|
Bernard Hopkins – a True Believe it or Not! Himself – Sees Figure for First Time at Press Conference for his Oct. 15 Title Defense
LOS ANGELES (Oct. 12, 2011) – Two Bernard Hopkins showed up at the final press conference today for Saturday night’s “Believe It or Not!: Bernard Hopkins vs Chad Dawson” WBC and Ring Magazine Light Heavyweight Championship at STAPLES Center in Los Angeles which will be produced and distributed live on HBO Pay-Per-View®.
Both turned out to be stars in their own right, however, as the “real” Hopkins helped unveil an exact replica of himself – a wax figure created by the Ripley’s Believe It or Not! F/X department – to the amazement of the large media contingent gathered at the event.
The “real” Bernard “The Executioner” Hopkins, the oldest fighter to ever win a major world championship and a long-time Ripley’s fan, spent two days in July having a full body wax casting made as the first step in the creation of his likeness. The one unveiled today will be a part of a future Believe It or Not! exhibit of Hopkins at one of the worldwide Believe It or Not! Odditoriums.
Ripley’s decided to create the figure of Hopkins and to honor him as a living Believe It or Not! following his unbelievable victory over the younger, then World Champion Jean Pascal in May. During the 1930s and 1940s one of Robert Ripley’s favorite subjects to write about and illustrate was boxing and the decision to honor Hopkins reflects the company’s rich heritage and tradition in that sport. It also continues Ripley’s uncanny practice of being able to find the most amazing and unbelievable people, places, things and accomplishments around the world.
A second wax figure of Hopkins is nearly finished and will soon travel to Philadelphia where it will be put on display in Hopkins East Coast home.
To download high resolution photos of the waxing process, visit Ripley’s Newsroom.
To download high resolution photo of the finished wax figure, click here.
“It is a great honor to be recognized by Ripley’s and I look forward to having the figure in my trophy room alongside my belts and other boxing memorabilia,” Hopkins noted. “I am going to put it under a beautiful light, but it is not going to be too hot for fear of melting my better half.”
Hopkins, a future Hall of Fame two-time light heavyweight champion and former undisputed middleweight champion, at 46-years old became the oldest fighter in boxing history to win a major world championship with his unanimous decision victory over 28-year-old Pascal on May 21, 2011. He broke the previous world record set by former heavyweight champion George Foreman 16 years ago – Believe It or Not!
The Hopkins wax figure will be a part of most fight-week activities, including the official weigh-in, set to be held in front of the Hollywood Ripley’s Believe It or Not! Odditorium on the corner of Hollywood Blvd. and Highland Ave. on Friday, Oct. 14 at 2:00 p.m. It will be on temporary display at that museum on Sunday afternoon free for the public to view.
Ripley Entertainment Inc.
Ripley Entertainment Inc. (www.ripleys.com), keepers of the venerable Ripley’s Believe It or Not! brand, is a global leader in location-based entertainment, entertaining more than 12 million annually at its 80 attractions in 11 countries. In addition to its 31 Believe It or Not!Odditoriums, the Orlando, Florida-based company has publishing, licensing and broadcast divisions, best-selling books and the popular syndicated cartoon strip, Ripley’s Believe It or Not!, that still runs daily in 42 countries. Ripley Entertainment is a Jim Pattison Company, the third-largest privately held company in Canada.
“Believe It Or Not!: Hopkins vs. Dawson” is a 12-round bout for Hopkins’ WBC and Ring Magazine Light Heavyweight World Championship Titles taking place on Saturday, Oct. 15 at STAPLES Center in Los Angeles, Calif. and will be produced and distributed live by HBO Pay-Per-View® beginning at 9:00 p.m. ET/6:00 p.m. PT. The event is presented by Golden Boy Promotions and Gary Shaw Productions and sponsored by Cerveza Tecate, AT&T and Ripley’s Believe It or Not. In addition to this championship main event showdown, the televised pay-per-view undercard will also feature Antonio DeMarco vs. Jorge Linares in a 12-round fight for the vacant WBC Lightweight World Title, Kendall Holt vs. Danny Garcia in 12-round bout for the vacant NABO Junior Welterweight Title and Paulie Malignaggi vs. Orlando Lora in a 10-round welterweight bout. DeMarco vs. Linares is presented in association with Teiken Promotions.
Tickets for Hopkins vs. Dawson, priced at $300, $150, $75 and $25, are on sale now and are available for purchase online at www.staplescenter.com, www.ticketmaster.com or via Ticketmaster charge-by-phone lines at (800)745-3000. Tickets are also available at STAPLES Center box office.
The Hopkins vs. Dawson pay-per-view telecast, which begins at 9:00 p.m. ET/6:00 p.m. PT, will be produced and distributed by HBO Pay-Per-View® and will be available to more than 92 million pay-per-view homes. The telecast will be available in HD-TV for those viewers who can receive HD. HBO Pay-Per-View®, a division of Home Box Office, Inc., is the leading supplier of event programming to the pay-per-view industry. For Hopkins vs. Dawson fight week updates, log on to www.hbo.com. |
