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. Paul Aguilar Jersey .com) - Yankee Stadium is the home of the Bronx Bombers, but on Sunday afternoon it will open its gates to host the latest addition of the Hudson River Rivalry. Marco Fabian Jersey .J. -- Marty Brodeur beat the Pittsburgh Penguins yet again. http://www.nationalsoccermexico.com/hector-herrera-mexico-jersey/ . Ivanovic was leading 7-5, 1-0 when Hantuchova withdrew after falling 0-40 behind in the second game. The match started slowly for Ivanovic, who surrendered her first two serves as Hantuchova took a 5-3 lead. Raul Jimenez Jersey . He said Tuesday thats a big reason why he is now the new coach of the Tennessee Titans. Whisenhunt said he hit it off quickly with Ruston Webster when interviewing for the job Friday night. Jorge Torres Mexico Jersey . MLS Commissioner Don Garber and Miami-Dade County Mayor Carlos Gimenez also will attend the session, which was announced Monday. The league has discussed placing its next two expansion teams in Miami and Atlanta.CAMDEN, N.J. -- Kobe Bryant is playing some of his toughest defence yet, demanding his mother keeps her hands off his merchandise. Bryant, the Los Angeles Lakers guard, said in a court filing that he never gave his mother permission to sell mementos from his high school days and early professional basketball career. Bryant is in a court battle over whether hundreds of items -- from high school jerseys to trophies and championship rings -- can be auctioned off. Pamela Bryant said the NBA star told her the memorabilia was hers. She arranged earlier this year to auction it off through Berlin, N.J.-based Goldin Auctions and received a $450,000 advance. Last week, lawyers for the son wrote to the auction house demanding it cease the June sale. Goldin is suing to assert its right to sell. In a filing Wednesday in U.S. District Court in Camden, Kobe Bryant says his mother acknowledged to him recently that she did not have permission to sell the items. The suit was filed there because the auction house is located in southern New Jersey. Goldin dubbed the auction "The Bryant Collection," and the main page of its website shows three Lower Merion uniforms from his high school days and one familiar No. 8 Lakers jersey. Theres even a surfboard from when he won a Teen Choice award among the roughly 100 items listed. "I never told my mother that she could have my personal property, let alone consign it for public auction," Bryant wrote in the filing. He also posted on Twitter, "When u give Give GIVE and they take Take TAKE at wat point do u draw a line in the sand? (hash) hurtbeyondmmeasure (hash) gavemenowarning (hash) love?" According to court filings, Pamela Bryant struck a deal in January with Goldin, which earlier this year sold a rare Honus Wagner baseball card for a record $2.dddddddddddd1 million. She received $450,000 up front, which she intended to use for a new home in Nevada. In its court filings, Goldin says Pamela Bryant told the auction house that she asked her son five years ago what he wanted to do with the items that were in her home. "Kobe Bryant indicated to Pamela Bryant that the items belonged to her and that he had no interest in them," the auction houses attorneys wrote. So she put them in a $1,500-per-month New Jersey storage unit. The challenge came Tuesday when Goldin sent a news release announcing the auction. By days end, Kobe Bryants lawyer had sent a cease-and-desist letter telling the auction house to call off the sale and return the items to him. Kenneth Goldin, owner of the auction house, says he cant cancel the auction because hes already advanced $450,000 to Bryants mother and put money into advertising the auction. Kobe Bryants lawyer Mark Campbell said in a statement, "Mr. Bryants personal property has ended up in the possession of someone who does not lawfully own it. We look forward to resolving this legal matter through the legal system." Bryant has had a sometimes icy relationship with his mother and father, Joe "Jellybean" Bryant, a former pro basketball player who is now coaching in Thailand. In the court filing, it states that the husband and wife are overseas this week. ' ' '