Garbage of society
In 1976, Sylvester Stallone started writing the script for Rocky, the boxing series with him was the main character. Rocky Balboa was a fictional person synthesized from the real story of many contemporary boxers at that time. Surely Stallone did not expect less than 2 decades later, the world boxing appeared a true Rocky, but according to the darker version.
If there is a detailed writer of Bernard Hopkins's life biography, most readers will not believe half of the content is true. How can a child at the bottom of society escape the spiral of poverty and violence, even becoming a world boxing champion? But that is the thorny road that Bernard Hopkins has stepped through.
If Rocky Balboa is considered from a debt collector at the harbor, then Bernard Hopkins stood far away from the starting line. Also born and raised in Philadelphia, but Hopkins's childhood has never had a peaceful day. At the age of 11, he entered life by petty stealing. 13 years old, Hopkins went to emergency 3 times because of being stabbed.
From a robbery man, Hopkins “upgraded” himself into a gangster. He joined a gang in Philadelphia, and the criminal record was getting thicker every month and day by day. When Hopkins was 17 years old, he was arrested by the government. The judge determined that Hopkins had 9 serious crimes, sentenced to 18 years in prison.
The trash of society stood in front of the prison prison, buried life among the worst. It was also when Hopkins realized that there was a place more terrible than the streets of Philadelphia, which was full of criminals: Prison.
“In the cell, I have to witness unprecedented obsessions,” Hopkins said. “I saw those who were raped, beaten, tortured. The moment I felt like being slapped to the province was when I witnessed a prisoner killed just because of a pack of cigarettes.”
The death of that anonymous prisoner completely changed Hopkins's life. He has 2 options: redo his life with another path, or continue to follow the old way and can die at any time like the other prisoner. And Hopkins chose a decent path, with just two fists in his hand.
Win and lose
Hopkins started practicing boxing in prison at the age of 21. Not long after, all the cells of the Graterford prison discussed a boy who owned the natural boxing talent. Hopkins's in prison achievement has never been officially recognized, but it is an almost perfect figure: 99 matches, 95 wins, 4 losses.
Good renovation achievements help Hopkins only have to serve for 5 years in prison, instead of 18 years as the original sentence. The day he stepped out of the camp, a prison once let go of the disdain: “We will see you again soon.” Hearing that, Hopkins calmly replied: “No, I will never enter here again.”
With empty hands, Hopkins tried to live, but not by the path of sin as before. What can a boxer do to make money? There is no other way but to step on the boxing boxing. But Hopkins's first career was a disaster, when he lost bitterly.
With no job at the age of 24, rejected with the achievement table lost in the first match, Hopkins was rejected for a long time. It took him 16 months to find the opportunity to play the second match, and this time Hopkins won, opening a series of 22 matches in a row later in his career.
More notably, Hopkins's 22 victories took place in just 3 years, including 16 victories, and 12 of them came to the first half. No one could keep the radio continuously in such a short time, and won so quickly. That chain helped Hopkins were nicknamed by the US media.
What will a former crime think when he knows he is called “executioner”? There must be people who will enjoy it, but Hopkins does not. Having sincerely recovered, Mr. Thanh honestly said that he felt like a fool when called like that. But anyway, this name also helped Hopkins to step up to the larger armors.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t1kjn7nxeeg
Hopkins defeated Mercado in the rematch
In 1993, 5 years after being released from prison, Hopkins had the first world professional boxing battle in his career. He lost his pain that day, but it was just a stepping stone for Hopkins to go further than anyone on the path he went. 2 years later, Hopkins became the owner of the World IBF belt at the age of 30.
The story of Hopkins's IBF belt is also more thriller than any legend. At the first time encountering the opponent, the belt was Segundo Mercado, Hopkins was punched twice and almost lost. He only recovered a draw by winning the remaining half. But in the rematch, everything was completely different.
In the first match, Hopkins was pulled to Mercado's home field, having to play at an altitude of nearly 3000 meters above sea level. Until the rematch in the US, Hopkins returned both capital and interest. He defeated Mercado with TKO in the 7th half, thereby conquering the first world championship belt in his career.
Endless journey
Many boxing boxers decline very quickly after the time to reach the top of the glory because there is no target to strive. But that did not happen to Hopkins, a man who considered his fist as a way out of the dark prison of life. After the first victory, the first belt, he continued to fight without rest.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G8GG9RNJZC4
Hopkins defeated Hoya at the age of 39
In 2004, at the age of 39, Hopkins officially acquired 4 WBA, WBC, WBO and IBF championship belts with the victory over Oscar de la Hoya. Many people thought of the prospect of Hopkins to retire on the top of the glory, but that did not happen. He continued the upper radio, competing towards new challenges.
At the age of 40, Hopkins's frequency of competition was less, and he also lost more. Everyone thought Hopkins had expired when he lost twice in a row to Jermain Taylor. Facing questioning questions about the ability to retire, Hopkins did not think about: Don weighed on the new class.
The water of Hopkins has brought unexpected success. The series of victories continued, and Hopkins even broke the record of George Foreman to become the oldest puncher who once won a professional boxing belt: 49 years old 94 days. That record will exist for decades.
Hopkins's Boxing World Exploration ended in December 2016, when he lost to Joe Smith Jr. No one blamed Hopkins when he received the result of failure, because that was predicted. But with Hopkins, the upper radio at the age of 51 and to the 8th half was his own victory.
Although Hopkins may not be professional anymore, he has never thought that he has ended the martial artist career. “I have never given up boxing. Martial artists are always young, old or weak. We may not play anymore but still talk about boxing, teach young people and inspire the next generation. Nobody abandoned Boxing,” he contemplated.
Hopkins's life is like Rocky strangely: a wandering person at the bottom of society rises to conquer the peak, holds everything in his hand but still constantly fighting. Rocky can be a fictional character, and Hopkins is real. He was more poor, more thorny, and also more brave. Who dares to say a second Rocky cannot appear in real life?