Bernard Hopkins: The Executioner's 10 Greatest Victories
Oct. 10, 1988 was Bernard Hopkins' professional debut against Clinton Mitchell. He would lose a majority decision after four rounds, making his record 0-1.
A year later, he returned and got his first victory. He would continue to win, losing only one fight in the next 15 years to a young Roy Jones Jr.
Before losing his middleweight title to Jermain Taylor, Hopkins had already broken several records, including the record for most successful defenses of the middleweight title previously held by Carlos Monzon. He also broke a CompuBox record, believe it or not.
What we've seen from him in the last couple years are among his greatest victories. At 46, every win he has over a younger and more physical fighter is going to be impressive, and they will only continue to become part of a 23-year legacy in the making.
No. 10: Bernard Hopkins UD12 William Joppy (Dec. 13, 2003)
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Hopkins' 17th defense of the IBF middleweight title would be against former three-time WBA Middleweight Champion William Joppy.
With only two losses previously, including one to an undefeated Felix Trinidad, Joppy was proven to be one of the best middleweights in the world. He was also one of the toughest, and he showed it in this fight.
Over 12 rounds, Hopkins landed at will and set a new CompuBox record for most power punches landed in a single middleweight fight at 375. Overall, he threw 819 punches and landed 419.
Joppy's face began to swell, and it was a dangerous scenario for the fighter to be in, as he had no chance at defeating the 38-year-old.
No. 9: Bernard Hopkins UD12 Ronald Wright (July 21, 2007)
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Ronald "Winky" Wright was one of the best middleweights of the 2000s and was one of the top pound-for-pound fighters in the sport.
After a controversial draw in a middleweight championship fight against Jermain Taylor, Wright returned to dominate Ike Quartey. He hadn't lost since his close fight with Fernando Vargas in 1999. He had beaten the best of the best in the division, including Shane Mosley and Felix Trinidad.
Hopkins and Wright signed to meet in July of 2007, and it turned out to be a much better than expected bout between two defensive-minded opponents.
Many early rounds were close, and a head-butt caused a cut under Wright's eye early in the bout. The final rounds proved to be the difference as Hopkins attacked a slower and tired Wright, who was fighting 10 pounds above his regular weight.
Hopkins would win a convincing decision after 12 rounds, defeating one of the best middleweights of this generation.
No. 8: Bernard Hopkins TKO11 Glen Johnson (July 20, 1997)
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If you peeked at Glen Johnson's record and saw 51-14-2 as an overall record, you might not think this was great as a victory as it really was.
Hopkins has the unique distinction of being the only fighter to finish the "Road Warrior," and it's an important one. Ring magazine's fighter of the year in 2004 was Johnson after he knocked out Roy Jones Jr. and defeated Antonio Tarver.
Johnson and Hopkins are similar in a lot of ways. Both continue to fight over 40, and both have success at the highest levels of the sport to this day. Johnson is currently in the semifinals of the Showtime Super Six tournament, featuring some of the best super-middleweight boxers in the sport.
Who knows—maybe they will meet again before they call it quits.
No. 7: Bernard Hopkins UD12 Antonio Tarver (June 10, 2006)
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Former Ring, IBF, WBC, WBA and IBO light-heavyweight champion Antonio Tarver went into his 2006 bout with Bernard Hopkins as a 3-1 favorite. The 2006 Olympic Bronze Medalist had just defeated two of the best of his generation in Roy Jones Jr. and Glen Johnson the previous year.
Hopkins had just dropped back-to-back losses to Jermain Taylor and decided to jump all the way from middleweight to light-heavyweight to challenge the "Magic Man."
Tarver has never been stopped in a fight, but this was as close to him being stopped as ever before. For 12 rounds, Hopkins outworked and out-punched Tarver and even managed to knock him down with a right hand in the fifth round.
A weight cut Tarver made after starring in the movie Rocky Balboa contributed to his lack of conditioning and strength, but Hopkins was making just as tough of an increase in weight to be in fighting shape by fight night.
No. 6: Bernard Hopkins TKO7 Segundo Mercado 2 (April 9, 1995)
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The first fight between Hopkins and Segundo Mercado is probably "The Executioner's" greatest back-and-forth fight overall. It resulted in a draw after the fighter from Ecuador dropped Hopkins twice during the 12-round distance.
Until Hopkins was knocked down by Jean Pascal in their first fight, Mercado had been the only man to ever do it.
Unsatisfied with a draw and with no IBF middleweight champion determined, the two quickly met the following year for a rematch.
