Hopkins Wears Out Welcome in N.Y.

Tuesday morning, undisputed middleweight champion Bernard Hopkins was permanently banned from New York’s Madison Square Garden.

By Tuesday evening, the ban had been withdrawn, but an enraged Hopkins was vowing he’d never return to the Manhattan arena.

The hours in between were filled with expletives, intrigue and outrage with Hopkins’ advisor, Lou DiBella, and MSG Vice-President Kevin Wynne at the center of the controversy.

It began in the weeks leading to Saturday’s middleweight title fight between Hopkins and Felix Trinidad, a fight Hopkins won on a 12th-round technical knockout.

Hopkins had gone out of his way to insult Puerto Rico, Trinidad’s native land, going so far as to stomp on the Puerto Rican flag at a Garden news conference. Hopkins subsequently stomped on another Puerto Rican flag at a San Juan news conference, inflaming a Puerto Rican audience.

Last week, with New York still shellshocked from the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks, Hopkins wore a cap with the word “War” on it to the final prefight news conference at the Garden.

DiBella said Wynne called him Tuesday morning to inform him Hopkins was no longer welcome at the Garden because of his behavior.

“His behavior wasn’t so offensive,” DiBella said, “when they thought he was fodder for Trinidad. Once they found out Trinidad was fodder for Bernard, now he’s too offensive.

“Isn’t this America? How about [controversial New York Knick] Latrell Sprewell, who they brought in? How about Charlie Ward, who made remarks that could be construed as anti-Semitic? I’m amazed by this, blown away.”

As word of the ban spread, the Garden was inundated with calls from reporters. Officials huddled.

Late in the day, Wynne wouldn’t discuss whether there had been a ban.

“I am not going to dispute my friend, Lou DiBella,” Wynne said. “We have not been presented with a Bernard Hopkins fight. If someone were to present one, it would be evaluated on its merits, assuming the date was to our liking. There are only a couple of possible Hopkins fights that would interest us, those against Shane Mosley, Oscar De La Hoya or Roy Jones.”

Wynne’s words didn’t soothe Hopkins. Scheduled to do a television interview at the Garden Tuesday night, Hopkins canceled.