‘The Alien’ Bernard Hopkins was truly a one-of-a-kind fighter thanks to his longevity and dedication to boxing.
As the oldest world champion in boxing history, Hopkins was remarkably able to compete at the highest level until he was almost 52 years old.
Hopkins has defeated Oscar De La Hoya, Roy Jones Jr., and Kelly Pavlik, among many other notable names. Retiring in 2016, Hopkins had a final career tally of 55-8-2.
Remarkably, Hopkins was only ever stopped in his last professional fight, despite competing in his 50s. For the most part, Hopkins was the one delivering finishes in his career.
In his fastest career finish, Hopkins defended his world title in style.
- READ MORE: 47-year-old Bernard Hopkins was dethroned in rematch loss that ended long-standing streak
Bernard Hopkins stopped Steve Frank in 24 seconds to defend world title
After Hopkins became a world champion in his rematch with Segundo Mercado, he looked to defend his IBF World Middleweight title against Steve Frank.
Hopkins’ first title defense would come in January 1996, as the 15-2-1 challenger aimed to hand Hopkins his third career defeat. However, Frank would not even land a punch on Hopkins.
Out of the five punches that Hopkins threw in the fight, four landed. Sending the challenger crashing down in the opening seconds, Frank would be waved off in the bout at the 24-second mark.
Although the challenger did return to his feet, the referee deemed him unfit to continue. The fighter from Guyana had not even thrown a punch by the time Hopkins began to land his punches.
The lightning-fast finish for Hopkins was his first-ever title defense, as his record improved to 27-2-1.
Bernard Hopkins scored 32 knockouts across his lengthy career
Hopkins’ win over Frank was the 21st stoppage of his professional career, in his 27th victory. Before his career ended, ‘The Alien’ would add another 11 knockouts.
Beating De La Hoya with a body shot is likely Hopkins’ most well-known finish, which came in 2004. This was also the final finish of the fighter’s career.
Felix Trinidad is also a notable fighter who has been stopped by the boxing legend, as he was knocked out in 2001.