In all of Hopkins' rematches, he returns with a more organized attack and tends to get the better of his opponents. He did that to Mercado and knocked him out in the seventh round.
This would be the victory that set off Hopkins' 20-fight run of the middleweight title.
No. 5: Bernard Hopkins KO9 Oscar De La Hoya (Sept. 18, 2004)
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"The Golden Boy" Oscar De La Hoya had recently moved up to light-middleweight after making a name for himself in the welterweight and lightweight divisions throughout the '90s, defeating fighters like Julio Cesar Chavez, Pernell Whitaker, Ike Quartey and Hector Camacho.
A controversial victory over German boxer Felix Sturm set up the fight with Hopkins, who had defeated Robert Allen earlier that night. The megafight would take place September 18th and be broadcast on HBO PPV.
The one distinct advantage Hopkins had in this fight was size, and it proved to be the determining factor in the ninth-round KO result after he landed a left hook to the body of his opponent. De La Hoya couldn't recover from the devastating blow and was counted out, overwhelmed by the power of "The Executioner."
De La Hoya has two TKO losses on his record, but this is the only one that came after a single punch. It was one of the few times he was knocked down in his career.
No. 4: Bernard Hopkins UD12 Kelly Pavlik (Oct. 18, 2008)
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At 34-0, Kelly Pavlik had one of the hottest unbeaten records in boxing, and it contributed to him obtaining a wide fanbase after his back-to-back wins over Jermain Taylor. Pavlik defeated the former middleweight champion to win the WBC and WBO middleweight titles in 2007.
After a successful defense of the titles against an overmatched opponent in Gary Lockett, he went after a big money bout and challenged Hopkins at light-heavyweight. It came after HBO turned down several middleweight contender bouts.
Pavlik went into the fight as the favorite to win, but it was Hopkins who had plans of leaving with the victory.
For 12 rounds, Hopkins showed why he is one of the best, counter-punching, bloodying and out-hustling his younger opponent, winning a dominant unanimous decision.
No. 3: Bernard Hopkins UD12 Howard Eastman (Feb. 19, 2005)
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Hopkins had already made history before this bout, but he had more to do in the sport and had no plans of finishing without setting some new records.
His fight with Howard Eastman would be his 20th IBF middleweight title defense, and it was supposed to be one of his hardest tests to date. Eastman was 40-1 with 34 knockouts.
Ranked as the No. 1 WBC middleweight contender, Eastman had the position to challenge Hopkins, and it proved to be anything but a challenge. The technical and methodical Hopkins dominated the Guyanese boxer over 12 rounds and won a unanimous decision.
With the win, Hopkins had successfully defended the IBF middleweight title 20 times over 10 years. He also tied former heavyweight champion Larry Holmes for the most title defenses.
No. 2: Bernard Hopkins UD12 Jean Pascal (May 21, 2011)
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The first fight between Hopkins and Jean Pascal was a controversial one. They fought to a draw in Pascal's hometown in a fight many thought Hopkins had won.
There was only one way to settle their differences, and they challenged each other to a rematch in May of 2011.
In a very similar fight to the first one, Hopkins avoided many of Pascal's wild exchanges and frustrated the Canadian by doing push-ups between rounds. He also hurt Pascal several times throughout the bout and landed his right hand at will.
After 12 rounds, Hopkins came away with the unanimous decision victory and was the new IBO and WBO light-heavyweight champion.
With the win, he also became the oldest boxer to ever win a major world title, breaking the record previously held by George Foreman when he knocked out Michael Moorer in 1994 at the age of 45.
No. 1: Bernard Hopkins TKO12 Felix Trinidad (Sept. 29, 2001)
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The bout was originally scheduled for Sept. 15, 2001. After the World Trade Center attacks on 9/11, the bout was rescheduled for two weeks later, and it would be an emotional one.
Bernard Hopkins and Felix Trinidad met to unify all of the middleweight titles and determine the first undisputed middleweight champion since Marvin Hagler in the '80s. Trinidad was a top pound-for-pound fighter and undefeated at 40-0. He would go into the bout as a 2-1 favorite.
The pace was set early as Hopkins selected his shots and kept the Puerto Rican superstar at bay for many of the early rounds.
It gradually picked up when it hit the middle rounds, and the fight was a war for the majority of the remaining time until Hopkins dropped Trinidad in the 12th and final round. Trinidad got up, but his corner had already thrown in the towel.
Not only is this Hopkins' greatest victory, it is also his greatest fight. The atmosphere surrounding the event being post-9/11 and the emotional victory for Hopkins was a visceral feeling for everyone who watched it.
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