“THE EXECUTIONER’S SONG” and “EMPTY TANK”

776. BERNARD HOPKINS VS FELIX TRINIDAD

MIDDLEWEIGHT CHAMPIONSHIP FIGHT

SEPTEMBER 29, 2001

MADISON SQUARE GARDEN

QUALITY OF PLAY—8.51

DRAMA—7.04

STAR POWER—7.55

CONTEMPORARY IMPORT—6.88

HISTORICAL SIGNIFICANCE—7.35

LOCAL IMPACT—6.76

TOTAL: 43.99

“THE EXECUTIONER’S SONG”

Boxing is full of stories of great fighters saved from the streets by the sweet science. One of the best went further down into the abyss than most, but managed to pull himself free and become one of the great middleweights of all time. 

Bernard Hopkins was raised on the proverbial mean streets of Philadelphia, and was into violent crime by age 13, committing robberies and assaults on the regular. Convicted of nine separate felonies at age 17, Hopkins spent five long years in Graterford State Prison. He had been sentenced to 18 years, but his discovery of boxing and the discipline it required helped win him an early release. Though guards taunted him by saying they looked forward to his return to prison, Hop stayed clean after that. 

Boxing was his outlet, and he quickly rose in the middleweight ranks. He lost a 1993 fight to the great Roy Jones, Jr., but had been impressive in defeat. He won the IBF title with a 1995 TKO over Ecuadorian Segundo Mercado, and defeated all comers after that, staging a dozen successful title defenses.

Hopkins was about out of challengers in the new century when one appeared from the lower ranks. Felix Trinidad had cleaned out the welterweight and super welterweight divisions with an array of classy, one-sided wins. He too needed someone to fight, and decided to move up in weight class to middleweight in order to take on Hopkins. 

Organizers sensed a big payday, but of course an even larger one managed to be arranged via a “Tournament of Champions.” Hopkins first fought WBC champ Keith Holmes and whipped him, while Tito Trinidad bested William Joppy in a five-round knockout that proved he could handle the rigors of 160 pounds. 

So at last the two great fighters were set to met. Originally the date was September 15, 2001, but on the Tuesday morning before the bout, the 9/11 attacks shattered New York. There was talk of cancellation, but by Saturday night, September 29, 2001, conditions were deemed settled enough that a fistfight could distract from the War On Terror. 

Billed to fight and Agatha Christie fans as “And Then There Was One,” the “tournament final” saw Trinidad go off as a solid betting favorite, in part because his legion of fans from Puerto Rico regularly filled MSG for his fights, and gave him an advantage, and in part because at 28 he was in his prime while Hopkins was 36 and considered well past his. The Executioner, unaccustomed to being the underdog, boldly placed a $100,000 bet on himself with the online casino that sponsored him. He also made waves by hurling the Puerto Rican flag to the floor during the pre-fight press conferences; doing so in San Juan caused a riot that necessitated Hopkins being rushed from the premises. 

Hopkins now needed to back up his brash promotional activity—and he did so with gusto. Stronger and more willing to engage in back street brawling than Trinidad, Hopkins nevertheless switched up his style and moved around the quicker Tito, eager to beat him at his own style. Trinidad found he couldn’t keep up. As the fight wore on, Hopkins began to move inside and lay waste to the challenger, finding the range repeatedly with strong combinations. 

Tito, urged on by his fans, came out firing in the tenth, eager to find a miracle win to a fight that had slipped from his grasp. But he couldn’t locate Hopkins, and just before the bell the Executioner stunned him with an overhand right to the chin that left Felix wobbly.

He survived the 11th, but in the final round Hopkins went in for the classy finish. He wobbled Trinidad with a left, then popped him to the canvas with a devastating right cross. Felix Sr. threw in the towel at that point, and the fight was over. 

It was The Executioner’s finest hour. He was well ahead on points but had won with a convincing KO for his 13th consecutive title defense, one off the middleweight record.  He was also now the unified holder of the belt, recognized as champ by every organization. 

And he collected his winnings for betting on himself that night. 

AFTERMATH:

The defeat at 160 pounds essentially ended Trinidad’s fine career. He retired shortly thereafter, though true to the sport he made several comebacks, each less impressive than the one before. 

Hopkins made it to 20 straight defenses of his unified belt before at last losing by split decision to Jermaine Taylor in 2005. He moved up to light heavyweight and had great success, winning the title at that class too. Addicted to the lifestyle and discipline of the sport that had rescued him from prison, Hopkins kept fighting, amazingly winning back a title at age 46, even older than George Foreman when he won the heavyweight title. His final fight came in 2016, at the staggering age of 51. 

Unlike Iron Mike, The Executioner would probably whip Jake Paul today, at age 59.

