Bouie nodded his head in satisfaction, closed his eyes and never opened them again. He died Thursday after a 21-month battle with rectal cancer. He was 83 and had been living in Albion, Camden County, but had spent most of his life in North Philadelphia.
"It was a very profound moment," Hopkins said. "I teared up. James teared up. But it made me feel good."
"It was a very touching thing," James Fisher said. "They showed how much they loved each other. It was a scene that could have been scripted by Hollywood."
English "Bouie" Fisher, ranked by the experts as one of the greatest trainers in a city known for decades for its boxing legends, was also a dedicated family man with eight children, each of whom always got his undivided attention and devotion.
Although Hopkins was his most successful boxer, Bouie trained many others and passed on his expertise to those following him in the pursuit of the "sweet science."
"Philadelphia's deserved reputation as perhaps America's foremost boxing city is largely based on the quality of the veteran trainers who honed the skill of so many local fighters who went on to become champions," said Bernard Fernandez, Daily News boxing writer.
"Bouie was one of the last of a diminishing breed, so he will be missed from that perspective. But he also was a gentleman who cared deeply about his family and his fighters. If anything, he was a better human being than he was a trainer, and that is saying something."
The Boxing Writers of America voted Bouie Trainer of the Year in 2001.
He was born in Elliott, S.C., to Joseph L. Fisher and Mary Toney Fisher. He came to Philadelphia with his mother and four brothers when he was 10. He attended Daniel Boone High School.
At age 14, he went to a gym and fell in love with boxing. He fought some amateur bouts but never turned pro. Instead, he eventually turned his attention to training others.
