WHEREAS, On Sunday, June 23, 2022, Bernard Hopkins will be inducted into the Boxing Hall of Fame and will celebrate an iconic career in the sport of boxing and a lifelong commitment of ambassadorship for fans and young people; and
WHEREAS, Bernard Hopkins, one of seven children, was born and raised in Philadelphia in the Raymond Rosen housing project; and
WHEREAS, Bernard Hopkins got involved in crime, violence, and gangs as a teenager, which ultimately resulted in his incarceration at age thirteen. Bernard Hopkins often reflects on this period of his life as a major inflection point and motivation for his interest in boxing and future success; and
WHEREAS, Bernard Hopkins began his professional boxing career on October 11, 1988 fighting Clinton Mitchell as a light heavyweight in Atlantic City, New Jersey; and
WHEREAS, After a brief break from competition, Bernard Hopkins returned as a middleweight fighter on February 22, 1990, winning a unanimous decision over Greg Paige at the infamous Philadelphia Blue Horizon; and
WHEREAS, Between February 1990 and December 1992, Bernard Hopkins scored 21 wins without a loss and won 16 of those fights by knockout, 12 of which came in the first round; and
WHEREAS, Bernard Hopkins first became a world champion on April 29, 1995, when he won the International Boxing Federation’s middleweight title; and
WHEREAS, In 2001, Bernard Hopkins set his sights on unifying the middleweight title. In April, he won the World Boxing Council’s middleweight title, and in September, he won the World Boxing Association’s middleweight title, thus making Bernard Hopkins the first unified middleweight champion since 1987; and
WHEREAS, Bernard Hopkins was awarded Fighter of the Year in 2001 by both
Ring
magazine and the Boxing Writers Association. This honor recognized Bernard Hopkins’ stellar performance in the ring and the unified title he earned that year and subsequently defended for the next four years; and
WHEREAS, Bernard Hopkins switched to the light heavyweight class in 2005. In 2011, Bernard Hopkins won the World Boxing Council’s light heavyweight title, making him the oldest world champion in the history of boxing. Nearly two years later, Bernard Hopkins broke his own record, winning the International Boxing Federation’s light heavyweight title at 48 years old and then in 2014, at the age of 49, Bernard Hopkins became the oldest boxer to unify titles by winning the World Boxing Association’s light heavyweight title; and
WHEREAS, Bernard Hopkins retired from boxing in 2016 with a career-long record of 56 wins, (32 of which were knockouts), 8 losses and 2 draws; and
WHEREAS, Since his retirement, Bernard Hopkins has focused on using his lived experience and story of resilience to inspire young people growing up similarly to him; and
WHEREAS, In recognition of his successful career, his ongoing philanthropy and commitment to the Philadelphia community, Bernard Hopkins received an honorary degree from Temple University in 2019; now, therefore, be it
Resolved, that the Council of the City of Philadelphia, Honors and congratulates world-champion boxer and philanthropist Bernard Hopkins on his upcoming induction into the Boxing Hall of Fame.
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