Bernard ‘The Executioner’ Hopkins has faced many fearsome opponents, but on one occasion, he faced hundreds at once.
Bernard Hopkins retired with a record of 55-8-2, and, despite losing his pro debut, went on to become one of the most successful boxers in history.
Hopkins defeated Roy Jones Jr., Felix Trinidad, Oscar De La Hoya, and more, but one of his scariest encounters was not in the ring, but came ahead of his fight with Trinidad.
Bernard Hopkins was chased out of the venue after slamming Puerto Rican flag onto the floor
Ahead of his 2001 fight with Trinidad, a proud Puerto Rican, Hopkins attended the press conference.
He told Andre Ward there were “over 6,000 people there”. Hopkins said the mood was hostile as soon as he arrived on stage, stating that the strong showing of Trinidad fans was throwing things at him.
Hopkins said tensions rose as “the crowd stormed forward. I grabbed and threw the flag down.”
“Once I grabbed the flag and threw the flag down, it became chaos, it became a riot.”
Hopkins still questions how he escaped the venue, and even said he had to jump from one storey of the bleachers to get to the exit, and had to hold the door closed behind him to hold back the enraged Trinidad fans.
Hopkins went on to stop Trinidad in the final round of their fight.
Bernard Hopkins was knocked out of the ring in final fight at the age of 51
Hopkins became the oldest world champion in boxing at one time, and is known for not letting age get the best of him, and it was only when he was 51 years old that he had his final fight.
Hopkins faced 27-year-old Joe Smith Jr. in his last outing. Smith Jr. later faced Dmitry Bivol and Artur Beterbiev, but lost on both occasions.
With youth on his side, Smith stopped Hopkins in the eighth round, sending him out of the ring with a knockout punch.
Hopkins was ahead on one scorecard at the time of the stoppage.