Brain Cancer takes the life of Bernard Hopkins Biggest Boxing Fan

[βetamax]

Bernard Hopkins' biggest fans has passed away from an aggressive form Brain Cancer, reports Bernard Fernandez of philly.com. Shaun Negler, who was just 18 years of age, passed away in his sleep last Thursday from the cancer.

Shaun's parents are convinced that he held onto life long enough to watch his biggest hero, Hopkins, fight and defeat Kelly Pavlik. A few months back, Doctors gave Shaun no more than 2 weeks to live before he
would sucumb to brain cancer.

Hopkins who got to know Shaun and visited with him before his death, tells Philly.com in regards to Shaun: "If you told somebody Shaun's story, they wouldn't believe it. But whatever you believe in, whomever you bow your head to, his life is proof that we should never question God."

In a very touching gesture from Hopkins, Shaun's casket will be placed with the gloves and hand wraps Hopkins wore in his fight with Pavlik bout. The Funeral will be held tomorrow and Hopkin will attend and serve as a pallbearer for.

In regards to the gloves and hand wraps Hopkins will place in the casket, Hopkins stated to the publication: "Having something of mine that will be with Shaun forever means a lot. I think about him every day. He was my biggest fan. And you know what? I'm his biggest fan, now and always."

..................

[Fox McCloud]

That's a very moving story.

Good to see the human side of Bernard Hopkins, and it's good to see that he is such a great human being at heart.

[TintaBoricua]

Wow, that was sad.

That was a very nice gesture for Hopkins to do for the kid, though (visiting him and burying him with the gloves and everything).

I got goosebumps.

May he rest in peace.

[KingTito]

That's pretty touching.

[warp1432]

RIP Bringer

But seriously RIP. That's sucks

[larryx]

damn r.i.p/////////if you didnt feel that storie you're not human

[larryx]

RIP Bringer

homeboy show sum respect..its a time and place for everything

[Silencers]

That's a shame RIP, good to see Hopkins' other side though.

[βetamax]

Here's a more detailed article if anyone cares to read it:

IT COULDN'T be a coincidence, could it?

It couldn't possibly be a coincidence that an 18-year-old Bernard Hopkins fan, given no more than 2 weeks to live (nearly 3 months ago), could withstand the ravages of a particularly aggressive form of brain cancer long enough to see his hero's dominant performance in defeating Kelly Pavlik on Oct. 18.

Michael and Renee Negler, parents of Shaun Negler, who passed away in his sleep last Thursday, are convinced that the younger of their two sons willed himself to stay alive long enough to share one last moment with the fighter with whom he had become so very close.

Blind in his left eye, in near-constant pain and barely able to move, Shaun Negler remained awake and in good spirits throughout Hopkins' pay-per-view bout with Pavlik, even making the Hopkins' signature crossed forearm "X" signal at the television screen before the bell for the first round sounded.

Shaun's parents, who live in the Parkwood section of Northeast Philadelphia, choked back their own emotions long enough to videotape his final moments of happiness, which they expect to show to Hopkins later.

"Shaun was alert and awake throughout the fight," Renee told me. "At 1 o'clock [Sunday morning], we took him upstairs. When we went back later, he had sort of slipped away. He never really regained consciousness."

"I will always believe that he held on as long as he did because of Bernard Hopkins," Michael added. "He refused to give in to death until he saw Bernard fight one more time."

The improbable story of Shaun Negler was detailed in this space on April 22. He was an amateur boxer who had been Hopkins' self-described "No. 1 fan" for almost as long as he could remember. But it was his failing health that finally brought him into contact with the longtime former middleweight champion.

After his left leg was amputated below the knee on Sept. 28, 2006, Shaun asked whether there was any way a meeting with Hopkins could be arranged. B-Hop visited him at Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, and was so touched by Shaun's courage that he presented him with an expensive, limited-edition "Executioner" watch.

Their relationship was expanded upon when the Make-a-Wish Foundation selected Shaun as a recipient for the sort of dream fulfillment the organization provides for seriously ill or dying children. And what Shaun wanted was to be at ringside for Hopkins' April 19 bout with Joe Calzaghe at the Thomas & Mack Center in Las Vegas. Shaun and his family - Michael, Renee, brother Mike Jr. and sister Brittany - were flown to Vegas, all-expenses paid, where they met with Hopkins in his hotel suite for more than an hour.

That very well might have been that, except that Shaun's cancer, which had been in remission, returned a few months later and began voraciously eating away at his body, if not his spirit. Michael contacted me to see whether Hopkins might speak to his son just one more time.

But B-Hop did better than that. He showed up at a Negler family gathering for 5 hours, even allowing Shaun to drive his $150,000 Bentley for a short distance.

They became text-messaging buddies, so much so that Hopkins, without fanfare, dedicated his fight with Pavlik in Atlantic City Boardwalk Hall to the kid he called "the bravest person I've ever known" and "like my own son."

"If you told somebody Shaun's story, they wouldn't believe it," Hopkins said. "But whatever you believe in, whomever you bow your head to, his life is proof that we should never question God."

Hopkins doesn't. Getting to know Shaun, he said, "is proof to me that we can touch people that we don't even know, and they can touch you right back. Shaun Negler is my inspiration. He should be an inspiration to all of us."

Shaun's "Executioner" watch, his proudest possession, has been given to Mike Jr., but in Shaun's casket will be placed the gloves and hand wraps Hopkins wore for the Pavlik bout. Hopkins also will serve as a pallbearer for tomorrow morning's funeral at Resurrection Cemetery in Bensalem.

"Having something of mine that will be with Shaun forever means a lot," Hopkins said. "I think about him every day. He was my biggest fan. And you know what? I'm his biggest fan, now and always."

Renee Negler insisted Shaun did not succumb to the disease that ultimately claimed his life. He just wasn't able to outlast it indefinitely.

"As far as I'm concerned, Shaun beat cancer," she said. "Cancer did not beat him." *

[Sweet Pea 50]

Rip..........