What, aside from varying degrees of greatness, do the following fighters have in common:
- Henry Armstrong
- Juan Manuel Marquez
- Rafael Marquez
- Pipino Cuevas
- James “Bonecrusher” Smith
- Johnny Nelson
- Wilfredo Vasquez
- Bernard Hopkins
They all suffered defeat in their very first pro fight.
It was on this day in 1988, that former prison inmate Bernard Hopkins turned pro. Beaten via majority decision, in a fight with Clinton Mitchell, who was also making his pro debut, Hopkins went away for 16 months before, in February of 1990, B-Hop “re-debuted.” It would be three years before Hopkins lost again, and then, after his decision defeat to Roy Jones, “The Executioner” would not lose again for 12 long years.
Hopkins, who is celebrated as one of the greatest fighters to have made good after serving time, went on to make middleweight history, while “The Alien” also holds the distinction of being the oldest world champion in history, this as a 49 year old at the end of his reign at 175 pounds.
In jail, Hopkins, still raw, fought a recorded 99 amateur fights, with him winning all but four of them. Absolutely determined not to go back to “being a number,” Hopkins knew in his heart he would remain a free man upon being let out of Graterford Prison.
And B-Hop was true to himself. We fans witnessed an amazing career/journey/story as a result. Hopkins, a cerebral boxer of the highest order, forged a quite astonishing 55-8-2(32) career record, with two of these losses coming before he achieved greatness, and with two of them coming when he had reached an age that was very much frowned upon as far as fighters still fighting was/is concerned.
Hopkins did it all his way, with him in the driving seat as far as calling the shots and fighting who he wanted to fight. Big punchers were defeated, as were tricky and clever boxers, as well as tough and durable guys – and superstars.
As for Mitchell, he continued boxing for just a short time after ensuring he would be a footnote in boxing history, with him winning just two more fights.
Sadly, Clinton passed way from diabetes when still a young man, never knowing the attention his winning pro debut would gain him.
Hopkins, meanwhile, went on to achieve a special place in the hearts of fight fans.
Among Hopkins’ hit-list are:
Felix Trinidad
Oscar De La Hoya
Glen Johnson
Antonio Tarver
Kelly Pavlik
Winky Wright
Roy Jones (in a rematch)
Chad Dawson
That’s some list of victims, while Hopkins’ loss to Joe Calzaghe came via split decision that could very easily have gone B-Hop’s way.
And to think, 23 year old Hopkins gave serious consideration towards quitting after the loss to Mitchell. Thankfully, Hopkins had a change of heart, his greatness taking time to emerge.
