Bernard it’s Time to Say Farewell

Keith Terceira

The late great Sugar Ray Robinson was quoted

“You always say ‘I’ll quit when I start to slide’, and then one morning you wake up and realize you’ve done slid.”

Based on the performance of Bernard Hopkins on Saturday evening perhaps he needs to reflect and identify if he has possibly “done slid”.

For over twenty years we have either loved to watch Bernard battle between the ropes or loved to watch his opponents take the fight to Hopkins in the hopes he would be defeated. Either way we have watched the “Executioner” as he scaled the ladder of success in our beloved sport.

Old bones are not as flexible as they once were and like Evander, the ring now is just a place where injuries are more than likely to occur for them as for their opponent.

There comes a time in a career that a boxer faces what was best described by Archie Moore;

“I’m like the drunk in the bar who wants just one more for the road.”

Hopkins has reached that pinnacle and its time he puts his knowledge and skills to better use.

Hopkin’s trainer Nazim Richardson can even see the changes in Bernard though he believes that it is not as bad as some believe.

“Of course, I’m seeing it but I’m looking from an eye that most people never knew the things he had. I’ve seen changes and seen the difference in the last ten years of Bernard but his dedication was so beyond guys that he could lose two more components and still be better than most of the other guys out there. His biggest thing is that he has the genetics, which is a gift, he has talent and his IQ in boxing is ridiculous. He knows more than most of the coaches of the guys we come up against. We went to the Pascal fight and I thought Bernard knew more about boxing than Pascal’s coach.”

That knowledge possessed by Bernard should serve him in whatever continued capacity he chooses in boxing but Richardson believes it is not coaching when I asked him if Bernard would make a good trainer.

“ No, I always tell people that, no! He would get frustrated and burn guys out because they couldn’t do the things he does. What he would be good in doing is releasing a video on boxing where guys could take from it what they want and apply it as they could in their own time. He is an excellent example, but he would be an awful coach. I never thought Joe Frazier was a great coach, and I’ll tell you why, guys that can push themselves to that level only know how to push to that level and the average person can’t push to that level. They would burn out and (Bernard) beat up an athlete, an athlete would frizzle out messing around with Bernard Hopkins.”

The “Executioner” has failed to execute anyone in several years an instead survives and wins on guile and some may say even more dirty than usual tactics. At some point that will no longer serve him and boxing does not need the loss of the knowledge Bernard has built. Whether it be as a trainer or as a promoter boxing can benefit from Hopkins being clear minded and around for another 40 or 50 years.

In my opinion it is time we say goodnight to Roy Jones Jr., Evander Holyfield, and now Bernard Hopkins.

Thanks for the memories, Champs!

Ciao!