Coming Back Home!

Bernard Hopkins is now 44, retired from boxing and living the good life in Delaware. He's now far from the mean streets of Philadelphia that he called home as a youngster. Hopkins went to prison at 18, got out 56 months later and was able to turn his life around to become a legendary boxer. He still ventures back to the rough streets of his childhood to give back and talk to the folks who perhaps don't have any hope of escaping. The Philadelphia Inquirer profiles Hopkins who gives this advice to youngsters:

"Everybody can't box their way out or dribble a ball," Hopkins said. "That's already been established. I'm not saying they shouldn't try, but I think if you get all the education you can get, you got a better chance of getting a good job and establishing a situation than making it in boxing.

"With me, it was something different and unusual. I didn't have an education, but my athleticism and my winning ways got me there. Then I had to think quickly, and I learned quickly, and I was fortunate. But it's not a path I would suggest to a known enemy."

Hopkins still has an apartment in Philly, and still gets his hair cut in the city, so he's never ventured too far away. His primary focus now is promoting fights as a means of income. He says that he's saved and invested conservatively so hopefully he can continue to give advice to the youngsters from his old neighborhood and give them hope for a better life, while leading by example.