By Frank Lotierzo
It was just a little over 17 years ago, after serving 56 months of an 18 year sentence for being convicted of strong-arm robbery, 22-year-old Bernard Hopkins was released from Graterford Prison. Hopkins told the New York Times that on the day of his release a guard said to him, "See you when you come back." According to Hopkins, he hasn't spit on the sidewalk since.
Hopkins made his pro-debut shortly after his release and lost a four round decision fighting as a light heavyweight. Only Bernard Hopkins could lose his first bout as a pro and make history. Today the future hall-of-famer shares that distinction with hall-of-famers Benny Leonard, Ted "Kid" Lewis, Henry Armstrong, Billy Conn, Manuel Ortiz and Alexis Arguello.
Today, as Hopkins gets ready to make what he says will be the last defense of his middleweight title against Jermain Taylor, (23-0) his career record is a glowing (46-2-1 1-NC). On top of that he's held the middleweight title longer and made more successful defenses of it than any other fighter who has ever held it. However, Hopkins is much more than a champion inside the ring. It can easily be said he's won bigger fights outside it. What makes him unlike any other great fighter is acumen regarding the business of boxing. Because he didn't fit into the scheme as to how things were done on the business end of boxing, he never lost sight of the fact that he was one split decision loss away from fighting on the BET network or ESPN2.
Bernard Hopkins took the time to learn the business side of boxing to such an extent that he literally scares fight promoters and managers. Simply because they can't lie or cheat him out of what he knows is rightfully his. There have been few fighters who have understood how that side of the sport really worked.
Muhammad Ali knew he was the top draw in boxing and wanted to be paid accordingly. He didn't know exactly where the money came from or how it was divided. Sugar Ray Robinson's strategy was simple: he wanted all the money. He even negotiated some of his own fight contracts. But he always thought the promoters were sand-bagging him, which cost him a rubber-match with Carmen Basilio.
Hopkins actually prepares for the bargaining table like he does the boxing ring. Sure he's made mistakes, like Robinson overestimating his value, but with the way his career is winding down, he's recouped what he supposedly lost and probably more. Bernard is one of the few fighters who realizes just how important not losing is. He knew that as long as he kept winning, sanctioning bodies, promoters and even other fighters could never hold all the leverage over him. Fully aware that without big money backing him and not yet a superstar, he was always one loss away from being at the mercy of a decentralized system. His title was his only bargaining chip.
Hopkins talked about knowledge being real power and practiced what he preached. He knows how much money is involved and where the money comes from. Knowing how the money is divided between pay-per-view and cable television, broadcast rights, advertising sponsorships, along with domestic and foreign sales, makes it much tougher for, as he calls them, "the good 'ol boy network" to bully him.
Hopkins says "They don't want to see things change. They don't want to see you in the front of the bus. They don't want you to say, why do you as a promoter have to take $8 million and I get $2 million and I'm the one who could get brain damage?” asks Hopkins. “Their attitude is: ‘You're from the penitentiary, you're from the city, you should be glad to get $2 million.’ I say that's wrong and that's ignorant."
Another ingenious move by Hopkins was accepting a partnership in Oscar De La Hoya's "Golden Boy Promotions." Hopkins, along with being a partner, serves as President of Golden Boy Promotions East, who will also promote his future bouts. Hopkins realizes that De La Hoya has, to quote Muhammad Ali, "The complexion and the connection to provide the protection," along with the knowledge to implement some needed changes for the better in the near future. De La Hoya must also be credited for having the foresight to see Hopkins’ value. Oscar knows Hopkins brings credibility and is capable of reaching fighters who may view Oscar as a guy born with a silver spoon in his mouth who may not have their best interests at heart.
Hopkins even bought out his nephew’s contract from Main Events because he felt the fighter’s career was stagnating. "Golden Boy has more fights all around the country," Hopkins says. "We felt it was a way to jump start his career and get him more exposure." Demetrius Hopkins (the son of Bernard's older sister Bernadette) may be too young to appreciate how fortunate he is to have his uncle looking out for him and protecting him.
