Hopkins vs Dawson Promo - 28th April
Bernard Hopkins
BernardHopkins
Date of Birth: 15th January 1965
Class: Light Heavyweight
Weight: 173½lbs
Reach: 75 in (191cm)
Height: 6ft 1in (185cm)
Trainer: Nazim Richardson
Career Achievements:
WBC World Light Heavyweight Champion (2011 -
2012)
Ring Magazine World Light Heavyweight Champion (2006 -
2008, 2011 - Present)
WBO Middleweight Champion (2004 - 2005)
Ring Magazine World Middleweight Champion (2002 -
2005)
WBA World Middleweight Champion (2001 -
2005)
WBC World Middleweight Champion (2001
-2005)
IBF World Middleweight Champion (1995 -
2005)
USBA Middleweight Champion (1992 - 1994)
Hopkins: The Facts
Named 2001 Fighter of the Yearby the BWAA, The Ring, and the World Boxing Hall of Fame
Longest-ever reign as World Middleweight Champion
Most title defenses as World Middleweight Champion (20)
Oldest fighter in history to hold the World Middleweight Championship
Oldest fighter in history to hold the World Light Heavyweight Championship, surpassing Archie Moore.
Oldest world champion in boxing history, surpassing George Foreman.
Last Fight:
28th April 2012 - loss against Chad Dawson
Born in Philadelphia, legendary middleweight Bernard Hopkins has enjoyed a highly successful career spanning well over 20 years.
Upon his release from Graterford Prison, Hopkins decided to leave his chequered past behind and took up boxing. He lost his professional debut at light heavyweight in 1988 before recording his first win as a middleweight in 1990.
Hopkins then won his next 21 fights, winning the vacant USBA Middleweight Championship in 1992. Although he was unsuccessful in an IBF World title challenge in 1993, he did go on to win the vacated belt in 1995 against Segundo Mercado.
Bernard Hopkins defended his IBF World Championship for 20 fights and 10 years - a record that stands to this day. Hopkins added WBC and WBO Middleweight titles to his IBF crown as well as the WBA World Super Middleweight belt during a decade of middleweight domination.
Hopkins lost all of his titles in 2005 against Jermain Taylor but then won the IBO Light Heavyweight Championship the following year at the age of 41. Hopkins vacated the belt until he returned in 2010 to fight Jean Pascal in a bid to regain the Light Heavyweight belt. After the first fight was drawn, Hopkins overcame Pascal to win both the WBC and IBO World Light Heavyweight titles in 2011.
In October 2011 Hopkins - at the age of 46 - was involved in a controversial bout against Chad Dawson for the WBC and IBO World Light Heavyweight Championship. The fight was initially ruled a TKO in Dawson's favour, but the result was later overturned to a no contest as Dawson was deemed to have dumped Hopkins to the canvas illegally.
The two men locked horns once again in April 2012, again with the WBC World Light Heavyweight strap on the line. Dawson secured a majority decision win after a bruising encounter went the distance.
Hopkins in action
