Credit Photo: Greg Gorman

Philadelphia (Jan. 15, 2015) – Mohio kōrero mekemeke Bernard Hopkins e maha ingoa – “Ko te kaitiaki,” “Ko te Alien” a “B-Hop” ki te whakaingoa i te tahi. Timata i tenei ra, ka whai ia ia ano tetahi atu moniker – “50-tau-tawhito.”

Ko te he wā tino nui i roto i te ora o te heke mai Hall o Famer tenei. Kei te whakanui ia he ra whanau e hoki te nuinga o ngä kaitäkaro mai roa i muri i ta ratou tau faatuhaaraa. Ko reira faahiahia e ko ia e kore e anake tonu hohe, engari tika marama neke atu i te whawhai i te keokeonga rawa o tona hākinakina.

Hopkins Ko te surefire tua atu pōti tuatahi ki te International Mekemeke Hall o te Rongonui (IBHOF) ka riro ia āhei. Tona oma tekau tau-roa rite toa ao, ngā ki whakakotahi katoa o nga whitiki i roto i te wehenga, homai ki a ia i te take ki te i te whitu rahi o te wā katoa. Ko te take i hoatu e ia he-mahi tuarua i kite whakakotahi ia ia taitara taumahamaha marama ohaoha whakapono ki Hopkins’ kerēme e ko ia “e kore o tenei ao.”

“Haere mai ahau i te kura tawhito o te mekemeke te wahi whawhai koutou te pai i roto i reira, me te whakamatau koe,” Said Hopkins. “E hiahia ana ahau ki te waiho hei tauira mo te kuao whawhai haere ake ana i roto i te tikanga ki te kia angitu i roto i te hākinakina, E koe ki te tiaki ia koe i nga wa katoa. Ko te tikanga i roto i a i roto i te whakakai. Kua ahau i taea e ki te mahi i te rite ki ahau whawhai tonu ia whakanui ano taku huritau 50. Ko taku kawenata ki te angitu tēnei.”

Puta noa i tona mahi e kore Hopkins tāruatia iho i mua i te pai. Tona whawhai-e-whawhai pānui rite te nei te nei o Hall o Famers, toa ao me kaimekemeke runga whati-. Fehangahangai Hopkins katoa whawhai e toru whakawahia ki te IBHOF i roto i 2014, he mea patu Oscar De La Hoya me Pirika Trinidad, me te maturuturu he whakatau ki a Joe Calzaghe. Mau e ia lekooti maha mo tona rere i te whitu, tae atu i te rangatiratanga roa rite toa ao (10 tau, e rua nga marama, me te 17 ra) a mo nga pa taitara rawa karapīpiti (20).

I taumahamaha te marama, me te ki ona tekau tonu ia ki te hanga hītori. I te Mei 2011, Patua Hopkins Jean Pascal mo te WBC Light Heavyweight World Championship, haere George Foreman rite te kaimekemeke matamua ki te ake riro te taitara ao (46 tau, wha nga marama, e ono nga ra e).

E rua tau i muri mai ka whawhati, e ia tona record ake ka patua e ia a Tavoris Kapua mo te IBF Light Heavyweight World Championship (48 tau, kotahi te marama, me te 22 ra). I roto i te 2014 i whakaturia e ia tetahi atu record rite ka ia te toa matamua ki te whakakotahi i ngā taitara ao, ka patua e ia a Beibut Shumenov ki te tāpiri i te WBA Light Heavyweight World Championship ki tona karauna IBF.

“Kahore he tangata e ahei kia whakakahore i te faufaa ai'a e kua hanga e ahau i roto i tenei hākinakina. Ko ahau tino whakakake o mea i mea ai ahau, nei whawhai ahau, me pehea pakari ahau i te ara. Ite e ahau pai tino e pā ana ki te tahi mea e taea te tango atu, kahore he tangata whakakahore toku wahi, i roto i te hākinakina ranei’ hītori,” Said Hopkins.

Hopkins’ e tumanako ki te waiho i te faufaa ai'a tera taha o te hākinakina o te mekemeke, ngā rite ki te pou o te hauora, whakapakari tinana me te mo te hapori African-American, me te mano 40 ki runga-. Rua o Hopkins’ ngā mātua haere atu i te aroaro o te tau o 50, e tika ana ki te fifi o te mate huka me te mate ngakau. Kua tēnei arahina te Sharing i runga i tona faitau mo te ora ma e homai ki a ia mauruuru i roto i te kai organic e tunu ia ia.

“Tatou i ora kotahi anake, a ko o matou mau hiero to tatou mau tino. Haere kore ahau ahau ki te kai i te mea e kore e he pai e hoki toku pūnaha,” Said Hopkins. “Penehīni ki ahau i ahau ki te pūngao te whakaputa kai. Te kore tenei peu rā e toku tinana kua homai ake ki runga ki ahau i te wa roa i mua.”

Hopkins Kua hoki te roa o te whawhai mo nga tika o tona hoa kaimekemeke. Famously whakaatu ana i mua Congress i tautoko o te mahi Muhammad Ali. I roto i te 2014, Ka puta mai Hopkins i te whare United States Capitol ki te tauturu whakaara i te kōtaha o te Lou Ruvo Center mō te ako whānui Brain Hauora o o kaimekemeke ngaio, me te pānga o ratou hākinakina kua runga i to ratou roro.

I roto i te tekau tau whakamutunga, Kua Hopkins kua whai wāhi ki te takaro ano he kaiwhakatairanga. Mai tona 2005 whitu a'ee whakakotahitanga taitara ki a Oscar De La Hoya, Hopkins me “Ko te Boy Golden” Kua hanga te hononga ki Hopkins whai i te ōrau o Whakatairanga Boy Golden me te tautururaa whakatairanga ratou whawhai katoa i runga i te whenua.

I Hānuere 20, Ka whakahonore Golden Boy Hopkins’ 50th birthday with a special edition of Golden Boy Live! i runga i Fox Sports 1 a ka ora Fox Deportes i te 2300 Arena i roto i te Hopkins’ oire o Philadelphia. Ake Eric a Philly “Ko te tahae” Hunter hinaaro kupu matua te po o te whawhai. Ka tangohia e ia i runga i Rene “Twin” Alvarado i roto i te rima tekau mā whitu a'ee 10-a tawhio.

“Whakapono ahau i roto i te haumi i roto i tenei hākinakina me e te auraa takahi ki runga ki te paraharaha hei kaitäkaro me rite te kaiwhakatairanga,” Said Hopkins. “He faingamālie me te fatongia ki te whawhai, me nga kaiwhaiwhai ki te hanga i tēnei hākinakina i te pai e taea e te reira e ahau.”

Ahakoa faahiahia nei e koe ki a ia mo tona mahi i roto i te whakakai, ranei te ara te ora ia i tona ora ki waho, kahore he whakakahore ana e Hopkins ko tetahi-o-te-ahua. A, no te pae hopea ia rau te takaro, ka waiho te reira bittersweet, rite ia ia kotahi ka mea:

“Kia pai tenei ia taea e koe. Kaua e manukanuka ki ka ranei e founga haere ahau ki te waiho wahia iho ranei. Koe ko eé He tangata katoa, Mahino ahau ki a koutou, otiia e kore e e matau koutou ki ahau.”

Hiahia Bernard he 'Birthday hari’ i runga i TwitterTheRealBHop, ka whakamahi i te hashtag # BHOP50.