Muggin')

This article refers to the rapper Beanie Sigel. For the gangster, see Bugsy Siegel. ... [[1]] State Property 2 Directed by Damon Dash Writing credits Adam Moreno (story) & Damon Dash (story) ... Genre: Musical / Action / Crime / Drama (more) Tagline: This time, everything is on the line. ... Demetrius Hopkins (born October 10, 1980, in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA) is an American boxer, currently in the light welterweight division. ... // The light welterweight class (also called junior welterweight or super lightweight) is a weight division in professional boxing that has a limit of 140 pounds. ... Félix Tito Trinidad, Jr. ... Madison Square Garden, often abbreviated as MSG, known colloquially simply as The Garden, has been the name of four arenas in New York City, United States. ... A sequential look at United Flight 175 crashing into the south tower of the World Trade Center The September 11, 2001 attacks (often referred to as 9/11—pronounced nine eleven or nine one one) consisted of a series of coordinated terrorist[1] suicide attacks upon the United States, predominantly... Newark is a city located in New Castle County, Delaware. ... Fight Night: Round 3 is a boxing video game developed by EA Sports. ... Roy Jones Jr. ... Alvin Nathaniel Joiner (born September 18, 1974), better known by his stage name Xzibit, is an American rapper, actor, and television personality, who was born in Detroit, Michigan and was raised in Albuquerque, New Mexico by his father and stepmother. ...

See also

• List of male boxers
• List of WBC world champions
• Ring Magazine pound for pound

This is a list of notable male boxers. ... This article or section is incomplete and may require expansion and/or cleanup. ... This table lists the pound-for-pound rankings of The Ring magazine (the self-proclaimed Bible of Boxing), which some boxing experts and fans regard as an authoritative source for ranking the best pound-for-pound boxers in the world. ...

External links

• Bernard Hopkins Fight-by-Fight Career Record
• Interview with Bernard Hopkins
• Bernard Hopkins' career boxing record