Bernard Hopkins,USA (48-4-11-32 KO)
Bernard Hopkins was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, growing up in the Raymond Rosen housing projects and later in Germantown, where he became involved in crime and gang activity at a young age. Today, he describes himself as a "thug" in his youth and regrets that it took a stint in prison for him to turn his life around.
Late in 1982, when Hopkins was in the 11th grade, he was convicted and sentenced to 18 years in the state penitentiary for "strong-arm robbery" (not armed robbery - beating people and taking their money). For fifty-six months, from 1984 through 1989, Hopkins was one of three thousand inmates in Graterford State Penitentiary in Pennsylvania. While incarcerated, he decided to turn his life around.[1] Hopkins studied for and earned his high school diploma, and also began to take part in boxing again, which he had done off and on as a youth.
During four years and eight months in prison, Hopkins won the national penitentiary middleweight championship three times. He converted to Islam [2] during his incarceration and was paroled in 1988, as soon as he was eligible. His dedicated approach to the faith helped him build his successful monastic boxing career by instilling discipline in the once troubled young adult [3].
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