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The Philadelphia Sports Hall of Fame Welcomes Native Son Bernard Hopkins

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The Philadelphia Sports Hall of Fame Welcomes Native Son Bernard Hopkins

Some athletes are so obviously gifted that they appear to have burst into prominence at a relatively young age, fully formed and predestined to excel.

The saga of boxing legend Bernard Hopkins, who came up the hard way, overcoming all manner of obstacles inside and outside the ring, is not one of those tales of quick and seemingly easy success.

Philly native Hopkins, now 57, will be inducted into the Philadelphia Sports Hall of Fame on Nov. 2 at the Live! Casino & Hotel in no small part because of his incredible longevity, a 28-year professional career in which he won world championships at both middleweight and light heavyweight. His obsessive dedication to remaining at or near the top of his brutal profession was such that he remained a world-rated fighter until he was nearly 52.

“Bernard Hopkins is as close to a perfectionist with nutrition as anyone I’ve ever dealt with,” said renowned physical conditioning guru Mackie Shilstone, who helped B-Hop, then 41, bulk up the right way from the middleweight limit of 160 pounds into a fantastically fit 175-pound light heavyweight for his June 10, 2006, unanimous decision over Antonio Tarver, another one of his many “upset” victories that in retrospect doesn’t seem so surprising.  If ancient Greek fabulist Aesop had thought to conjure a fable about a boxer, no doubt someone like Hopkins would be represented as the human tortoise that kept outlasting and frustrating the hell out of every frisky hare sent against him.

Earlier this year Hopkins was welcomed into his sport’s most exclusive and prestigious club when he was finally inducted into the International Boxing Hall of Fame in Canastota, New York. As befits someone whose road to glory might have been sidetracked before it began, he went in as a member of the Class of 2020, although COVID-19 postponed that year’s induction festivities and also those for 2021. But a spot in a Hall of Fame that had previously been graced by the addition of some of the boxing and non-boxing heroes of his childhood and adolescence, has Hopkins as upbeat as he’s ever been. It’s not just another prestigious award; it is a form of acceptance he has craved since his misspent, hardscrabble youth in North Philly incorrectly stamped him as an incorrigible whose future likely included prison and/or an early death. But only one of those gloomy outcomes came true, if only temporarily.

“It’s huge,” Hopkins said of his welcome-to-the-club notification by the PSHOF. “Mr. (James) Villareal, my sixth-grade teacher, knew all about Philly sports history. He used to talk to me about some of the stars on our teams back then. Obviously, Canastota is the big Hall of Fame for boxing, but the Philadelphia Sports Hall of Fame covers all the sports in our town! It doesn’t get any more iconic than that.

“I was also introduced to what a lot of those guys did by my uncle, Artie McCloud. I was a big fan of Tug McGraw, Julius Erving, Ron Jaworski, Bobby Clarke and the Broad Street Bullies. And Joe Frazier, of course.”

Few if any of Hopkins’ fellow Philly Hall of Famers can match his relentless trek from disgrace and disappointment to a place not even shared by fellow age-defying boxers Archie Moore and George Foreman. He was incarcerated at 17 for an armed robbery and spent nearly five years behind bars. He lost his first pro bout and might never have been heard from again. After becoming a contender, he lost his first shot at a world title, then had to settle for a draw in his second such attempt. But when he finally ascended to the top of the mountain, a seventh-round stoppage of Segundo Mercado on April 29, 1995, for the IBF middleweight crown, he remained there for a division-record 20 defenses (since matched by Gennadiy Golovkin). One of those was his most celebrated victory, the unification conquest of the highly favored Felix Trinidad on Sept. 29, 2001, in Madison Square Garden.

What allowed Hopkins to so long outpoint the natural laws of diminishing returns? His personal vow never to backslide, as a fighter or a man worthy of proper society’s notice, as well as his memories of being told so often that he never would amount to anything. In a story I did for the Philadelphia Daily News before the then-43-year-old upset (natch) 25-year-old Kelly Pavlik, I wrote that “Hopkins is one of those athletes who seems happiest when he’s unhappy, like tennis’ John McEnroe. He doesn’t get mad, he gets even. Even the slightest provocation can get Hopkins stoked, and nothing lights that particular fire like the notion he is being dismissed, disrespected or disenfranchised.”

Hopkins (55-8-2, 32 KOs, with two no-contests) becomes one of only 15 fighters inducted into the Philadelphia Sports Hall of Fame, including fellow 2022 honoree Fredia Gibbs, 59, who was a standout in kickboxing and mixed martial arts in addition to boxing. They join the likes of such luminaries as Joe Frazier (a charter inductee in 2004), Tommy Loughran (2008), Joey Giardello (2009), Jersey Joe Walcott (2010), Harold Johnson (2012) Meldrick Taylor (2014), Bob Montgomery (2015), Jeff Chandler (2017), Philadelphia Jack O’Brien (2017), Benny Bass (2018), Matthew Saad Muhammad (2019), Tim Witherspoon (2020) and Lew Tendler (2021). Other inductees with boxing affiliations are promoters Herman Taylor (2016 Legacy of Excellence) and J Russell Peltz (2020 Legacy of Excellence), and Joe Hand Sr. (2013 Legacy of Excellence), an integral closed-circuit TV figure and former member of Joe Frazier’s early Cloverlay support group.

