“My Mother Lost Two Sons”: Bernard Hopkins Gets Emotional While Detailing Past Traumatic Experience Which Shaped Him As A Kid

Bernard Hopkins, in his teenage years, had seen a lot more than any average teenager. The boxing legend has built a record for himself which makes the boxing realm hail him as ‘The Executioner’ and seek his opinion on multiple issues surrounding the sport. The armor of steel that helped him stand tall at the end of battles was not forged overnight. It took multiple pitfalls and heart-wrenching incidents for the fighter to carve himself into the legend we know today.

Hopkins traveled down memory lane and revisited this stinging series of events when he appeared in Joe Rogan‘s latest podcast episode. What traumatic past does Hopkins credit for shaping him this way?

What made Bernard Hopkins turn his life around?

Hopkins is grateful to have seen the darker side before pulling himself out to light. He spoke about the demise of his parents before they reached 60, owing to a detrimental lifestyle. Wary of falling into a similar pattern, Hopkins strictly maintained a routine that keeps the 58-year-old in great shape to this day. Hopkins often reflects back and introspects about his life events, the most traumatic of which was the murder of his brother.

In the year 1984, Hopkins’ brother was murdered. Adding another blow to his mother, he was imprisoned for 56 months for armed robbery the same year. Talking about the incident, Hopkins said to Joe Rogan, “The year, ’84. ’84, I was booked. ’84, my brother got killed. Shirley Hopkins lost two sons in ’84. I’m talking about trauma. That was a key, key, key push in experience. I had to do something to make her proud. To make her proud once I get out.” Witnessing his mother’s despair changed Hopkins’s perspective, who now wanted to make his mother proud.

A second imprisonment?

Hopkins found out about the tragic murder of his brother while he was serving prison time. As luck would have it, the murderer was sent to Holmesburg Prison, where Hopkins was. To ensure his safety, Hopkins had already established his superiority in the prison by beating up one of the biggest inmates.

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In a situation like that, if he stayed passive, knowing that the homicidal criminal was within reach was dangerous. The inmates would get a different idea about him. A thirsty for vengeance and hot-blooded Hopkins had at his hand multiple sneaky ways that would get the job done. However, had the young Hopkins proceeded with his plans, we would not have seen a mighty Hopkins knocking out his opponents and becoming one the best boxers ever.

A few good decisions helped Hopkins change his fate and touch heights in his career. What do you think of this metamorphosis? Let us know in the comments.

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