By Phenyo Molefe: “I know when fear is there; I read fear well” – Bernard Hopkins
I have often wondered, what drives a man to draw upon the forces within in an attempt to propel himself beyond the journey traveled by boxing’s alumnus. The following will explore an aspect of the inspired torch Bernard Hopkins carries for all those who have come before him; the executioner’s curse.
On 17th December 1994, Hopkins fought in his first boxing champion against Segundo Mercado in Quito, Ecuador. Mercado dropped him in the fifth and seventh round but Bernard came back into the fight with a commanding performance in the latter rounds, securing a draw. Don King and Butch Lewis were left advocating for their respective fighters in the most animated fashion, paving a way for a rematch. In their rematch on the 29th April 1995, Bernard Hopkins fought with the blistered determination of a wounded man redeeming his sins; beating Mercado by TKO in the seventh round. Segundo Mercado was touched by the curse. He has never surfaced again as a noted feature and quietly retired in 2003.
Bernard went on to rule the middleweight division for a decade disposing of the many who dared to challenge his greatness. Jermaine Taylor was an emerging life force; seen by many as the heir to Bernard’s throne. In Hopkins he challenged a man who had had seemingly forgotten the unforgiving texture of defeat. In their first outing, Jermaine’s activity controlled the fight in the earlier rounds but Bernard turned the heat on in the latter rounds. Although many of us had him winning, the judges deemed his efforts to be inadequate and he lost to Taylor by split decision. In their rematch on the 3rd December 2005, Jermaine Taylor won a unanimous decision. Even in the midst of a loss the executioner’s curse has left its stain. Taylor struggled to regain the prolific form he held prior to fighting Hopkins and has now plunged prematurely into a dormant state.
After those two successive losses, many advocated that his retirement papers be filed. Defying all Hopkins sought redemption. He skipped two weight divisions to challenge Ring magazine, light-heavyweight champion Antonia Tarver. On 10th June 2006, Tarver found himself spellbound as Hopkins administered a beating at will. The rebirth of the executioner was evident, seemingly more active yet meticulously calculating in his execution.
Prior to one of his greatest performances, Bernard found himself out-hustled by an active Joe Calzaghe and failed to secure a rematch. Hopkins sought to rewrite the wrongs, searching for yet another formidable challenge in middleweight sensation Kelly Pavlik. The barrel was loaded against Hopkins’ brow, favouring an outcome where he would succumb to the younger man’s violent blows. The events which took place on the 18th October 2008 yielded an extraordinary outcome. Hopkins schooled the younger man with such unforgiving precision, unleashing storms with every flurry. A thousand words unspoken, yet much was said; he punctuated his brilliance in silence quietly glaring at ringside. Pavlik was dominated and was left a marked man; one need not look further than his current challenges to know the curse had found its way.
After two very unimpressive bouts, word surfaced that the legend was ripe for the taking. Jean Pascal tested the waters and called Hopkins out. On the 18th December 2010, Bernard Hopkins got off the mat twice after being knocked down in the first and third round. Yet again Hopkins drew strength from the very adversity the knockdowns presented and fought with uncharacteristically fierce aggression. I saw the look in Pascal’s eyes; he looked into the executioner’s dark wells and saw the curse.
I hope that Pascal and all those yet to come are prepared for that which awaits them, for their fate may have already been cast. History accounts for a harrowing truth; Bernard ruins fighters and renders those he faces twice void.
The executioner’s curse is not myth it is the unyielding sickle plowing away at the very spirits of those who dare stand before it.