title: Mark Hughes

text: Hughes was appointed manager of Stoke City on 30 May 2013, signing a three-year contract after taking over from fellow Welshman Tony Pulis. Speaking after being announced as Stoke's new manager, Hughes admitted that he had a point to prove following his disappointing spell at QPR. Hughes's first task was to release Rory Delap, Mamady Sidibe, Matthew Upson, Dean Whitehead, Carlo Nash and Matty Lund, at the same time giving Jermaine Pennant a new contract. He made his first signing on 28 June 2013 in Dutch international left-back Erik Pieters from PSV for a fee of €3.6 million (£3 million). Hughes's first match in charge of Stoke on 17 August 2013 ended in a 1–0 defeat at Liverpool. Hughes's first win as Stoke manager came in his next match as Stoke beat Crystal Palace 2–1 at the Britannia Stadium. This was followed up by a 1–0 win away at West Ham. On 2 September 2013, transfer deadline day, Hughes brought in Austrian forward Marko Arnautović from Werder Bremen and Stephen Ireland on loan from Aston Villa. Meanwhile, Michael Kightly, Cameron Jerome and Ryan Shotton all departed the club on long-term loans.


title: Mark Hughes

text: Stoke soon lost their early form, however, and went through September and October without a Premier League win, picking up just two points and scoring only three goals. Stoke improved in November and December, going a run of one defeat in seven matches, including a 3–2 win over Chelsea on 7 December 2013. December ended badly for Stoke and Hughes, however, as they were on the receiving end of a 5–1 defeat at Newcastle in which Stoke were reduced to nine men and Hughes himself was sent off. Stoke went through January 2014 in poor form and managed to pick up just a point and a 1–0 defeat at Sunderland on 29 January, leaving the club just above the relegation zone. The one piece of transfer activity Hughes did was to swap Kenwyne Jones for Peter Odemwingie in a player-exchange deal with Cardiff City. The arrival of Odemwingie enabled Hughes to alter his tactics and formation and it immediately paid off with a 2–1 victory over Manchester United. Stoke's form continued to improve and they went through March unbeaten with wins over Arsenal, West Ham, Aston Villa and Hull City. Stoke proceeded to end the season strongly with wins over Newcastle, Fulham and a 2–1 win against West Brom on the final day of the season, which saw Stoke finish in ninth position, their best finish since 1974–75.


title: Mark Hughes

text: For the 2014–15 season, Hughes signed Sunderland full-back Phil Bardsley, Fulham midfielder Steve Sidwell and Senegalese striker Mame Biram Diouf on free transfers. Also arriving for small fees were Slovakian defender Dionatan Teixeira and Barcelona forward Bojan, while wingers Victor Moses and Oussama Assaidi joined on season-long loans. Departing were Matthew Etherington, Michael Kightly, Cameron Jerome and Ryan Shotton. Stoke had a mixed start to the 2014–15 season, losing 1–0 to Aston Villa on the opening day, drawing 1–1 with ten-men Hull City, yet defeating reigning Premier League champions Manchester City 1–0. Stoke's inconsistency continued through the autumn as Stoke managed just three wins beating Newcastle, Swansea and Tottenham. The club then suffered frustrating home defeats against newly promoted Burnley and Leicester City. Stoke found form in December beating Arsenal 3–2, Everton 1–0 and West Brom 2–0.


title: Mark Hughes

text: In January 2015, Hughes began talks with the Stoke board of directors about extending his contract with the club. Hughes's only new arrival in January was that of German centre back Philipp Wollscheid from Bayer Leverkusen. Stoke suffered a number in injuries to key players in January and February, most notably to Shawcross and Bojan. In February, Stoke suffered back to back 4–1 defeats against Manchester City and then in the FA Cup against Blackburn. Hughes signed a new contract with Stoke in March 2015 to keep him contracted until the summer of 2019. City then went a run of three wins against Aston Villa, Hull and Everton and then three defeats against West Brom, Crystal Palace and Chelsea. Stoke ended the season strongly with victories over Southampton (2–1), Tottenham (3–0) and Liverpool (6–1), ensuring a second consecutive ninth-place finish.


title: Mark Hughes

text: Hughes made a number of alterations to his squad in preparation for the 2015–16 campaign. Leaving the club were the long-serving trio of Asmir Begović, Robert Huth and Steven Nzonzi, with Stoke receiving their record transfer fee in the process. With the money available, Hughes broke Stoke's transfer record by paying Inter Milan £12 million for Swiss winger Xherdan Shaqiri. Hughes also brought in Spanish striker Joselu for £5.75 million, Dutch midfielder Ibrahim Afellay, Shay Given, Jakob Haugaard, Glen Johnson and Marco van Ginkel. The club had a poor start to the season, failing to win any of their first six fixtures, losing three of them. Stoke recovered well, however, winning their next three matches against AFC Bournemouth, Aston Villa and Swansea. Stoke's improvement continued through November and December with victories against Premier League champions Chelsea, Southampton, Manchester City and Manchester United; the team's style of football was praised by the national press. Stoke ended 2015 with a dramatic 4–3 win away at Everton, while they also reached the semi-final of the League Cup after defeating Luton Town, Fulham, Chelsea and Sheffield Wednesday en route.


