As numerous individuals and organizations in the sports world have done this October, Bernard Hopkins and Golden Boy Promotions will do their part to support Breast Cancer Awareness month during Saturday’s night’s “Believe It or Not!: Bernard Hopkins vs. Chad Dawson” Light Heavyweight World Championship HBO Pay-Per-View® broadcast by painting the ring’s usually-white neutral corner pads pink and donating one of them to Susan G. Komen for the Cure® so that the organization can display its website URL.(www.komen.org) on the pad.
Hopkins, whose mother Shirley succumbed to the disease at age 47, and Golden Boy Promotions, whose President Oscar de la Hoya also lost his mother to breast cancer in her early adulthood, selected the charity in lieu of sponsorship dollars usually received for ring asset signage.
“My mother instilled in me the discipline and courage that I present every time I step in the ring,” said Hopkins. “She was courageous throughout her battle with cancer and having that pink corner pad in the neutral corner reminding me of her courage will help me throughout my fight Saturday night against Chad. I loved my mother very much and it is a special tribute to do this for her too.”
“Breast cancer has touched both my life and Bernard’s life to the core in losing our mothers to the disease,” said De La Hoya. “Susan G. Komen is a great organization and we are honored to lend them our support by donating our neutral corner pad to their cause.”
Komen founder and CEO Ambassador Nancy G. Brinker thanked de la Hoya and Hopkins for their support. “These two men remind us that too many mothers are still dying of breast cancer, and we hope that this effort will remind mothers, sisters, daughters and aunts to get their mammograms and take action against this disease,” she said.
