Middleweight great BERNARD “The Executioner” HOPKINS will visit the future campus site of Florida’s first public residential boarding school on Tuesday, April 14, 2009 at 2:00 pm. The location is 22025 SW 87th Ave, Miami, Florida, 33190.The press is invited for private tours, one-one-one interviews, and photo opportunities. This groundbreaking NEW high school will provide boys facing troubled lives with an option of either a rigorous college-bound academic track or a job-ready track.. Students will gain admissions to the revolutionary school phenomenon based on criteria targeting them at the highest risk for dropping out or engaging in criminal behaviors. Hopkins will speak to a group of young men currently in trouble, headed to a life of crime. He will become this breakthrough school’s celebrity spokesperson and mentor – and rightfully so.
Hopkins turned to crime early in his life. By the age of thirteen he was mugging people and had been stabbed three times. At seventeen, Hopkins was sentenced to 18 years in Graterford Prison for nine felonies. While in prison he witnessed rapes and the murder of another inmate in an argument over a pack of cigarettes. It was in prison that he discovered his passion for boxing. After serving almost five years, Hopkins was released from prison and decided to use boxing as an escape from his previous life. While leaving the prison for the final time, the warden told Hopkins that he’ll “see [Hopkins] again when you wind up back here,” to which Hopkins replied “I ain’t ever coming back here.”
The story of Bernard Hopkins is a great one that he loves retelling – the street hood hooked on a life of crime, sent to prison aged 17, emerged a changed man, who became one of the greatest boxers of his era. Today, Hopkins is best known for his ten year reign as Middleweight World Champion. His support of this new school stems from the consensus that too many troubled teens become the product of a failing juvenile justice system, which is forced to treat youth offenders more like criminals, rather than students with potential who simply need help. Too many kids who go through the juvenile justice system later end up in prison repeatedly.
Bernard Hopkins took responsibility for his life but suffered serious CONSEQUENCES. He wants to help make sure others don’tmake the same mistakes by offering them a chance to succeed, despite the disadvantages they face.
To lend further support, Bernard will walk the red carpet and be a celebrity guest at Lea and Roy Blacks’ Annual Gala on Saturday, April 18, 2009 at the Eden Rock Hotel in Miami Beach, Florida starting at 7 pm. Miami’s most famous gala supports operations for both Bay Point Schools and a brand new foundation formed by Engin Yesil and Lea Black called The Consequences Foundation. The foundation is developing The Consequences Program – a proactive intervention curriculum designed to redirect troubled teens before they find themselves in trouble. Consequences will become an integral and important part of the new prep school’s curriculum. Hopkins will become the Consequences Program’s first celebrity spokesperson andwill be active in the programming development of the new high school.
Statistically, juveniles commit one in eight crimes. By removing youth from their crime-ridden environments and helping them focus on academics, sports and achievable goals, this program will aim to decrease the present dropout rate of 34.2% in Miami-Dade County alone. This new concept high school is designed to become a model across the country and the first of its kind. “We have a vision of bringing the federal and state government, public school systems, foundations and adolescent psychology and education experts in harmony to create a school on par with some of the nations finest,” says Gio Greeley, the school’s director of development and programming. Focusing on education, sports, student government and therapy will become the alternative to entering a corrections system infested with career criminal and prisoner training.
TICKET ALERT!!! PROFESSIONAL BOXING RETURNS TO WINCHESTER’S SPORTSPLEX ON SATURDAY MAY 9TH
ANDREW FARMER AND BAYAN JARGAL IN FEATURE BOUTS
WINCHESTER, VA (April 8, 2009) World class professional boxing will return to the Sportsplex in Winchester , Virginia , as “TRIPLE THREAT: TOMORROW’S CHAMPIONS 11” hits on Saturday, May 9th.
Presented by Reno based “Let’s Get It On” Promotions, TKO BOXING Promotions of Las Vegas, Left Hook LLC and Pro-Motion Sports, advance tickets starting at $40 will go on sale this Friday, April 10th and can be reserved by calling 540-379-1532 or 540-868-2200.
The Sportsplex is located at 221 Commonwealth Court in Winchester , Virginia . Doors on the evening of the event will open at 6:30pm with the first bell at 7:30pm.
