Hopkins’ Redemption Story Packs KO Punch

It’s a shame the convicted murderer who trained him and predicted this moment couldn’t have been here to watch Bernard Hopkins climb the ropes in triumph after getting away with the world middleweight title.

I would have given him my seat, of course, had they given Smokey Wilson, the lifer, a one-day pass from the state penitentiary at Graterford, Pa.

But no matter, boxing still has its success story, the one where every kid can now grow up dreaming of getting nailed for eight felonies, spending 56 months in prison and then entering the ring to Frank Sinatra singing, “I did it my way.”

Gives you goose bumps, doesn’t it?

Now I’d imagine they gave Hopkins the nickname “the Executioner” after he got out of prison, because inside the big house I’d guess any mention of the executioner makes a few people nervous.

Whatever, he freed us all from a boring tussle with a ninth-round body shot that forced Oscar De La Hoya to crumble to the canvas.

And while De La Hoya stayed down on all fours, pounding his left fist to the canvas -- and I’m sure promoter Bob Arum will have that piece of the canvas ripped out, autographed and then sold to the highest bidder -- Hopkins did a somersault, leaped on the ropes and then ran across the ring to leap on the ropes in the opposite corner.

I’m surprised he didn’t go over the ropes and jump into Arum’s lap. Arum promoted Hopkins’ first professional fight in 1988, a loss, and gave the ex-con $500; Hopkins could receive as much as $15 million for this victory.

And just think, somewhere in this great country last night someone was committing an armed robbery and had the good fortune to get arrested, and in 20 years we might have our next great million-dollar fighter.

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ONE JUDGE reportedly had the fight scored in favor of De La Hoya, but he must have been on the same side of the ring as Nicole Kidman and looking at something besides what was happening in the ring. The other two judges had Hopkins, who was actually taunting De La Hoya at times, decisively ahead in a fight heavy on tension but light on punches thrown.

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THE BEST jab of the day wasn’t delivered by Hopkins or De La Hoya; it came from Shaquille O’Neal in Los Angeles, according to wire reports, saying of Kobe Bryant, “I’m glad that he got off. You never want to see a player of his caliber go down for something like that. Now he can go back to being a family man.” Ouch.

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IT COST $30 for a De La Hoya-Hopkins program, and $500 for an autographed piece of the canvas from De La Hoya’s fight with Julio Cesar Chavez in 1996. It must be hard on Arum’s knees to get down on all fours with scissors in hand and cut up all that canvas. Lucrative, but hard on the knees.

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ONE OF De La Hoya’s publicists explained that De La Hoya injured his finger Wednesday night, had it stitched and he refused to meet with Times columnist Bill Plaschke and Page 2 on Thursday morning because he was with doctors. A story made for Plaschke too.

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RICK FOX came to the fight. He didn’t appear to be with anyone.... LeBron James, Mike Bibby, Patrick Ewing, Magic Johnson, Charles Barkley, three players from the world-champion Pistons -- world champs if you don’t take into consideration the Olympics -- and Scottie Pippen also represented the NBA.... The tickets must have been too expensive for NHL players.

Former quarterback Ryan Leaf apparently still has some of the $11.5-million signing bonus the San Diego Chargers gave him because he was at ringside.... It also apparently pays to take on guilty clients and get them off because Robert Shapiro was here.... Bob Kraft, owner of the New England Patriots and a member of the NFL stadium committee who has been working on putting a team in L.A., bumped into R.D. Hubbard before the fight and said, “You’re the guy who owns that land in Carson.” Hubbard explained that he was the guy who owned the land at Hollywood Park, and took it pretty well when I pointed out that Kraft had him mixed up with Michael Ovitz. It also might explain why the NFL has no idea what’s going on in L.A.

Larry King was ill but put his life-long friends, Asher Dann and Sid Young, along with pal Jim Gray of ESPN, on his plane and sent them to the fight. Dann put King on the phone with me, and King said he was betting $100 on De La Hoya. I had no idea he was that sick.

Former Times editor Shelby Coffey and his son were sitting in $1,700 ringside seats. I’ve always said they pay editors too much.

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THEY HAD a news conference Saturday in the MGM Grand media room to announce an upcoming fight, and HBO pay-per-view head honcho Mark Taffet took the microphone and told the boxers, “Look at all these people in the room. It shows you the interest in your fight.”

He forgot to mention they were serving free breakfast to the media.

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TOM LASORDA said he had his pocket picked at the last fight. He never seems to have any money when it comes to picking up a tab, so I’m guessing the thief made off with the holy cards he likes to pass out picturing him as a saint.

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TODAY’S LAST word comes from Bobby Dobbs, matchmaker for Holden Productions:

“Your column about boxing is one of the most offensive pieces I have ever read. Maybe it’s because I work in the boxing industry and have seen firsthand how fighters with hopeless backgrounds have used the sport to literally and figuratively fight their way out of poverty.”

Nice to know they can pay for their own hospital bills.

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T.J. Simers can be reached at t.j.simers@latimes.com. To read previous columns by Simers, go to latimes.com/simers.