On Sept. 7, 1894, heavyweight champion Jim Corbett, wearing what looked like a cross between a jockstrap and a thong, stepped into an improvised ring at Thomas Edisons Black Maria studio in West Orange, New Jersey. Smiling condescendingly throughout, Gentleman Jim sparred six one-minute rounds with crude-swinging Peter Courtney as a 35-millimeter camera recorded the proceedings.The resulting filmstrips were to be used in a kinetoscope, an exhibition devise designed for films to be viewed through a peephole. Few, if any, would have guessed it at the time, but it was the birth of what would eventually become a staple of the motion picture industry -- the boxing movie.The venerable genre has been counted out almost as frequently as the sport itself, but always manages to stage a comeback thanks to creative people on both sides of the camera. They are irresistibly drawn to boxings innate drama and raw emotion, as well as the fascinating characters that populate it.In the last 17 months alone, four major boxing films were released -- Creed, Southpaw, Hands of Stone and Bleed For This -- and theres every reason to believe the tradition still has the legs to last a few more rounds.Although the boxing world is still getting used to the sight of Bernard Hopkins ending his career upside down on the arena floor, his story is unique, even for a boxer, and in the right hands would make an intriguing film.Selecting the right cast is key to the success of any movie, and choosing the right actor to play Hopkins would be crucial.Hopkins is a complex man with contradictory personality traits. The actor will have to peel back several layers to reveal the man behind the executioners mask Hopkins wore into the ring for many years and reprised for his final bout -- an eighth-round knockout loss to Joe Smith Jr. last Saturday.Readers, Im sure, will have alternate suggestions, but the pick here is Sterling K. Brown, best known for his Emmy Award-winning role as Christopher Darden in The People v. O.J. Simpson: American Crime Story. Not only does Brown have the acting chops to pull it off, he has the physical wherewithal to go with it.Perhaps the trickiest part about making a movie of somebodys life is deciding what to keep in and what to leave out. One solution is to pare it down to its essence and focus on events upon which the story hinges.The Vinny Paz biopic, Bleed For This, begins with the boxer swaddled in plastic wrap and furiously peddling an exercise bike in order to make weight. Boiling down was the bane of Pazs early career, but it wasnt the pivotal moment that defined him. That came later when he survived a horrific car wreck and, against overwhelming odds, returned to the ring.Hopkins is a different kind of survivor, and the opening scene of his movie would most likely focus on the day he left Graterford Penitentiary, paroled after serving almost five years of an 18-year sentence for strong-arm robbery.When the doors of freedom swung open in 1988, it was game on, time to keep the promise he made to himself while locked up inside one of Pennsylvanias most dangerous maximum-security prisons: He was never coming back. No way. Not ever.Trying to find a job when youre a convicted felon is crushingly bleak and the temptation to fall back into the lifestyle that led to incarceration in the first place is almost too strong to resist. But Hopkins held fast. Although he had the street cred to make plenty of easy money, he took a job washing dishes at a Philadelphia hotel instead.Imagine the character-building potential of a scene in which Bernard is seen wearing an apron, his hands submerged in soapy water, a proud man doing a humble task for a noble reason.When he was fired for conveniently forgetting to mention his prison record on the employment applications, Hopkins could have easily backslid. Instead, he redoubled his effort to make a success of his nascent boxing career. He persevered against tremendous odds to eventually achieve more than he or anybody else would have dreamed. But it was far from easy and took much longer than it should.Any Hopkins movie would have to have at least one courtroom scene. He was a maverick who sued almost every promoter he worked with and testified in Congress about the evils of the boxing industry. That didnt exactly endear him to the powers that be, but he continued to swim against the tide until he reached a point where he could call the shots.By then Hopkins had mastered his art to such a sublime degree, he proved the cynics wrong time after time and fought on with uncanny success until a month short of his 52nd birthday, when he proved the pundits wrong one final time by losing to Smith, a handpicked opponent Hopkins was favored to beat.An unabashed publicity hound, Hopkins alternately charmed and bullied the media throughout his career. Exceedingly accessible and cooperative most of the time, he would also unleash a torrent of abuse when he couldnt get his way or the chip on his shoulder chafed is his ego.Recreating the ugly incident following his bout with Morrade Hakkar would be one way to shine a light on Hopkins dark side. It had been a pitiful mismatch fought before a tiny crowd in his hometown, and Bernard was embarrassed. But instead of acknowledging the farce for what it was, he accused media members of being racists for having the audacity to question his challengers worthiness.Hopkins is not, however, an unrepentant heel in the vein of Midge Kelly, the protagonist of Champion, who even treated his crippled brother like dirt. Nowhere near it. Hopkins has quietly given back by supporting Philabundance, the largest nonprofit food bank in the Philadelphia region, and making private donations to those in need.Its just that the ruthless side of him, a side that all great fighters have, isnt confined to the ring. Hopkins had no qualms about casting aside trainers Bouie Fisher and Naazim Richardson when he felt it was to his advantage to do so. He can be cold that way.Fisher had given Bernard a