title: Mark Hughes

text: Stoke started 2016 poorly, falling to West Brom and then Liverpool in the first leg of the League Cup semi-final. The club endured a tough final week of January as they lost 3–0 to both Leicester and Manchester United and were knocked out of the League Cup by Liverpool after losing on penalties, and were also ousted from the FA Cup by Crystal Palace. In the January transfer window, Hughes let Steve Sidwell leave as well as cutting short Marco van Ginkel's loan, while he broke the club's transfer record he had set in the summer after signing French midfielder Giannelli Imbula from Porto for a fee of £18.3 million. Stoke's form improved in February and March as they defeated Bournemouth, Aston Villa, Newcastle, Watford and earned a first Premier League draw at Chelsea. Following a season-ending injury to goalkeeper Jack Butland while on international duty, however, Stoke lost their defensive organisation: They let a 2–0 lead slip against Swansea to draw 2–2 and then went and conceded four goals in three successive matches, against Liverpool, Tottenham and Manchester City. Hughes's team were able to end the season on a positive as they beat West Ham 2–1 on the final day of the season, enough to secure a third-straight ninth-place finish.


title: Mark Hughes

text: Hughes spent £18 million in July 2016 to bring in Welsh midfielder Joe Allen and Egyptian winger Ramadan Sobhi, while defender Bruno Martins Indi and striker Wilfried Bony both joined on season-long loans on 31 August 2016 from Porto and Manchester City respectively. Departing the club were Joselu, Philipp Wollscheid and long-serving defender Marc Wilson, who left for Bournemouth after criticizing Hughes's defensive training on social media. Stoke began the 2016–17 season in poor form, drawing 1–1 away at Middlesbrough, then losing 4–1 to Manchester City, 1–0 to Everton and 4–0 to Tottenham, and 4–1 to Crystal Palace with chairman Peter Coates heavily criticising the team's performances. Results improved in October and November and by December Stoke had moved back into a mid-table position. However Stoke picked up just two points over the Christmas period and Hughes came under strong criticism from supporters after his side lost a 2–0 lead against 10-man Leicester City.


title: Mark Hughes

text: In the January transfer window, Hughes brought in long term transfer target Saido Berahino from West Brom. Performances until the end of the season were underwhelming with six wins from 19, with Stoke securing their Premier League status with two matches remaining. A 1–0 win against Southampton on the final day of the season, meant that Stoke ended the campaign in 13th place, their lowest finish under Hughes.


title: Mark Hughes

text: Stoke made a poor start to the new season. Hughes came under intense scrutiny by supporters throughout the season, particularly after a 5–0 thumping by Chelsea, where Hughes rested several first team regulars to prepare for a home match against Newcastle United; Stoke also lost this game, resulting in calls for him to be sacked. By January, Stoke had won only 5 of 22 games, occupying a place in the relegation zone with 20 points. Stoke's run of poor form included a demoralising 3–0 home defeat to West Ham United, where former player Marko Arnautović scored and celebrated in front of the home fans after having been sold in the summer, as well as several heavy defeats to clubs challenging for the top six positions, including a 7–2 away defeat to Manchester City and a 5–1 home defeat to Tottenham Hotspur.


title: Mark Hughes

text: After a 2–1 defeat in the FA Cup to League Two side Coventry City on 6 January 2018, Hughes was sacked. Stoke had the worst defensive record in the Premier League at the time of his sacking, having conceded a total of 47 goals, nine more than West Ham who had the second-worst record. This was in spite of several defensive signings being made in the summer of 2017, including the £18 million signing of Kevin Wimmer from Tottenham Hotspur, the £7 million permanent signing of Bruno Martins Indi, and the season-long loan of Chelsea defender Kurt Zouma.


title: Mark Hughes

text: On 14 March 2018, Hughes succeeded Mauricio Pellegrino as manager of relegation-threatened Premier League club Southampton, signing a short-term contract for the remainder of the 2017–18 season. His first game was a 2–0 win at Wigan Athletic in an FA Cup quarter final. On 25 May 2018, after a season that saw the Saints retain their Premier League status, the club announced that Hughes had signed a new three-year contract. His assistants, Mark Bowen and Eddie Niedzwiecki, also signed long-term contracts with the club.


title: Mark Hughes

text: Despite a number of positive signings in the summer transfer window, Southampton made a poor start to the 2018–19 season and on 2 December 2018, with the club 18th in the table, Hughes was dismissed. He was replaced by former RB Leipzig boss Ralph Hasenhüttl.


title: Mark Hughes

text: On 24 February 2022, Hughes was appointed manager of Bradford City on a deal until the summer of 2024. This was the first time he had managed a club outside of the Premier League.


