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by David P. Greisman - Perhaps Bernard Hopkins never truly cared what we thought of him, this rebel who had defied a system stacked against him. He lived by his own standards, thrived through his own principles, acted as his own judge, jury and, appropriately, executioner.
There he was, a free man decades after a prison warden told him he’d soon be back.
There he was, a rich man in a business where few fulfill the promise of financial rewards.
There he was, a healthy man in a sport where most experience the harsh premise of physical repercussions.
There he was, first a titleholder, then a champion, finally a future Hall of Famer, all after losing his first pro fight.
Except Hopkins couldn’t hide that he cared. The criticism compelled him, driving him to defy those who expected him to fail.
There he was, glaring at the boxing media at ringside after proving wrong those who overwhelmingly predicted he would lose against Kelly Pavlik in 2008.
There he was, going off on a boxing writer who had compiled predictions from writers and fighters, nearly all of whom predicted he would lose against Chad Dawson this past weekend.
That Bernard Hopkins both cares and doesn’t care what we think of him is why we will think of him in more than one way.
What we remember depends on how we remember it. Our worst memories of ourselves stick with us, haunting us with past moments and embarrassments. Our best memories of others remain, embellishing their features, whitewashing their flaws. [Click Here To Read More]
There he was, a free man decades after a prison warden told him he’d soon be back.
There he was, a rich man in a business where few fulfill the promise of financial rewards.
There he was, a healthy man in a sport where most experience the harsh premise of physical repercussions.
There he was, first a titleholder, then a champion, finally a future Hall of Famer, all after losing his first pro fight.
Except Hopkins couldn’t hide that he cared. The criticism compelled him, driving him to defy those who expected him to fail.
There he was, glaring at the boxing media at ringside after proving wrong those who overwhelmingly predicted he would lose against Kelly Pavlik in 2008.
There he was, going off on a boxing writer who had compiled predictions from writers and fighters, nearly all of whom predicted he would lose against Chad Dawson this past weekend.
That Bernard Hopkins both cares and doesn’t care what we think of him is why we will think of him in more than one way.
What we remember depends on how we remember it. Our worst memories of ourselves stick with us, haunting us with past moments and embarrassments. Our best memories of others remain, embellishing their features, whitewashing their flaws. [Click Here To Read More]
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