PRINTER'S NO.  2172

  

THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF PENNSYLVANIA

  

HOUSE RESOLUTION

 

No.

350

Session of

2011

  

  

INTRODUCED BY PAYTON, JUNE 22, 2011

  

  

INTRODUCED AS NONCONTROVERSIAL RESOLUTION UNDER RULE 35, JUNE 22, 2011  

  

  

  

A RESOLUTION

  

1

Recognizing and honoring Bernard Hopkins for his achievements

2

and contributions to the sport of boxing and the City of

3

Philadelphia.

4

WHEREAS, Bernard Hopkins was born January 15, 1965, and was

5

raised in the Germantown section of Philadelphia; and

6

WHEREAS, As a misguided and pugnacious youth, Mr. Hopkins

7

improperly channeled his aggression and regrettably found

8

himself embroiled in a life of crime and gang activity; and

9

WHEREAS, In 1982, 17-year-old Bernard's lifestyle of violence

10

and destruction eventually caught up with him, resulting in a

11

conviction and sentence of 18 years for assault and armed

12

robbery; and

13

WHEREAS, Mr. Hopkins was sent and housed at the Graterford

14

State Penitentiary, where he quickly realized the errors of his

15

ways and adopted a more positive outlook on life; and

16

WHEREAS, During his incarceration, Mr. Hopkins cultivated a

17

new and improved mental and spiritual foundation, and more

18

importantly discovered his passion for the sport of boxing; and

- 1 -

 


1

WHEREAS, Mr. Hopkins wisely utilized his time while

2

incarcerated to hone his boxing skills in preparation to pursue

3

a professional career in the sport upon his release; and

4

WHEREAS, In 1988, after 56 months of confinement, Mr. Hopkins

5

was released from prison at the age of 23; and

6

WHEREAS, Staying true to his ambition, Mr. Hopkins officially

7

turned professional as a light-heavyweight soon after his

8

release, but lost his first professional bout to Clinton

9

Mitchell on October 11, 1988; and

10

WHEREAS, On February 22, 1990, Mr. Hopkins scored his first

11

professional win against Greg Paige in a four-round decision,

12

crediting his Spartan-like work ethic to his new trainer, Bouie

13

Fisher, who played a pivotal role in the shaping of his

14

illustrious career; and

15

WHEREAS, During the period between 1990 through 1992, Mr.

16

Hopkins, under the tutelage of trainer Bouie Fisher, worked his

17

way through the middleweight journeyman ranks and scored a

18

remarkable 19 consecutive victories; and

19

WHEREAS, On December 4, 1992, Mr. Hopkins earned an

20

opportunity to contend for the United States Boxing Association

21

(USBA) Middleweight Title against veteran Wayne Powell; and

22

WHEREAS, Mr. Hopkins emerged victorious, winning the USBA

23

Middleweight Title in a mere 21 seconds by a knockout; and

24

WHEREAS, Mr. Hopkins earned the reputation as a hard-nosed

25

warrior and would finally receive an opportunity to contend for

26

a world title shot against Roy Jones, Jr., on May 22, 1993; and

27

WHEREAS, Mr. Hopkins lost this bout in 12 hard-fought rounds

28

by a unanimous decision, suffering only the second loss of his

29

still-budding career; and

30

WHEREAS, Using this loss as motivation, Mr. Hopkins put his

- 2 -

 


1

heart and soul into his training and four months later defended

2

his USBA crown by way of a technical knockout (TKO) victory over

3

previously unbeaten Roy Ritchie; and

4

WHEREAS, Two title defenses followed which earned Mr. Hopkins

5

a second shot at contending for a world title; and

6

WHEREAS, Although his dreams of capturing a world title would

7

once again be deferred, Mr. Hopkins finally earned the title of

8

world champion in convincing fashion against Segundo Mercado on

9

April 29, 1995; and

10

WHEREAS, From the late 1990s through the early 2000s, Mr.

11

Hopkins dominated the middleweight division, successfully

12

defending the International Boxing Federation (IBF) title 12

13

times against quality contenders; and

14

WHEREAS, The combination of speed and precision with which

15

Mr. Hopkins vanquished his opponents earned him the nickname

16

"The Executioner"; and

17

WHEREAS, In 2001, Mr. Hopkins was named Ring Magazine Fighter

18

of the Year and World Hall of Fame Fighter of the Year; and

19

WHEREAS, In February 2003, Mr. Hopkins not only used his

20

physical prowess to make an impact upon the boxing world, he

21

also was an outspoken advocate for fighters' rights, even

22

testifying before Congress in support of the Muhammad Ali Boxing

23

Reform Act; and

24

WHEREAS, Mr. Hopkins continued to establish himself as an

25

all-time great by scoring victories over marquee names such as

26

Felix "Tito" Trinidad and Oscar De La Hoya, successfully

27

defending his title for a record-setting 20th time; and

28

WHEREAS, Although his title defense streak would finally come

29

to an end on July 15, 2005, soon thereafter, Mr. Hopkins

30

achieved the amazing feat of moving up two weight classes and

- 3 -

 


1

capturing the light heavyweight title against Antonio Tarver on

2

June 10, 2006; and

3

WHEREAS, Mr. Hopkins regained the middleweight title on

4

October 18, 2008, and twice defended the light heavyweight title

5

against boxing elites, Roy Jones, Jr., and Winky Wright; and

6

WHEREAS, On May 21, 2011, in a bout for the light heavyweight

7

title against Jean Pascal, Mr. Hopkins further solidified his

8

legacy as one of the greatest fighters in the history of the

9

sport by becoming the oldest world champion in boxing history at

10

the age of 46; and

11

WHEREAS, To date, Mr. Hopkins as compiled a stellar record of

12

52 wins, five losses and two draws, with 32 of the victories by

13

knockouts (KOs), and is regarded as an unequivocal future hall

14

of fame inductee; therefore be it

15

RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives recognize and

16

honor the achievements and contributions of Bernard Hopkins to

17

the sport of boxing and the City of Philadelphia.

- 4 -