title: Mark Hughes

text: Hughes was nominated for the League Two Manager of the Month award for September 2022 after Bradford went unbeaten in four matches.


title: Mark Hughes

text: Throughout his career, Hughes has been known by the nickname "Sparky" which he took from the comic of the same name. Hughes grew up supporting his hometown club, Wrexham. He was awarded an OBE in 2004. Hughes has two sons, Alex and Curtis, and a daughter, Xenna, who plays hockey for Wales. Hughes wrote his autobiography in 1990 entitled "Sparky – Barcelona, Bayern and Back".


title: Bernard Hopkins

text: Bernard Hopkins Jr. (born January 15, 1965) is an American former professional boxer who competed from 1988 to 2016. He is one of the most successful boxers of the past three decades, having held multiple world championships in two weight classes, including the undisputed middleweight title from 2001 to 2005, and the lineal light heavyweight title from 2011 to 2012.


title: Bernard Hopkins

text: Hopkins first became a world champion by winning the vacant IBF middleweight title in 1995. He would go on to compile 20 defenses against 17 opponents, with 19 wins as a result of his no-contest bout against Robert Allen. In 2001, Hopkins successfully unified the middleweight division by defeating Félix Trinidad to win the WBA (Super), WBC, "Ring" magazine and lineal titles. A victory over Oscar De La Hoya for the WBO title in 2004 cemented Hopkins' status as undisputed champion, while also making him the first male boxer to simultaneously hold world titles by all four major boxing sanctioning bodies. In 2001, Hopkins was voted Fighter of the Year by "The Ring" magazine and the Boxing Writers Association of America. In 2011, "The Ring" ranked Hopkins as third on their list of the "10 best middleweight title holders of the last 50 years." As of April 2021, he is ranked by BoxRec as the seventh greatest boxer of all time, pound for pound.


title: Bernard Hopkins

text: After losing the undisputed title to Jermain Taylor in 2005 and failing to regain it in a rematch the same year, Hopkins achieved further success in 2006 when he moved up to light heavyweight, winning the IBO and "Ring" titles from Antonio Tarver at 41 years of age. Two defenses of the "Ring" title were made before a loss to Joe Calzaghe in 2008. Three years later, Hopkins defeated Jean Pascal for the WBC and lineal light heavyweight titles, as well as regaining the "Ring" title. This made Hopkins the oldest boxer in history to win a world championship, at the age of 46, breaking George Foreman's record set in 1994. Hopkins later broke his own record by winning the IBF light heavyweight title from Tavoris Cloud in 2013, and again in 2014 when he won the WBA (Super) title from Beibut Shumenov, at ages 48 and 49, respectively.


title: Bernard Hopkins

text: Nicknamed "The Executioner", and later "The Alien", Hopkins was known among observers for his longevity and ability to continue competing successfully at an advanced age. Widely considered one of the greatest boxers of the modern era, he was a highly strategic and defensive boxer known for carrying good speed and power along with counterpunching skills. He credits mastering the boxing fundamentals and a great defense for his longevity in the sport. He was also a very seasoned fighter, being able to take advantage of a wide variety of situations in the ring and implement rough and dirty tactics while fighting on the inside or in a clinch.


title: Bernard Hopkins

text: In the last years of his active career, Hopkins also became a minority partner with Golden Boy Promotions, with which he still remains post-career.


title: Bernard Hopkins

text: Born to Bernard Hopkins Sr. and his wife Shirley, Bernard grew up with his family in the Raymond Rosen housing project in Philadelphia. Hopkins turned to crime early in his life. By the age of thirteen he was mugging people and had been stabbed three times. At seventeen, Hopkins was sentenced to 18 years in Graterford Prison for nine felonies. While in prison he witnessed the murder of another inmate in an argument over a pack of cigarettes, but also discovered his passion for boxing. After serving almost five years, Hopkins was released from prison in 1988. He then decided to use boxing as an escape from his previous life, and converted to Islam. While Hopkins was leaving the prison for the final time, the warden told him he'd "see [Hopkins] again when you wind up back in here", to which Hopkins replied "I ain't ever coming back here." Later, Hopkins attributed his personal discipline to his experiences and time spent in Graterford Prison.


title: Bernard Hopkins

text: Hopkins completed his amateur career with a 95–4 record, although all of these fights took place in prison during a rehabilitation program so they weren't official amateur bouts.


title: Bernard Hopkins

text: Hopkins immediately joined the professional boxing ranks as a light heavyweight, losing his debut on October 11, 1988, in Atlantic City, New Jersey to Clinton Mitchell. After a sixteen-month layoff, he resumed his career as a middleweight, winning a unanimous decision over Greg Paige at the Blue Horizon on February 22, 1990.


title: Bernard Hopkins

text: Between February 1990 and December 1992, Hopkins scored 21 wins without a loss. He won 16 of those fights by knockout, 12 coming in the first round.


