What are you up to, Bernard Hopkins?

By Janne Romppainen

Only one year ago, Bernard Hopkins had it all. He was coming out from the middleweight tournament as the winner and he had taken home the unified middleweight title belt. More than that, in the finals he had done what many thought was impossible i.e. knocked out the outstanding Felix Trinidad whom back then many considered to be the best fighter of the planet. Finally Hopkins had reached the respect he had long searched after. For so many years he had gotten only what was left over from the bigger names. He was fighting the best men of his division and always winning and yet earning a little money and even less recognition. But that was no more the case. Now he was hailed as one of the best fighters pound-for-pound in the business and his name was mentioned in the same sentence with all the middleweight legends.

How distant does all that feel today! In just one years span Bernard Hopkins has all but lost his well-deserved and hard-fought respect and even more than that, the audience has lost the sympathy it felt towards the Executioner. During this one year, Hopkins has fought just once, defeating Carl Daniels easily if unspectacularly in February of 2002. Besides that fight Hopkins has done little more than trash-talking and much reputation spoiling. He has had arguments with people inside and outside his camp, with promoters, journalists and with other fighters. The lowest point of the year must have been the trial against Lou DiBella in November of 2002 where Hopkins had to pay $610,000 compensations.

It would have been so easy for Hopkins to secure his status. Had he ended his career after the Daniels bout, he would now be recognized as a respectable ex-champ who has the record of most successful title defences in the history of the division and who gave the division some value which it hadn’t had in almost a decade. Yes he could have done that. He also could have put up one or two fights, with the showing he put up against Trinidad he could easily have beaten for example William Joppy and cleaned up the division for good. Hopkins did neither. He kept talking about fighting Roy Jones in a catchweight but didn’t agree to take forty percent of the purse (the contract was plausible as Jones had won their first fight). It is often heard how Roy Jones does not fight all the best men of his division like a pound-for-pounder should. What is worse is that Bernard Hopkins isn’t fighting anybody at all, not even the so-called stiffs. Like his bitter rival, he has talked many good fights but he hasn’t really done much to put them up himself. Now that there was finally a chance to the Executioner to fight in front of big audience he didn’t seem to want to take it.

Year 2002 should have been the most enjoyable of Hopkins’ career but I doubt that was the case. During that year Hopkins became from unknown and respected to well-known and disrespected. Unfortunately, the outside of the ring events that took place last year might be the ones from which he is remembered from in the future. The big question is, what Hopkins is going to do this year? That question can only be answered by Hopkins himself. He still has time to come out as a winner from the battle about his reputation. He still has skills that few men in boxing can match. If he shuts up and concentrates on his task, notching a couple of victories during the year, then nobody disputes his position among the best middleweights of the recent history. The audience forgets very easily what it has seen so nothing permanent damage has been made. However, if Hopkins keeps getting in to all sorts of problems outside of the ring and most of all keeps talking instead of punching, then his reputation could be gone forever, he could be remembered only as a bitter man who forgot is profession after he had tasted some success. So, what are you up to, Bernard Hopkins?

Comments/questions: janneromppainen@hotmail.com