WHAT THEY SAID:

“Bernard Hopkins has put himself on the list with all the great middleweights.”
—Larry Merchant, HBO broadcast

FURTHER READING:

From J Block to the Hall of Fame by Joseph Santoloquito, HannibalBoxing.com

VIDEO:

775. NEW YORK ISLANDERS VS WASHINGTON CAPITALS

PATRICK DIVISION FINALS

GAME ONE

APRIL 12, 1984

NASSAU COLISEUM

QUALITY OF PLAY—7.02

DRAMA—7.29

STAR POWER—7.34

CONTEMPORARY IMPORT—7.55

HISTORICAL SIGNIFICANCE—6.79

LOCAL IMPACT—8.03

TOTAL: 44.00

“EMPTY TANK”

After winning four consecutive Stanley Cups, the 1984 Islanders would have been forgiven for falling shy of another title. After all, the dynasty that gave NYC Mike Bossy, Denis Potvin, Bryan Trottier, et al, couldn’t really be expected to win it every year, right? 

But never underestimate the power of a pithy motto. Rallying behind the “Drive For Five” banner, the Islanders made it their mission to win it all yet again. They won the division and were top seeds in the Eastern Conference, and favorites to win one for the thumb.

Their arch-rivals, the Rangers, were every bit as motivated to at last end the Isles reign atop the NHL, and in one of the greatest opening round series ever, they went toe to toe with their suburban cousins in five thrilling games. The Islanders at last escaped on an overtime rebound goal by Ken Morrow (sing it with me, to the tune of “Tomorrow” from Annie—“The puck will come out, to Morrow…), and advanced to the Patrick Division finals, against Washington.

The Drive For Five was still alive, and although they finished just three points behind the Islanders in the Patrick Division, few really gave the Caps much hope of derailing it. But Game One, held on Thursday night, April 12, 1984, at the Nassau Coliseum, figured to be a golden opportunity for Washington. The intensity of the Rangers series had surely drained the Islanders. It would also be the home team’s sixth game in nine days, a recipe for an aging group to husband resources with an eye on the bigger picture. 

So the expectation was for the Islanders to come out looking worn and tired, giving Washington an edge. But New York’s Pat Flatley scored less than five minutes into the game, and the great Bossy made it 2-0 on the power play early in the second period. A feeling of ecstasy swept through the Coliseum—maybe the hardships of the Rangers series would make everything feel simplistic in contrast. 

Alas, then the roof fell in on the Isles. A power play goal back at them by Alan Haworth halved the lead after two periods. 

The third period was New York’s Waterloo. Outshot 16-7, the home team was completely devoid of “jump,” as the hockey types call energy and swift skating and hard hitting. “They were driving a little harder the last ten minutes,” admitted Trottier, usually loathe to cop to fatigue. The Islanders were kept from the net entirely for the first 11 minutes of the period. Meanwhile, a penalty borne of tiredness gave Washington another man-advantage, and Dave Christian, uh, capitalized, tying the game six minutes and change into the third. 

Flatley seemed ready to win it for New York against the run of play (or is it skate of play?) late in regulation, but his whipped wrist shot clanked off the left post. Then, as the clock wound toward the final minute and the fans readied themselves for a restroom and beer run before the start of OT, Craig Laughlin took on the great Potvin one-on-one. The Isles defenseman tied up and knocked over the advancing Cap, but as Laughlin fell to the ice he managed, in a highly acrobatic maneuver, to snap off a shot that startled Billy Smith in the net. “I think I caught Smith off guard,” Laughlin noted, and indeed, Smitty scarcely moved as the puck zipped past him for the winning goal. 

“It was so quiet you could hear a pin drop, and I thought maybe the puck had gone over the net,” said Laughlin. “Then I heard the guys on the bench hollering and I figured it was in.”

“Perhaps the ending qualified as humane treatment under the circumstances,” wrote Joe Gergen in Newsday. “An overtime was almost too cruel to contemplate.” 

62 seconds after Laughlin’s stunner, it was over, and Washington had scored three unanswered goals to steal Game One, 3-2. 

“The Islanders were tired,” said Caps coach Bryan Murray. “That’s why it was important for us to win this one.”

“We’ll just have to dig down tomorrow night,” said Butch Goring. 

One thing the Isles certainly had was history on its side; for the moment, what they did not have was the series lead. 

AFTERMATH:

None to worry—the Islanders rebounded as was their wont in those halcyon days. An overtime win in Game Two tied the series, and the Isles didn’t look back, taking the next three to advance in five games. They reached the Stanley Cup Finals before at last running out of steam for good, coming up just shy of a fifth straight championship. 

WHAT THEY SAID:

“The high and mighty in all endeavors are subject to the force. Not even astronauts are immune to the pull of gravity. The Islanders fell to Earth…re-entry wasn’t terribly spectacular. They simply fizzled, like stale champagne.”

—Joe Gergen, Newsday

FURTHER READING:

Dynasty: The Oral History of the New York Islanders by Greg Prato

VIDEO:

For whatever reason Game One doesn’t appear to be online anywhere, so enjoy Game Five of the Rangers series once more…