title: Bernard Hopkins

text: Hopkins met Roy Jones on May 22, 1993 for the vacant IBF middleweight title. Hopkins was out-pointed throughout most of the fight, en route to losing a unanimous decision. All three judges scored the fight 116–112 for Jones.


title: Bernard Hopkins

text: The IBF came again knocking at Hopkins's door on December 17 of that year, matching him with Segundo Mercado in Mercado's hometown of Quito, Ecuador. Mercado knocked Hopkins down twice before Hopkins rallied late and earned a split draw. It has been argued that Hopkins was also not properly acclimated to the altitude of nearly 10,000 feet.


title: Bernard Hopkins

text: The IBF called for an immediate rematch, and on April 29, 1995, Hopkins became a world champion with a seventh-round technical knockout victory in Landover, Maryland.


title: Bernard Hopkins

text: In his first title defense he defeated Steve Frank, whom he stopped in twenty-four seconds. By the end of 2000, he had defended the IBF title 12 times without a loss, while beating such standouts as John David Jackson, Glen Johnson (undefeated at the time), former champion Simon Brown, and knockout artist Antwun Echols.


title: Bernard Hopkins

text: The arrival of former welterweight and light middleweight champion Félix Trinidad into the middleweight ranks set off a series of unification fights between major middleweight title-holders. The boxers involved in the tournament would be reigning IBF champion Bernard Hopkins, WBC champion Keith Holmes, WBA champion William Joppy, and Félix Trinidad.


title: Bernard Hopkins

text: On April 14, 2001, Hopkins won a unanimous decision over WBC champion Keith Holmes in New York City. Trinidad, however, knocked out Middleweight mainstay William Joppy in an impressive five rounds. This led many to believe that Félix Trinidad was simply too much and too strong for Hopkins.


title: Bernard Hopkins

text: On September 29, 2001, WBA champion Trinidad challenged Hopkins for middleweight unification in Madison Square Garden. The fight was originally scheduled for September 15, but the 9/11 attacks postponed it by two weeks.


title: Bernard Hopkins

text: For the first time in many years, Hopkins was an underdog in the betting, which led the confident Hopkins to place a $100,000 bet on himself to win the bout. (The $100K came from a sponsorship deal Hopkins had with online casino site Golden Palace; Hopkins even had the GoldenPalace.com website displayed on his back for the fight.) During promotion for the bout, Hopkins caused huge controversy by throwing the Puerto Rico flag on the floor in press conferences in both New York City and Puerto Rico, the latter conference leading to a riot in which Hopkins had to be run to safety from the angry mob.


title: Bernard Hopkins

text: During the fight, Hopkins was on his way to a lopsided decision victory when, in the 12th and final round, he floored Trinidad. Referee Steve Smoger called a halt to the fight after Trinidad's father (who was also his trainer) entered the ring to stop the fight. It was the first loss of Trinidad's career, and it made Hopkins the first undisputed world middleweight champion since Marvin Hagler in 1987. 'The Ring' magazine and the 'World Boxing Hall of Fame' named Hopkins as the 2001 Fighter of the Year.


title: Bernard Hopkins

text: He defended the undisputed title six times. Hopkins bested Carl Daniels on February 2 surpassing Carlos Monzón's division record of 14 defenses, 2002, by tenth-round technical knockout; Morrade Hakkar on March 29, 2003, by eighth-round TKO; William Joppy on December 13, 2003, by unanimous decision; and Robert Allen on June 5, 2004, also by unanimous decision.


title: Bernard Hopkins

text: In the highest-paying fight of his career, Hopkins fought six-division titleholder Oscar De La Hoya for the undisputed middleweight championship on September 18, 2004, in Las Vegas. They fought at a catch weight of 158 lbs, two pounds below the middleweight limit of 160 lbs. Hopkins won the bout by knockout in the ninth round with a left hook to the body and thus became the first boxer ever to unify the titles of all four major sanctioning bodies. At the time of the stoppage, Hopkins was ahead on two of the scorecards, with De La Hoya ahead on the other. Hopkins earned a career high of $10 million and De La Hoya made $30 million.


title: Bernard Hopkins

text: In November 2004, De la Hoya invited Hopkins to join his boxing promotional firm, Golden Boy Promotions, as president of its new East Coast chapter.


title: Bernard Hopkins

text: At 40 years old, an age at which most boxers are retired, Hopkins reached the middleweight record at the time of 19 consecutive title defenses on February 19, 2005, against ranked #1 WBC contender Howard Eastman, the European middleweight champion. Hopkins dominated the fight from start to finish, winning 119–110, 117–111 and 116–112.


title: Bernard Hopkins

text: In his next fight on July 16, 2005, Hopkins lost his undisputed middleweight championship to Jermain Taylor via a split decision. Hopkins started slowly but came on strong over the final four rounds. Many press row writers scored the fight for Hopkins. Five months later, Hopkins and Taylor had a rematch, Taylor winning again, this time by unanimous decision.


