Bernard Hopkins

A gritty, old-school fighter who defied Father Time for longer than almost any other boxer in history, Bernard “The Executioner” Hopkins got a late start in the boxing world. He had a hard life growing up and turned to crime at a young age, eventually serving just under five years in prison. The one positive of that experience was that he picked up boxing while there, and shortly after his release in 1988, he began his professional career.

Bernard Hopkins didn’t get off to the best start, losing a majority decision to Clinton Mitchell at light heavyweight. 16 months later, he made his middleweight debut and won. He ended up winning 22 straight before dropping a unanimous decision to Roy Jones Jr., who was in his prime at the time and had an athleticism that Hopkins simply couldn’t match.

Hopkins racked up wins and titles throughout the 90s, and he held the IBF title for a particularly long reign. Most fighters slow down in their 30s, but not Bernard Hopkins was not one of them. He became more popular in his later years, and his style was able to carry him to continued success. Never the most athletic or powerful fighter, what he did have was sound fundamentals and excellent defensive abilities. He was also good at neutralizing the best aspects of his opponent’s games. This didn’t always lead to the most exciting fights, but it did lead to quite a few wins, even against opponents who were younger, stronger, faster, and had every other edge on paper.

His promotional abilities also improved in the 00s, as he had a knack for creating controversy before his fights. He stomped on the Puerto Rican flag before facing Felix Trinidad, who he defeated by TKO. His comments often toed or crossed the line of political correctness, including when he told Joe Calzaghe that he would never let a “white boy” beat him (Calzaghe proved him wrong when he won their fight by split decision).

Bernard Hopkins is perhaps best known for his longevity, and later in his career he moved up to light heavyweight and won multiple titles in that weight class. He broke George Foreman’s record by winning a word title at 46, and then broke his own record twice when he won titles at 48 and 49.

He then decided to change his nickname from “The Executioner” to “The Alien” because of his ability to fight effectively despite his advanced age. However, his final two fights proved that no man can do that forever. He fought the Russian power puncher Sergey Kovalev and bravely stayed in the fight despite taking a beating, losing on all scorecards. His retirement fight came a few weeks before he turned 52 against Joe Smith Jr. He ended up getting knocked out of the ring in the 8th round from a punch and injuring his ankle, then lost due to TKO when he couldn’t make it back into the ring before the referee’s 20 count. Although his career ended on a sour note, he left a legacy as one of the few greats to have success in his 20s, 30s, and 40s.

What is Bernard Hopkins' Record?

Bernard Hopkins' record currently stands at 55 wins, 8 loses and 2 draws. Of those 55 wins he has stopped 32 of his opponents, so his current knock-out ratio is 58%. Of his 8 loses, he's been stopped 1 time. He's boxed a total of 514 rounds, meaning his professional fights last 7.9 rounds on average.

What was Hopkins' last fight?

Bernard Hopkins' last fight took place against Joe Smith Jr's on 17th Dec 2016, in Inglewood, United States. He lost by knockout in the 8th round. That fight was 7 years and 4 months ago.

How active is Bernard Hopkins?

Hopkins' last 5 fights have come over a period of 4 years, 7 months and 19 days, meaning he has been fighting on average every 11 months and 4 days. In those fights, he fought a total of 60 rounds, meaning that they have lasted 12 rounds on average.

Where is Bernard Hopkins From?

Hopkins was born in the United States.

How Old Is Bernard Hopkins?

The light heavyweight is currently 59 years old. He was born on 15th January 1965, so he will turn 60 in 8 months and 22 days.

How long has Hopkins been fighting?

Bernard Hopkins made his professional debut in October 1988, so he has been a pro for 35 years and 6 months.

How tall is Bernard Hopkins?

Hopkins is 6' 1" (6 Foot and 1 inch) which is 185cm (1 meter and 85 centimeters).

What is Hopkins' Reach?

His reach is 75.2 inches (75.2") which is 191 cm (1 meter and 91 centimeters).

What stance does Bernard Hopkins use?

Hopkins fights from a traditional orthodox stance, which means he favours his right hand as his power hand when fighting.

What will be Bernard Hopkins' Next Fight?

Bernard Hopkins doesn't currently have a fight scheduled.

How can I stream Bernard Hopkins' Fights?

In the UK you can usually stream Hopkins' fights on BoxNation via BT Sports App and BoxNation.

What are some recent Bernard Hopkins results?

Bernard Hopkins has beaten 3 of his last 5 opponents.

In his last fight, he lost to Joe Smith Jr on 17th December 2016 by knockout in the 8th round at Forum, Inglewood, United States.

Previous to that, he had been beaten by Sergey Kovalev on 8th November 2014 by unanimous decision in their WBA Super World Light Heavyweight, IBF World Light Heavyweight and WBO World Light heavyweight championship fight at Boardwalk Hall, Atlantic City.

Going into that contest, he had beat Beibut Shumenov on 19th April 2014 by split decision in their WBA Super World Light Heavyweight and IBF World Light Heavyweight championship fight at DC Armory, Washington.

Before that, he had won against Karo Murat on 26th October 2013 by unanimous decision in their IBF World Light Heavyweight championship fight at Boardwalk Hall, Atlantic City.

He had beat Tavoris Cloud on 9th March 2013 by unanimous decision in their IBF World Light Heavyweight championship fight at Barclays Center, New York.

Bernard Hopkins Stats

Age	Date Of Birth	Nationality	Height	Reach	Stance	Weight Division
59	January 15, 1965	United States	185 cm	191 cm	orthodox	Light Heavyweight (175 lb)

Bernard Hopkins Record

Professional Record	Wins	Wins By KO	Knockout Percentage	Losses	Losses By Stoppage	Draws	Pro Rounds	Debut
55-8-2	55	32	58%	8	1	2	514	1988

Bernard Hopkins Recent Contests

Date	Opponent	Result	Replay	Venue
2016-12-17	Joe Smith Jr	Lost (KO 8)		Forum, Inglewood, United States
2014-11-08	Sergey Kovalev	Lost (UD 12)	watch replay	Boardwalk Hall, Atlantic City, United States
2014-04-19	Beibut Shumenov	Won (SD 12)		DC Armory, Washington, United States
2013-10-26	Karo Murat	Won (UD 12)	watch replay	Boardwalk Hall, Atlantic City, United States
2013-03-09	Tavoris Cloud	Won (UD 12)		Barclays Center, New York, United States
2012-04-28	Chad Dawson	Lost (MD 12)		Boardwalk Hall, Atlantic City, United States
2008-10-18	Kelly Pavlik	Won (UD 12)	watch replay	Boardwalk Hall, Atlantic City, NJ, United States
2004-09-18	Oscar De La Hoya	Won (KO 9)	watch replay	MGM Grand, Nevada, United States