Edward Lamar Hopson is a former professional

boxer Boxer most commonly refers to: * Boxer (boxing), a competitor in the sport of boxing *Boxer (dog), a breed of dog Boxer or boxers may also refer to: Animal kingdom * Boxer crab * Boxer shrimp, a small group of decapod crustaceans * Boxer snipe ee ...

Early life

Edward Hopson was born June 30, 1971, in

St. Louis, Missouri St. Louis () is the second-largest city in Missouri, United States. It sits near the confluence of the Mississippi and the Missouri Rivers. In 2020, the city proper had a population of 301,578, while the bi-state metropolitan area, which e ...

to St. Louis natives, Edward and Mittie Hopson, nee Walters.

Amateur career

Hopson took up boxing at the age of seven. Hopson earned a Junior Olympics gold medal in 1987, and was the National Golden Gloves Featherweight Champion the following year. Later in 1988, he won the Olympic Trials in the featherweight division; after a semifinal victory against world amateur champion

Kelcie Banks Kelcie Herron Banks (born May 8, 1965) is an American former professional boxer. As an amateur, he won the gold medal at the 1986 World Championships in Reno and at the 1987 Pan American Games in Indianapolis. Inducted to the USA Boxing Hall of ...

, Hopson took a 3–2 decision over

Carl Daniels Carl Bryant Daniels (born August 26, 1970 in St. Louis, Missouri), is an American professional boxer in the Light Middleweight (154 lb) division. He held the WBA Light Middleweight title in 1995. Amateur Southpaw Daniels won the junior world ...

. However, at the Olympic Boxoffs, Hopson lost to Banks in a pair of fights; because of these losses, he did not compete in the

1988 Summer Olympics The 1988 Summer Olympics (), officially known as the Games of the XXIV Olympiad () and commonly known as Seoul 1988 ( ko, 서울 1988, Seoul Cheon gubaek palsip-pal), was an international multi-sport event held from 17 September to 2 October ...

Professional career

Known as "Fast" Eddie, Hopson turned pro in 1989 and captured the vacant International Boxing Federation super featherweight title in 1995 with a knockout win over Moises Pedroza. He lost the belt in his first defense, to

Tracy Harris Patterson Tracy Harris Patterson, (born on December 26, 1964), is an American former boxer who became a two weight world champion. Born Tracy Harris in Grady, Alabama, he is the adopted son of former Golden Gloves and world heavyweight champion Floyd Patt ...

, later that year by 2nd round technical knockout (TKO), a round in which Hopson had four knockdowns recorded against him.

Death

Edward Hopson passed away June 20, 2022, in St. Louis, MO due to complications with pancreatitis. His family held a small service in

Spanish Lake, Missouri Spanish Lake is a census-designated place (CDP) in St. Louis County, Missouri, United States. The population was 18,413 at the 2020 census. Geography Spanish Lake is located at (38.785849, -90.212879). The Spanish Lake community is located in ...

and he is buried in Oak Grove Cemetery.

References

External links

* 1971 births American male boxers boxers from Missouri featherweight boxers International Boxing Federation champions living people southpaw boxers {{US-boxing-bio-stub