Daily Archives: March 1, 2011

Former felon and world champion wants an actor who understands his life to portray him

Every couple years in Hollywood a new boxing movie hits the silver screen. The latest was David O. Russell’s The Fighter, which landed two Academy Awards on Sunday night. Bernard Hopkins hopes his biopic will be the next boxing movie to pull in those honors.

“After I win, I’m ready to tell my whole story,” Hopkins told ESPN, who will once again try to become the oldest world champion in boxing history at 46 when he faces light heavyweight champion Jean Pascal this summer in Canada. ”I studied at the university of life.”

Hailing from the Philadelphia projects, Hopkins was sentenced to 18 years in prison for nine felonies at age 17. He was released after four years and began boxing, compiling a record of 51-5-2 over the next 20 years.

Hopkins has financial backing for his movie and has talked to the producers of Training Days and Brooklyn’s Finest about making the movie a reality. ”Sometimes you have to almost die to know what living is about. I know my life can be an inspiration to others,” said Hopkins, who hopes to focus on the movie after the fight. “I learned my lessons early. Statistics show that I shouldn’t be alive today. I overcame so much.”

Where Dicky Eklund had Christian Bale portray him, Hopkins is looking for an actor a little less decorated. “I want 50 Cent,” Hopkins said. “He has the swagger. He doesn’t look approachable but he really is. He understands my life. It was his life also.”