Other inductees in the Class of 2022 include Adele Boyd (field hockey); Art McNally (former NFL director of officiating); Charles Cooper (one of the NBA’s first three black players); David Akers (Philadelphia Eagles placekicker); Ed Bolden (Negro Leagues baseball team owner); Howard Eskin (media); Jimmy Rollins (Philadelphia Phillies shortstop); Keith Allen (Philadelphia Flyers coach); Dr. Nikki Franke (Temple University fencing coach); Phil Martelli (St. Joseph’s University basketball coach); Ray Kelly (baseball writer for the now-defunct Philadelphia Bulletin); Francis “Reds” Bagnell (former All-America tailback for the University of Pennsylvania); Rollie Massimino (longtime Villanova University basketball coach who guided the Wildcats to the 1985 NCAA championship) and Susan Francia (two-time Olympic gold medalist rower).

Bernard Fernandez, named to the International Boxing Hall of Fame in the Observer category with the Class of 2020, was the recipient of numerous awards for writing excellence during his 28-year career as a sports writer for the Philadelphia Daily News. Fernandez’s first book, “Championship Rounds,” a compendium of previously published material, was released in May of last year. The sequel, “Championship Rounds, Round 2,” with a foreword by Jim Lampley, is currently out. The anthology can be ordered through Amazon.com and other book-selling websites and outlets.

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Mercito Gesta Victorious Over Jojo Diaz at the Long Beach Pyramid

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LONG BEACH, CA.-Those in the know knew Mercito Gesta and Jojo Diaz would be a fight to watch and they delivered.

Gesta emerged the winner in a super lightweight clash between southpaws that saw the judges favor his busier style over Diaz’s body attack and bigger shots and win by split decision on Saturday.

Despite losing the main event because the star was overweight, Gesta (34-3-3, 17 KOs) used an outside method of tactic to edge past former world champion Diaz (32-4-1, 15 KOs) in front of more than 5,000 fans at the Pyramid.

The speedy Gesta opened up the fight with combination punching up and down against the peek-a-boo style of Diaz. For the first two rounds the San Diego fighter overwhelmed Diaz though none of the blows were impactful.

In the third round Diaz finally began unloading his own combinations and displaying the fast hands that helped him win world titles in two divisions. Gesta seemed stunned by the blows, but his chin held up. The counter right hook was Diaz’s best weapon and snapped Gesta’s head back several times.

Gesta regained control in the fifth round after absorbing big blows from Diaz. He seemed to get angry that he was hurt and opened up with even more blows to send Diaz backpedaling.

Diaz targeted his attack to Gesta’s body and that seemed to slow down Gesta. But only for a round.

From the seventh until the 10th each fighter tried to impose their style with Gesta opening up with fast flurries and Diaz using right hooks to connect with solid shots. They continued their method of attack until the final bell. All that mattered was what the judges preferred.

After 10 rounds one judge saw Diaz the winner 97-93 but two others saw Gesta the winner 99-91, 98-92. It was a close and interesting fight.

“I was expecting nothing. I was the victor in this fight and we gave a good fight,” said Gesta. “It’s not an easy fight and Jojo gave his best.”

Diaz was surprised by the outcome but accepted the verdict.

Everything was going good. I thought I was landing good body shots,” said Diaz. “I was pretty comfortable.”

Other Bouts

Mexico’s Oscar Duarte (25-1-1, 20 KOs) knocked out Chicago’s Alex Martin (18-5, 6 KOs) with a counter right hand after dropping him earlier in the fourth round. The super lightweight fight was stopped at 1:14 of the round.

A battle between undefeated super welterweights saw Florida’s Eric Tudor (8-0, 6 KOs) emerge the winner by unanimous decision after eight rounds versus Oakland’s Damoni Cato-Cain.

The taller Tudor showed polished skill and was not bothered by a large cut on his forehead caused by an accidental clash of heads. He used his jab and lead rights to defuse the attacks of the quick-fisted southpaw Cato-Cain. The judges scored the fight 80-72 and 78-74 twice for Tudor.

San Diego’s Jorge Chavez (5-0, 4 KOs) needed less than one round to figure out Nicaragua’s Bryan Perez (12-17-1, 11 KOs) and send him into dreamland with a three-punch combination. No need to count as referee Ray Corona waved the fight over. Perez shot a vicious right followed by another right and then a see-you-later left hook at 3.00 of the first round of the super featherweight match.

Photo credit: Al Applerose

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Jojo Diaz’s Slump Continues; Mercito Gesta Prevails on a Split Decision

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At age 30, Jojo Diaz’s career is on the skids. The 2012 U.S. Olympian, a former world title holder at 126 and 130 pounds and an interim title holder at 135, Diaz suffered his third straight loss tonight, upset by Mercito Gesta who won a split decision at the Walter Pyramid in Long Beach, CA.. The scoring was strange with Gesta winning nine of the 10 rounds on one of the cards and only three rounds on another. The tie-breaker, as it were, was a 98-92 tally for Gesta and even that didn’t capture the flavor of what was a closely-contested fight.