Said Terry Lane of “Let’s Get It On” Promotions and Chet Koerner of TKO BOXING Promotions in a joint statement, “We’re very excited to co-promote our first event in the Winchester area. We’ve got a huge night of boxing planned for the great fight fans at the Sportsplex on May 9th and having Andrew and Bayan on the card truly exemplifies our “HOMETOWN HEROES TO WORLD CHAMPIONS” theme.
Featured in the main event will be 23 year old junior welterweight prospect Andrew “THE DOO MAN” Farmer. With a record of 11-1-0 with seven knockouts, Farmer has won his last seven in a row, most recently sweeping all eight rounds against Cesar Vega on August 9th at the Civic Center in Salem , Virginia .
Combining his outstanding boxing skills with his huge heart, Farmer has become a must see attraction on the East Coast amongst fight fans.
The co-main event will showcase rising lightweight prospect Bayan “THE MONGOLIAN MONGOOSE” Jargal. Since turning professional two and half years ago, Jargal has thrilled fight fans across the country with his devastating power.
Jargal is coming off a third round knockout of Reggie Nash on March 14th which followed a first round KO of Walberto Gaxiola on January 23rd in Las Vegas .
Jargal is managed by J.D. Brown who has managed former world champions William Joppy and DeMarcus Corley and also worked as an advisor for Sugar Ray Leonard.
Further details including an outstanding undercard will be announced shortly.
Waterloo Region World Champion Boxer Marks 10th Anniversary of Victory!
Waterloo Region, ON, April 8, 2009 – It was ten years ago, on April 14th, 1999, that Kitchener’s 31-year-old Fitz ‘The Whip’ Vanderpool was standing in the ring at the Royal York Hotel in Toronto, being crowned the WBF Super Welterweight World Champion. He had just beaten Stephan Johnson to claim the vacant belt. “It was a victory that had me behind on all the scorecards and the only way to win was by a knockout. I achieved the impossible and won by a knock out! My four brothers and I all dreamt of becoming a world champion – and I was the one who finally did it. It is the greatest feeling hearing your name called out as a world champion.” Fitz went on to successfully defend his WBF World Championship twice. It was one of five belts he had won.
This victory was the culmination of a meteoric career. On April 6th 1996 Fitz Vanderpool was Crowned Canadian Welterweight Champion – the first Professional Boxing Title for Kitchener in over 50 years. In 1997 Fitz won the W.B.F. Inter Continental Title and then took the W.B.C. Fecarbox Welterweight Title as well. ‘The Whip’ held 3 Championship titles simultaneously. Unable to defend them all at the same time, he relinquished two of the titles and held on to the Canadian Title – holding it for over 3 years, becoming one of Canada’s most successful boxers.
He didn’t do it completely alone. He remembers, with a catch in this throat, a man he calls ‘Papa Joe – Joseph Hajnal Sr. – his amateur and pro boxing coach and trainer. “He believed in me and inspired me. He helped me to see my vision in the darkness and to keep my dream alive.”
Fitz also took time to use his fame in positive ways for the community. In 1996 he was officially proclaimed an International Fire Safety Ambassador. In 1998 Fitz joined the board of directors of the International Fire Safety Ambassadors. And in 1999 Fitz was voted Kitchener Waterloo Civitans first ever Athlete of the Year.
Today, Fitz Vanderpool still has boxing in his blood. He owns and runs the Whip Boxing Academy, teaches boxing in high schools, trains up-and-coming young boxers, and gives as much back to his community as he is able. “I have accomplished everything I wanted to accomplish in my boxing career. Boxing is a sport that teaches discipline, self confidence, and respect. My goal now is to show youngsters that they can be successful if they work hard and believe in themselves.” He trains top athletes such as Mixed Martial Arts combatants and hockey players. He offers specialized FitBox for those who want to be in fighting shape, but don’t want to step into the ring, and also offers one-on-one personal training. He even has his own special brand of boxing gear – Whip Gear. Fitz ‘The Whip’ Vanderpool is also available for speaking engagements on variety of topics.
A special dinner to celebrate Fitz ‘The Whip’ Vanderpool’s historic victory will take place in June.