title: Bernard Hopkins

text: Following his two losses to Jermain Taylor, Hopkins at 41 decided not to retire and made the decision to jump two weight divisions to face off against "The Ring" light heavyweight champion Antonio Tarver on June 10, 2006. Going into the fight, Tarver was a 3-to-1 favorite and had been the first man ever to TKO Roy Jones Jr. Many now placed Tarver among the sports top competitors. He was constantly ranked in the P4P rankings. However, Bernard Hopkins picked up a lopsided unanimous decision, scoring 118–109 on all three judges scorecards.


title: Bernard Hopkins

text: Antonio Tarver also lost a $250,000 bet with Hopkins, after he failed to stop Hopkins in the first six rounds.


title: Bernard Hopkins

text: On July 21, 2007, at the Mandalay Bay Resort & Casino in Las Vegas, Hopkins defended "The Ring" light heavyweight championship against former undisputed junior middleweight champion Winky Wright. During the weigh-in, Hopkins shoved Wright with an open-hand to the face, igniting a brawl between both fighters' entourages. Hopkins was fined $200,000 for instigating the brawl. Hopkins prevailed with a unanimous decision victory by scores of 117–111, 117–111 and 116–112.


title: Bernard Hopkins

text: On April 19, 2008, at the Thomas & Mack Center in Las Vegas, Hopkins lost The Ring light heavyweight title to Joe Calzaghe via split decision (116–111 and 115–112 for Joe Calzaghe; 114–113 for Hopkins). Hopkins started the fight well, dropping Calzaghe in the first round and using his ring savvy to confuse the challenger. Calzaghe did however quickly adapt to the style of Hopkins and caught up in the middle to later rounds using his superior hand speed and output volume, leading to a split decision win for the Welshman.


title: Bernard Hopkins

text: On October 18, 2008, Hopkins met middleweight champion Kelly Pavlik in a non-title fight at a catch-weight of 170 lbs. Fans and pundits alike felt that Pavlik, known for his formidable punching power, would become the first man to knock Hopkins out. Pavlik was a 4–1 betting favorite heading into the contest. On the night of the fight, Hopkins turned back the clock to produce a performance he claimed to be the best of his career winning a unanimous decision "(117–109, 119–106, 118–108)" over the undefeated Pavlik.


title: Bernard Hopkins

text: Hopkins prepared for this fight in the late summer heat at his second home, Danny Hawk's "World Famous" Normandy Gym in Miami Beach, Florida.


title: Bernard Hopkins

text: During the Ricky Hatton vs. Manny Pacquiao media conferences before their fight on May 3, 2009, Hopkins stated he would be "interested" in a proposed fight with British super middleweight champion Carl Froch.


title: Bernard Hopkins

text: On December 2, 2009, Bernard Hopkins fought in his home city of Philadelphia for the first time since 2003 beating Enrique Ornelas via 12-round unanimous decision "(120–109, 119–109 & 118–110)" in what served as a tune-up bout for the 44-year-old Hopkins who had not fought since his October 18, 2008 12-round upset victory over undisputed middleweight champion Kelly Pavlik.


title: Bernard Hopkins

text: The bout was supposed to be a tune-up for a scheduled March 13, 2010 rematch with Roy Jones Jr. The rematch was later postponed as a result of Jones Jr. falling to a first-round technical knockout loss to Australian Danny Green.


title: Bernard Hopkins

text: Hopkins and old foe Roy Jones Jr. agreed to fight in a rematch on April 3, 2010 at the Mandalay Bay Events Center in Las Vegas. The two boxers fought again 17 years after their first bout in 1993. Hopkins defeated Jones by a unanimous decision in a 12-round bout marred by illegal blows and a skirmish at the end of the sixth round involving ring entourage, the referee and security guards. Judges Don Trella and Glenn Trowbridge scored it 117–110 for Hopkins, while Dave Moretti favored him 118–109. The Associated Press had it 119–108, scoring 11 of 12 rounds for Hopkins.


title: Bernard Hopkins

text: He then challenged WBA heavyweight champion David Haye who had successfully defended his title against John Ruiz. Following Hopkins challenge, Haye ruled out the fight stating Bernard was only looking for a payday. Hopkins later stated his intentions to fight Lucian Bute following Bute's third-round technical knockout victory over Edison Miranda. Golden Boy Promotions also tried to approach retired boxer Joe Calzaghe for a potential rematch in 2010, but Calzaghe, who stated he no longer had the appetite, turned the offer down.


title: Bernard Hopkins

text: At 45 years old, Hopkins fought Lineal/WBC/The Ring light-heavyweight champion Jean Pascal on December 18, 2010 at the Colisée Pepsi in Quebec City, Quebec, Canada. The bout ended in a majority draw decision. Judge Steve Morrow had it 114–112 for Hopkins, but was overruled by Claude Paquette (113–113) and Daniel Van de Wiele (114–114). Following the controversy of the fight, WBC chairman José Sulaimán sanctioned an immediate rematch.


