1Recognizing and honoring Bernard Hopkins for his achievements
2and contributions to the sport of boxing and for his
3philanthropic efforts benefiting Philadelphia youth.

4WHEREAS, Bernard Hopkins was born January 15, 1965, and was
5raised in the Germantown section of Philadelphia; and

6WHEREAS, As a youth, Bernard Hopkins found himself involved
7with gangs and began committing petty crimes, eventually
8escalating to felony offenses which landed him in State prison
9facing a sentence of 18 years; and

10WHEREAS, During his incarceration, Mr. Hopkins <-cultivated a 
11new and improved mental and spiritual foundation and more 
12importantly discovered his passion for the sport of boxing; and

13WHEREAS, Mr. Hopkins wisely utilized his time while
14incarcerated to hone his boxing skills in preparation to pursue
15a professional career in the sport upon his release; and

1WHEREAS, In 1988, after 56 months of confinement, Mr. Hopkins
2was released from prison at 23 years of age; and

3WHEREAS, Staying true to his ambition, Mr. Hopkins officially
4turned professional as a light-heavyweight soon after his
5release, but lost his first professional bout to Clinton
6Mitchell on October 11, 1988; and

7WHEREAS, On February 22, 1990, Mr. Hopkins achieved his first
8professional win against Greg Paige in a four-round decision,
9crediting his Spartan-like work ethic to his new trainer, Bouie
10Fisher, who played a pivotal role in the shaping of his
11illustrious career; and

12WHEREAS, During the period between 1990 and 1992, Mr.
13Hopkins, under the tutelage of trainer Bouie Fisher, worked his
14way through the middleweight journeyman ranks and achieved a
15remarkable 19 consecutive victories; and

16WHEREAS, On December 4, 1992, Mr. Hopkins won the United
17States Boxing Association (USBA) Middleweight Title against
18veteran Wayne Powell in a mere 21 seconds by a knockout; and

19WHEREAS, Mr. Hopkins would finally receive an opportunity to
20contend for a world title shot against Roy Jones, Jr., on May
2122, 1993; and

22WHEREAS, Mr. Hopkins lost this bout in 12 hard-fought rounds
23by a unanimous decision, suffering only the second loss of his
24still-budding career; and

25WHEREAS, Two title defenses followed which earned Mr. Hopkins
26a second shot at contending for a world title; and

27WHEREAS, Mr. Hopkins finally earned the title of world
28champion in convincing fashion against Segundo Mercado on April
2929, 1995; and

30WHEREAS, In 2001, Mr. Hopkins was named Ring Magazine Fighter

1of the Year and World Hall of Fame Fighter of the Year; and

2WHEREAS, In February 2003, Mr. Hopkins not only used his
3physical prowess to make an impact upon the boxing world, he
4also was an outspoken advocate for fighters' rights, even
5testifying before Congress in support of the Muhammad Ali Boxing
6Reform Act; and

7WHEREAS, Mr. Hopkins continued to establish himself as an
8all-time great, successfully defending his title for a record-
9setting 20th time; and

10WHEREAS, Although his title defense streak would finally come
11to an end on July 15, 2005, soon thereafter, Mr. Hopkins
12achieved the amazing feat of moving up two weight classes and
13capturing the light-heavyweight title against Antonio Tarver on
14June 10, 2006; and

15WHEREAS, Mr. Hopkins regained the middleweight title on
16October 18, 2008, and twice defended the light-heavyweight title
17against boxing elites Roy Jones, Jr., and Winky Wright; and

18WHEREAS, On May 21, 2011, in a bout for the light-heavyweight
19title against Jean Pascal, Mr. Hopkins further solidified his
20legacy as one of the greatest fighters in the history of the
21sport by becoming the oldest world champion in boxing history at
2246 years of age; and

23WHEREAS, On April 28, 2012, Mr. Hopkins lost his World Boxing
24Council light-heavyweight title to Chad Dawson by decision; and

25WHEREAS, On March 9, 2013, Mr. Hopkins won the International
26Boxing Federation light-heavyweight title from Travis Cloud and
27retained the title on October 26, 2013, by defeating Karo Murat;
28and

29WHEREAS, To date, Mr. Hopkins has compiled a stellar record
30of 54 wins, 6 losses and 2 draws, with 32 of the victories by

1knockout (KO) and is regarded as an unequivocal future hall of
2fame inductee; and

3WHEREAS, In 2006, Mr. Hopkins established the Bernard and
4Shirley Hopkins "Make A Way" Foundation in honor of his late
5mother; and

6WHEREAS, The "Make A Way" Foundation has donated hundreds of
7thousands of dollars to raise awareness to help make a way for
8Philadelphia's underprivileged youth; therefore be it

9RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives recognize and
10honor Bernard Hopkins for his achievements and contributions to
11the sport of boxing and for his philanthropic efforts benefiting
12Philadelphia youth.