Originally listed as a 12-rounder, the match was reduced to 10 and that, it turned out, did Diaz no favors. However, it’s hard to feel sorry for the former Olympian as he came in overweight once again, having lost his 130-pound title on the scales in February of 2021.

Diaz also has issues outside the ropes. Best elucidated by prominent boxing writer Jake Donovan, they include a cluster of legal problems stemming from an arrest for drunk driving on Feb. 27 in the LA suburb of Claremont.

With the defeat, Diaz’s ledger declined to 32-4-1. His prior losses came at the hands of Gary Russell Jr, Devin Haney, and William Zepeda, boxers who are collectively 83-2. Mercito Gesta, a 35-year-old San Diego-based Filipino, improved to 34-3-3.

Co-Feature

Chihuahua, Mexico super lightweight Oscar Duarte has now won nine straight inside the distance after stopping 33-year-old Chicago southpaw Alex Martin in the eighth frame. Duarte, the busier fighter, had Martin on the deck twice in round eight before the fight was waived off.

Duarte improved to 25-1-1 (20). Martin, who reportedly won six national titles as an amateur and was once looked upon as a promising prospect, declined to 18-5.

Other Bouts of Note

New Golden Boy signee Eric Tudor, a 21-year-old super welterweight from Fort Lauderdale, overcame a bad laceration over his right eye, the result of an accidental clash of heads in round four, to stay unbeaten, advancing to 8-0 (6) with a hard-fought unanimous 8-round decision over Oakland’s Damoni Cato-Cain. The judges had it 80-72 and 78-74 twice. It was the first pro loss for Cato-Cain (7-1-1) who had his first five fights in Tijuana.

In the DAZN opener, lanky Hawaian lightweight Dalis Kaleiopu went the distance for the first time in his young career, improving to 4-0 (3) with a unanimous decision over 36-year-old Colombian trial horse Jonathan Perez (40-35). The scores were 60-52 across the board. There were no knockdowns, but Perez, who gave up almost six inches in height, had a point deducted for a rabbit punch and another point for deducted for holding.

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‘Big Baby’ Wins the Battle of Behemoths; TKOs ‘Big Daddy’ in 6

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Lucas “Big Daddy” Browne weighed in at a career-high 277 pounds for today’s battle in Dubai with Jarrell “Big Baby” Miller, but he was the lighter man by 56 pounds. It figured that one or both would gas out if the bout lasted more than a few stanzas.

It was a war of attrition with both men looking exhausted at times, and when the end came it was Miller, at age 34 the younger man by nine years, who had his hand raised.

Browne was the busier man, but Miller, whose physique invites comparison with a rhinoceros, hardly blinked as he was tattooed with an assortment of punches. He hurt ‘Bid Daddy’ in round four, but the Aussie held his own in the next frame, perhaps even forging ahead on the cards, but only postponing the inevitable.

In round six, a succession of right hands knocked Browne on the seat of his pants. He beat the count, but another barrage from Miller impelled the referee to intervene. The official time was 2:33. It was the 21st straight win for Miller (26-0-1, 22 KOs). Browne declined to 31-4 and, for his own sake, ought not fight again. All four of his losses have come inside the distance, some brutally.

The consensus of those that caught the livestream was that Floyd Mayweather Jr’s commentary was an annoying distraction that marred what was otherwise an entertaining show.

As for what’s next for “Big Baby” Miller, that’s hard to decipher as he has burned his bridges with the sport’s most powerful promoters. One possibility is Mahmoud Charr who, like Miller, has a big gap in his boxing timeline. Now 38 years old, Charr – who has a tenuous claim on a WBA world title (don’t we all?) —  has reportedly taken up residence in Dubai.

Other Bouts of Note

In a 10-round cruiserweight affair, Suslan Asbarov, a 30-year-old Russian, advanced to 4-0 (1) with a hard-fought majority decision over Brandon Glanton. The judges had it 98-92, 97-93, and a more reasonable 95-95.

Asbarov was 12-9 in documented amateur fights and 1-0 in a sanctioned bare-knuckle fight, all in Moscow, entering this match. He bears watching, however, as Glanton (18-2) would be a tough out for almost anyone in his weight class. In his previous fight, at Plant City, Florida, Glanton lost a controversial decision to David Light, an undefeated Australian who challenges WBO world title-holder Lawrence Okolie at Manchester, England next week.

A 10-round super featherweight match between former world title challengers Jono Carroll and Miguel Marriaga preceded the semi-windup. Carroll, a 30-year-old Dublin southpaw, overcame a cut over his left eye suffered in the second round to win a wide unanimous decision in a fairly entertaining fight.

It was the sixth straight win for Carroll (24-2-1, 7 KOs) who elevated his game after serving as a sparring partner for Devin Haney. Marriaga, a 36-year-old Colombian, lost for the fourth time in his last five outings, declining to 30-7.

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