title: Bernard Hopkins

text: On May 21, 2011, at the Bell Centre in Montreal, Quebec, Canada, Hopkins defeated Pascal by unanimous decision to capture the lineal/WBC/"The Ring" light-heavyweight championships. The official scores were 115–113 from Guido Cavalleri of Italy, 116–112 from judge Rey Danseco of the Philippines, and 115–114 from Thailand's Anek Hongtongkam. With the win, Hopkins became the oldest man in the history of the sport to win a major world title, supplanting George Foreman, who had previously held the distinction after his knockout victory over Michael Moorer. Hopkins won at 46 years, 4 months, 6 days, while Foreman was 45 years, 10 months. After the bout, ESPN columnist Dan Rafael stated: "Bernard Hopkins already had lived several boxing lifetimes, but he was born yet again in Saturday's decision over Jean Pascal, becoming the oldest champion in history."


title: Bernard Hopkins

text: Hopkins told the world of boxing that his next fight was going to be against former champion Chad Dawson. They fought on October 15, 2011. Hopkins lost via TKO for being unable to continue after injuring his shoulder when Dawson threw him off of his back.


title: Bernard Hopkins

text: After an investigation by the WBC following a protest filed by Oscar De La Hoya, the WBC ruled that Dawson intentionally fouled Hopkins and returned the belt to Hopkins. "The Ring" magazine also decided to continue to recognize Hopkins as their champion pending the California State Athletic Commission's ruling on a protest filed on behalf of Hopkins. Also on December 13, California State Athletic Commission (CSAC) has ruled that the decision will be overturned to a no-contest upon official review and the testimony of referee of the bout, Pat Russell.


title: Bernard Hopkins

text: A rematch with Dawson was set for April 28, 2012. Hopkins lost the bout via majority decision. Hopkins would not fight again in 2012, making it the first calendar year since 1989 that he did not win a fight.


title: Bernard Hopkins

text: Hopkins would make his return to the ring on March 9, 2013 at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, against IBF Light Heavyweight Champion and "Ring" No. 2 ranked Light Heavyweight, Tavoris Cloud. Hopkins broke his own record becoming the oldest man in the history of the sport to win a major world boxing title, by defeating Cloud by unanimous decision.


title: Bernard Hopkins

text: Hopkins defended the IBF Light Heavyweight Championship against Karo Murat on October 26, 2013. The mandatory title defense was originally scheduled for July 13, 2013, but was later postponed due to visa issues for Murat. In the meantime, the IBF originally made Sergey Kovalev Hopkins's new mandatory challenger, but Kovalev instead faced and beat then WBO champion Nathan Cleverly to win the title, so Murat was reinstated as the IBF mandatory challenger and the bout was rescheduled for October 26, 2013. Hopkins won by unanimous decision with two scores of 119–108 and one of 117–110.


title: Bernard Hopkins

text: Hopkins fought Beibut Shumenov in a championship unification bout on April 19, 2014, where Hopkins would be defending the IBF Light Heavyweight title and Shumenov would be defending the WBA Super and IBA Light Heavyweight titles, the latter not on the line for Hopkins. On fight night Hopkins knocked down Shumenov with a jab and followed with a powerful overhand right that nailed Shumenov on the side of the head and dropped him with just over two minutes left in the eleventh round. Hopkins won by split decision with scores of 113-114, 116-111 and 116-111, becoming the oldest boxer in history to unify titles in a weight division.


title: Bernard Hopkins

text: Shortly after Sergey Kovalev defeated Blake Caparello in a second-round knockout on August 2, 2014, Hopkins announced he would face the former in a match where his WBA Super and IBF titles would be on the line against Kovalev's WBO title. The match was signed after neither fighter could secure a contest with WBC and lineal champion Adonis Stevenson. The fight took place at Boardwalk Hall in Atlantic City on November 8, 2014 and was televised by HBO; this marked the end of a feud between Hopkins' promoter Golden Boy Promotions and the network which saw HBO cut ties with Golden Boy fighters.


title: Bernard Hopkins

text: In a one-sided fight, Hopkins was knocked down in the first round by Kovalev. Although he became the first fighter to take Kovalev past eight rounds, Hopkins lost every single round on all three judges' scorecards and took a 120-107, 120-107, 120-106 unanimous decision defeat, losing his titles.


title: Bernard Hopkins

text: In 2015, Hopkins called out Carl Froch again stating he would like to fight him in a farewell match, only for Froch to decline the offer calling it a "lose-lose situation". Hopkins also eyed James DeGale and Gennady Golovkin.


title: Bernard Hopkins

text: Hopkins made an announcement confirming he wanted a final farewell fight before the end of 2016, which would be his first fight in over two years since losing to Kovalev in a lopsided unanimous decision. Hopkins also confirmed he would retire after this fight, whether it be at cruiserweight or light heavyweight, putting an end to his 28-year career.