Inside the ring Hopkins fights hard. Outside the ring he is a strong advocate for the rights of his peers. He appeared before Congress in February of 2003, using his world champion stature to point out the injustices many fighters are confronted with. During his testimony Hopkins said, "My stature has given me the opportunity to buck the system. I have been an outspoken advocate for change. I have rejected multi-million dollar paydays because the terms of the agreement presented to me were not fair. I have this luxury because I have food in my refrigerator and money invested in mutual funds. Other boxers cannot do this. It is for them that I have come to testify and hopefully you will keep them in mind when you go back to your offices to consider legislation."
Hopkins framed perfectly what most fighters (those not named Sugar Ray, Iron Mike, Golden Boy, The Real Deal, Pretty Boy or Klitschko) face, especially concerning their own representatives who are supposedly protecting them. They may have someone looking out for them who has good intentions, but not the knowledge or means to make a difference. With the flipside being those who do have the ability to make a difference may act as if they are looking out for the fighter, but really don’t have the fighter’s interests at heart. Which ultimately leaves them vulnerable to signing contracts that tie them up for years and usually near impossible to void.
Bernard Hopkins has reached the pinnacle in boxing while managing himself for a majority of his career, despite making a few mistakes along the way. It wasn't long ago that Hopkins was being admonished for not parlaying the signature win of his career at the time (against Felix Trinidad) into another super-fight. But he did; it just didn't happen right away. Hopkins knew Oscar De La Hoya, unlike the rest of us, would eventually fight him. Knowing that De La Hoya figured a win over him would negate the controversial decisions he lost to Felix Trinidad and in his rematch with Shane Mosley. Hopkins was right to the tune of $15 million - and he didn't have to pay 30% percentage to a manager.
The same year Hopkins earned the biggest purse of his career, he achieved another milestone. He was voted Manager of the Year by the Boxing Writers Association of America. In response to this honor, Hopkins’ former advisor Lou DiBella, said Hopkins winning Manager of the Year was "nothing short of an atrocity."
Which brings us to the present: Is there another fighter in boxing with more options than the undisputed middleweight champion of the world Bernard Hopkins? Umm…no! The following were Hopkins thought back in March/April when it looked like his fight with Jermain Taylor wasn't going to happen.
Having come out on the losing side in court versus DiBella (and he recently lost the appeal), Hopkins is not done tweaking the promoter. DiBella manages top middleweight contender Jermain Taylor. As reported here in February, Hopkins is fighting DiBella through Taylor. Only DiBella can't or won't accept (although he's too smart not to know) that Hopkins holds all the cards. Hopkins recently told ESPN, "I'm fighting July 16. I do not need Jermain Taylor to enhance my career. I got (junior middleweight champ) Kassim Ouma barking that he wants to fight me. That's an exciting fight, isn't it? I got super middleweight titlist Jeff Lacy begging for the fight, saying he would even come down to a catch weight and I could fight for his title. That's a credible fight, isn't it?"
Hopkins went on to mention Felix Sturm, and as a last choice resort he could fight the IBF mandatory challenger Sam Soliman. "Where's Jermain Taylor going without Bernard Hopkins? How does Lou DiBella think he's going to succeed when I have all these options? If the terms are accepted we fight. If not, we'll look at other options. But I'm trying to make a fight for Bernard Hopkins on July 16."
Hopkins’ last sentence says everything about him and why he has been so successful. Even without a fight having been announced, Hopkins had it in his mind he's fighting on July 16. That conveys to me loud and clear that Hopkins had already begun preparing for it.
Here's a fighter who competes in the ring against lions as an all-time great, and at the same time has swam with the sharks who yield the real power in boxing outside the ring. At worst, he has only been nicked and scraped by them, instead of being eaten alive.
Yet it is Mr. Hopkins’ understanding of how boxing operates - more so than any other fighter - that makes him unlike any other champion in boxing history.