job at his transmission repair shop when he lost his dishwashing gig and helped take him from the penitentiary to the middleweight championship and beyond. As is usually the case, money came between them and Fisher eventually sued.Clarke Peters, who played detective Lester Freamon in The Wire and Albert Big Chief Lambreaux in Treme, would be an excellent choice to play Fisher. Cuba Gooding Jr. is a natural for the role of flamboyant promoter Butch Lewis, a former used-car salesman who thought wearing a tuxedo jacket without a shirt was the epitome of style and eventually lost a bitter lawsuit to Hopkins.Adrian Grenier (Entourage) would be good as Oscar De La Hoya, the superstar Hopkins eviscerated with a left hook to the liver and then went to work for, becoming a shareholder and corporate officer in Golden Boy Promotions.And we mustnt forget Joe Smith Jr., last seen knocking Hopkins through the ropes and into retirement with a four-punch combination -- a perfect cameo for Channing Tatum, perhaps.The director would have a plenty of fights to choose from, but Hopkins upset knockout of Felix Trinidad at Madison Square Garden to unify the middleweight title, 18 days after the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attack on the World Trade Center, would be a must. It was his masterpiece, truly a performance for the ages, fought in front a hostile crowd and in the shadow of one of our nations darkest days.Hopkins turned pro with a loss in October 1988 and bowed out with another defeat a month before his 52nd birthday. During the 28 years between, he complied an unrivaled résumé of accomplishment, including unifying the middleweight title for the first time since 1987. All told he made 20 successful defenses of the 160-pound championship, breaking a record that had stood since Carlos Monzon retired in 1977.Hopkins also won the light heavyweight title on three occasions, the second time in 2011, making him, at age 46, the oldest boxer to ever to win a major title. Then he broke his own record, winning a 175-pound title a third time in 2013.Movie audiences eat up the old-guy kicking-ass stuff, and thats what the last third of Hopkins career was all about. From now on, however, hell be the guy in the expensive suit hyping Golden Boy fights, one of the sports most prominent elder statesmen, loved by many, hated by some and respected by all.Hopkins election to the International Boxing Hall of Fame is assured, but the promise he kept when he left prison remains his greatest triumph. It is the underlying theme of any movie attempting to capture the true spirit of the miracle worker who fell to earth last Saturday.Adidas Ultra Boost Goedkoop . Its an influence in football and a big part of the game. Adidas Ultra Boost 4.0 Kopen . Radwanska, making her debut in the Seoul tournament, hit eight aces in a match that lasted 1 hour, 4 minutes at Olympic Park tennis stadium. "It was definitely a very good match -- I was playing really good tennis," Radwanska said. http://www.nmdtekoop.com/prophere-sneakers.html .C. -- Charlotte Bobcats coach Steve Clifford said after all of these years in the NBA hes still amazed at some of the things LeBron James does. Adidas Prophere Nederland . -- Jakob Silfverberg is making himself right at home with the Anaheim Ducks, scoring four goals in his first four games. Adidas Superstar Goedkoop .B. - Sebastien Auger made 44 saves as the Saint John Sea Dogs edged the visiting Acadie-Bathurst Titan 2-1 on Saturday in Quebec Major Junior Hockey League action.For more than 30 years, Jeff Rosenberg has been collecting Muhammad Ali memorabilia, having never sold a single piece.But Friday, the collector and owner of Houston-based sports memorabilia company Tri-Star, said he was parting with some of his most cherished pieces, including the gloves Ali wore for the Fight Of The Century against Joe Frazier in Madison Square Garden in 1971.The gloves will be part of a Goldin Auctions sale, which begins next Monday and closes August 4.Rosenberg bought the gloves in August 2014 for $388,375, which was considered a steal. The next day, he was asked to resell them at a handsome profit, but he turned the offer down. Just months before, the gloves Ali used in his first fight against Sonny Liston in 1964 sold for $836,500.Rosenberg is only the second owner of the gloves in the 45 years since the fight. The gloves were supposed to become property of L.A. talent agent Jerry Perenchio, who had backed the fight using money from Jack Kent Cooke, who owned the Los Angeles?Kings?and?Lakers?at the time. The bout-worn gloves, as?well as the trunks and shoes, were included in the fight contract as a way to recoup money.If a movie studio can auction off Judy Garlands shoes, these ought to be worth something too, Perenchio told Sports Illustrated before the fight.Butt Perenchio never took the gloves.ddddddddddddAfter cutting them off after the fight, in which Ali lost after 15 rounds, trainer and cornerman Angelo Dundee brought them home, where they remained until his death in 2012. The interior of the Everlast gloves are labeled and signed by Dundee.When these last sold, it was clearly an an aberration, said Ken Goldin of Goldin Auctions. This one just slipped through the cracks. But with Alis passing and the recognition once again, not only of his greatness as a boxer but as a world leader, things have now changed.Both Ali and Frazier were undefeated heading into the fight, as this was Alis second fight back after he was absent from boxing for 3 1/2 years for his refusal to enter the draft.Goldin expects bidding to surpass the $1 million mark.For his part, Rosenberg said he isnt happy to be getting rid of the gloves.No matter what the price, theres going to be a sense of loss, Rosenberg said. Its a connection to the greatest fight.Rosenberg has also consigned a torch from the 1996 Olympics -- signed by Ali as both Ali and Cassius Clay -- to the auction.Ali died on June 3 after a 30-year battle with Parkinsons Disease. ' ' '