title: Bernard Hopkins

text: A deal was made in October for Hopkins to fight American boxer Joe Smith Jr., who last fought Fonfara in June knocking him out in less than 3 minutes. The fight would be a HBO main event on December 17, 2016 at The Forum in Inglewood, California. Originally a co-feature with Salido vs. Muira until Salido injured his lower back and pulled out of the fight, making the Hopkins farewell the sole main event of the card. Later it was confirmed that, that another co-feature fight has been signed, as Oleksandr Usyk would be defending his WBO cruiserweight title against Thabiso Mchunu. Both boxers weighed in at 174 pounds.


title: Bernard Hopkins

text: Hopkins did not contact trainer Naazim Richardson to train him for his final bout, instead having Kovalev's trainer John David Jackson, a former boxer whom Hopkins defeated in 1997, train him.


title: Bernard Hopkins

text: On fight night, in front of a 6,513 crowd, Hopkins lost to Smith via TKO when he was knocked out of the ring in the 8th round and failed to make it back into the ring as referee Jack Reiss made a 20 count. Smith Jr. outboxed Hopkins through most of the first seven rounds, then, in the 8th round, Smith caught Hopkins in the corner and landed five shots to the head that knocked him out of the ring. Hopkins said he was hurt and couldn't get back in the ring. He insisted that he had been pushed out of the ring, but replays showed it was not a push. Hopkins said to HBO in the post fight interview, "He shoved me out of the ring. My ankle got twist when I fell out of the ring. I couldn't stand on my feet. If I wouldn't have been pushed out of the ring, I believe he was starting to fade... I can't believe they gave him a TKO. They can call it a no contest but not a loss. The momentum from his body pushed me. I went out like a soldier. I'm not in a denial." Hopkins sat down with HBO's Max Kellerman in the locker room after the fight and confirmed this would be his final fight. Smith Jr. retained his WBC International light heavyweight title. Hopkins' reported purse was $800,000, compared to Smith's $140,000. According to RingTV, the fight averaged 934,000 viewers, peaking at 1.035m on HBO.


title: Bernard Hopkins

text: Hopkins was coached by Philadelphia-based English "Bouie" Fisher from 1989 until their split in 2002 which resulted in Fisher taking Hopkins to court, claiming he was underpaid by $255,000. They re-united in 2003, but split again in 2005, again with Fisher claiming to be underpaid, this time to the tune of $200,000. Naazim Richardson, Fisher's long-term assistant took over as Hopkins' head coach from 2005.


title: Bernard Hopkins

text: Fisher won the Eddie Futch-John F.X. Condon Award, awarded by the Boxing Writers Association of America, for Trainer of the Year in 2001. He died aged 83 in June 2011. Richardson died in July 2020.


title: Bernard Hopkins

text: On December 7, 2007, Hopkins and Calzaghe met face to face in the media room set up for the Floyd Mayweather Jr. vs. Ricky Hatton fight. Hopkins and Calzaghe began shouting insults and taunting each other, with Hopkins shouting, "You're not even in my league! I would never let a white boy beat me. I would never lose to a white boy. I couldn't go back to the projects if I let a white boy beat me." Hopkins would later explain his comments, saying that it was not meant to be taken as a racial slur or a reflection of his feelings on white fighters, but simply said to create some hype for his fight with Calzaghe. On January 23, 2008, the fight was officially announced to take place on April 19, 2008, at the Thomas & Mack Center in Las Vegas. Hopkins lost the fight.


title: Bernard Hopkins

text: In late 2010, Hopkins suggested that African American fighters who possessed what he described as a "slick" inner-city style of fighting would be successful against Filipino boxer Manny Pacquiao. "Maybe I'm biased because I'm black, but I think that this is what is said at people's homes and around the dinner table among black boxing fans and fighters. Most of them won't say it [in public] because they're not being real and they don't have the balls to say it. But I do think that a fighter like the Ray Leonards or anyone like that would beat a guy [like Pacquiao] if they come with their game. Listen, this ain't a racial thing, but then again, maybe it is. But the style that is embedded in most of us black fighters, that style could be a problem to any other style of fighting."


title: Bernard Hopkins

text: On May 11, 2011, Hopkins questioned Minnesota Vikings quarterback Donovan McNabb's racial credentials in a "Philadelphia Daily News" online article. Marcus Hayes of "The Philadelphia Inquirer" reported that according to Hopkins, McNabb had a privileged childhood in suburban Chicago and, as a result, is not black enough or tough enough, at least compared with, say, himself, Michael Vick and Terrell Owens. Hopkins said, "He's got a suntan. That's all... McNabb is the guy in the house, while everybody else is on the field... He's the one who got the extra coat. The extra servings... He thought he was one of them."


