The thought first occurred when I learned that Smokin’ Joe Fraizer never got a chance to see his own. By this point, the Rocky statue had already been embraced as part of Philadelphia sports mythology for 25+ years.

Now, Bernard “The Executioner” Hopkins takes better care of himself than 99.99% of the population and he’s not even 60 years old, but the point is more so that there’s no need to delay this man his flowers; his stone bouquet of permanence amongst the greatest Philadelphia athletes and iconoclasts.

Because that’s exactly what Bernard Hopkins is to both Philly and to the sport of boxing, an iconoclast.

The Very Definition of a Philly Fighter

Bernard Hopkins is one of only a handful of Philly athletes that not only dominated their sport and became a champion, but also embodied the spirit of what it meant to represent this city. His picture belongs beside the terms "Philly Tough” or “Philly Fighter.”

On top of that, he’s actually from here. Having grown up in the housing projects of Philly. He became one of the greatest redemption stories ever.

From Wikipedia:

Born to Bernard Hopkins Sr. and his wife Shirley, Bernard grew up with his family in the Raymond Rosen housing project in Philadelphia. Hopkins turned to crime early in his life. By the age of thirteen he was mugging people and had been stabbed three times. At seventeen, Hopkins was sentenced to 18 years in Graterford Prison for nine felonies. While in prison he witnessed the murder of another inmate in an argument over a pack of cigarettes, but also discovered his passion for boxing. After serving almost five years, Hopkins was released from prison in 1988. He then decided to use boxing as an escape from his previous life, and converted to Islam. While Hopkins was leaving the prison for the final time, the warden told him he'd "see [Hopkins] again when you wind up back in here", to which Hopkins replied "I ain't ever coming back here."Later, Hopkins attributed his personal discipline to his experiences and time spent in Graterford Prison.

In and out of the ring, the man had an attitude and never held his tongue. An attitude that was dignified and well-deserved, but could be misconstrued as disrespectful and dirty, but something we know at home to be an outward expression of passion and hard work. B-Hop brought both heart and swagger to every fight. And just because he was the consummate professional, doesn’t mean he wouldn’t clown somebody that deserved it.

Combine that with ageless speed, an iron chin, and a chip on his shoulder, and you’ve got yourself a nightmare in the ring who also goes by “The Executioner.”

Tall Tales And A Number of Crowning Achievements

His accolades rival the vast majority of hall of fame boxers, but, like any legendary athlete, it’s the stories behind some of those achievements and the path to the top that make the man.

The epitome of that attitude may have come in his 11th (ELEVENTH) title defense against Antwun Echols, who in frustration as the fight slipped away, swept Hopkins’ legs out from under him and, upon hitting the canvas, dislocated his shoulder in the process. It’s likely, had the fight ended there Hopkins would’ve retained his title on both the scorecard and a valid disqualification of Eckels, but instead, he chose to get up, continue the fight, and proceed to whoop his ass, and did so en route to a unanimous decision and demoralizing victory.

If the man himself could pick his crowning achievement, my guess would be it’s this one—the fact that Bernard Hopkins became the oldest boxer ever to win a title ever at 48 years old after he scored a 12-round unanimous decision to claim the IBF Light Heavyweight title, and did so as a massive underdog.

One of Hopkin’s most publicized bouts was against Middleweight champion, Felix Trinidad, a Puerto Rican native who had burned through the Welterweight division (including De La Hoya), got a win at Super Welterweight, and then moved up to Middleweight to challenge Hopkins for his place amongst the best boxers in the world. With a win, Hopkins would get his 14th defense, tying the record. Given the theatrics of the fight and everything on the line, In the fiery press junkit leading up to the bout, Hopkins threw a small Puerto Rico flag to the ground, which caused a melee in the arena, forcing Hopkins and his team to fight through a hostile crowd to get out.

But all that was put on hold, as the fight was originally scheduled for Sept. 15, 2001 in Madison Square Garden. It was postponed for two weeks and Hopkins would go on to knock him out in the final round after dominating the fight nearly start to finish.

Taking on Everyone

Unlike many of the champions today, he wasn’t known for ducking anyone. He knocked out Oscar De La Hoya after De La Hoya had gone five years without even touching the canvas. He went up two weight classes to take the Light Heavyweight title from Antonio Tarver as a 3-to-1 underdog. He fought catchweight bouts with champions and prime contenders in Winky Wright and Kelly Pavlik, and his first big loss was early in his career against Roy Jones Jr., as a dominant Jones Jr. entered his prime.

With that type of competitive mentality in the sport of boxing, to end his career at 56-8-2 (w/ 32 KOs) is wildly impressive.

Counted out Early

Even as a champion relatively early in his career, B-Hop was counted out by many as a potential great and big ticket fighter. Little did they know his career had only about to start, and it would last for another two decades. Literally defying the odds as he won as a massive underdog on multiple occasions, he battled Father Time like few have before.

Some other Longevity Legends he belongs in the same breathe as, include: Gordie Howe, Satchel Paige, Randy Johnson, Ichiro, Vince Carter, Jaromir Jagr, and Eagles great Chuck Bednarik. Tom Brady & Lebron James also come to mind.

Hopkins greatness extends beyond the ring, as an advocate for fighter rights and corruption call-outs in, traditionally, one of the most corrupt professional sports. From Britannica:

Considered an iconoclastic figure within the boxing industry, Hopkins feuded with promoters throughout much of his career, frequently battling in court just as fiercely as he did inside the ring. An outspoken advocate of reforming a system that allowed promoters and sanctioning bodies to engage in unethical and illegal practices, he also testified in 1999 before the National Association of Attorneys General Boxing Task Force about corruption and various other problems within the sport.

Long story short, get this man a statue…

List of Philly Athletes / Coaches that probably Also deserve statues

The way I see it statues belong to those who were faces of the team while they were successful, impactful in their sport and in the community, champions, and those who exhibited that Philly spirit out hard work and dedication to the craft.

Bernard Hopkins

Brian Dawkins

Jason Kelce

Allen Iverson

Jimmy Rollins, Chase Utley, Ryan Howard — all together

Jay Wright

John Chaney

Eddie Alvarez

Claude Giroux

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