On his way to a historic feat shared with Larry Holmes, middleweight icon Bernard Hopkins would floor and flatten a future close friend and business associate.
Taking part in some of the most iconic fights since the turn of the century, former world champion megastar Bernard Hopkins has been associated with boxing history and antiquity for years.
Before his retirement, Hopkins would become the oldest fighter to unify two world championships, stopping Beibut Shumenov at the staggering age of 49.
However, long before that historic achievement, Hopkins spelled the eventual downfall of a future business partner with a devastating finish.
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Bernard Hopkins folded Oscar De La Hoya with a vicious body shot
Just one fight out from his historic title defense win over Howard Eastman, veteran megastar Hopkins would share the ring with fellow boxing icon Oscar De La Hoya in a rare catchweight title fight.
And in one of the biggest boxing matches since the turn of the century, Hopkins would put his WBA, WBC, IBF and The Ring middleweight belts on the line against the Olympic gold medalist.
Engaging in a tactical stalemate for the opening few rounds, in the ninth frame, Hopkins turned up the heat on De La Hoya to a blazing level.
And landing a hellacious left hook to the body of De La Hoya, Philadelphia star Hopkins ripped the liver of the challenger with a brutal shot, sending him to the canvas for a massive one-shot knockout win.
While rivals inside the ring, before his eventual retirement from boxing in 2016, Hopkins would link up with Golden Boy Promotions — spearheaded by De La Hoya himself, becoming a minority partner in the promotional firm.
Bernard Hopkins matched Larry Holmes’ record with another big win
Off the back of his win over De La Hoya, Hopkins was pitted against emerging English challenger Eastman — recording his final defense of the middleweight crown against the former Don King-promoted star.
And matching the record at middleweight of 19 consecutive successful defenses of divisional world championships, Hopkins recorded a unanimous decision win over the WBC challenger.
Furthermore, his judging win over Eastman put Hopkins on a pedestal with the iconic heavyweight bruiser Larry Holmes, lodging a jaw-dropping 20th successful defense of world championship gold.