title: Bernard Hopkins

text: In late 2013 he again suggested that African Americans possess a "slick" style of boxing which is superior to other styles (presumably practiced by non-African Americans). "The great Sugar Ray Leonard, right now, if he was boxing, the way that they want you to fight, the people that pull the strings of the puppet, he would be boring today. Ray Robinson – the great Robinson – would be boring today…Because the feeders of the people that buy entertainment. They're being fed that if they duck, don't buy it. If they're slick, and they beat [their opponent] nine out of the 12 rounds, and the guy just can't hit him because they were slick and smart enough to hit and not get hit, 'He's not crowd-pleasing, he don't sell tickets.' Because they done fed the followers and they done fed [that] to the customers. The customers will drink anything that you give them if it's promoted right…But when you take away the skill and you take away the slick, and you take away the boxing ability and say that's not entertaining, or that's not entertainment, then, to me, it's like trying to erase a culture that you know has dominated the sport way back then where you were slick. And I'm talking about black fighters. Yes, I said it", said Hopkins.


title: Now That's What I Call Music! discography

text: This is a list of available actual and physical albums belonging to the UK "Now That's What I Call Music!" series, comprising: compact discs (CD), audio cassettes (AC), vinyl (LP), VHS tape, DVD, and on other short-lived formats. They are categorised by series (country), then ordered by date.


text: Initially only released on vinyl and audio cassette, the first "Now That's What I Call Music" UK edition to be released on compact disc (CD) was "Now That's What I Call Music! 4" in a single-CD format in 1984, although it was a compilation of tracks from all four "Now That's What I Call Music" vinyl/cassette albums up to that point. Further single-CD versions of "Now That's What I Call Music! 8" and "Now That's What I Call Music! 9" followed, with full double-disc CD releases starting with "Now That's What I Call Music! 10" in November 1987. Phonograph record production ended on the numbered series with "Now That's What I Call Music! 35", with special vinyl editions of spin-offs like "Now That’s What I Call Punk & New Wave" (on a double neon pink vinyl set) editions in the 21st century. Audio cassettes ended with "Now That's What I Call Music! 64". Part of the series was also released on the MiniDisc format, beginning with "Now That's What I Call Music! 43" and ending with "Now That's What I Call Music! 48".


text: Volumes 1 to 18 and "Now That's What I Call Music! 20" were released on individual VHS tapes, with the first two albums also issued on LaserDiscs. Every video tape had a typical running time of roughly one hour. From 2001 to 2007, the videos were published on DVD with a frequency of one per year. The DVDs are numbered by year and not linked to album numbers. "Now 2006" was released on UMD as well as DVD.


text: The series release dates below represent the date of release in the United Kingdom. Up until the release of "Now That's What I Call Music! 90" on 30 March 2015, the release date in Ireland was three days before the UK release. Beginning with the release of "Now That's What I Call Music! 91" on 24 July 2015, the release dates in the UK and Ireland have been the same following the announcement of the Global Release Day campaign by IFPI, which became effective on 10 July 2015.


text: For the 30th anniversary of "Now 1" in 2013 and the release of "Now 100" in 2018, the first Now album was re-compiled and re-issued. Since the release of "Now 102", the corresponding "Now" album from 100 volumes ago has been re-compiled and re-issued on 2-CD sets on the same day. Due to licensing issues, these re-compiled versions often use alternative mixes such as album versions and sometimes tracks are missing where it has not been possible to license the song.


text: The original "Now Dance" series began in 1985 and has been released in a variety of titles, formats, and release frequency. Originally, the series captured extended 12" mixes of dance hits of the time, but from 1991 onwards, all "Now Dance" compilations featured 7" edits with only occasional extended versions or mixes included. The first two volumes were not released on compact disc, and all subsequent releases were either single, double, or triple disc sets. Unlike the main series, "Now Dance" were originally titled and numbered by their year of release (i.e. "Now Dance '89"). The frequency in which they were released also varied from year to year; initially, and most frequently across the series, there would be one "Now Dance" volume per year, but in 1994 for example, there were five volumes released, and in 1996, there weren't any "Now Dance" compilations released. Towards the end of the series, 3-CD digipak sets were issued and often under "The Very Best of Now Dance" title. In 2010, the long-running title was retired, and all subsequent dance-themed "Now" collections have been issued under the "Special Editions" series. In 2021, the original concept of "Now Dance" was revived with a new series of compilations containing 12" remixes released under the title, "Now That's What I Call Music 12" 80s".


text: The "Special Editions" series includes a wide range of "Now" anniversary collections, different music genres, eras, and decades, as well as commercial tie-ins with Smash Hits, Disney, Eurovision, HMV and the Official Chart Company. They all vary from one to five disc compilations (occasionally six disc), starting in 1986 and continuing to the present day (May 2022). Initially, a special edition of a "Now" compilation was quite rare, and between 1994 and 2003, there weren't any released at all. After 2003, and until 2010, there was one special edition released each year, covering a decade (80s, 90s and 00s), or a cross section of big hits celebrating the "Now" series ("Now Decades", "Now Years") - however, from 2011, they became much more frequent, and in 2017, there were fifteen different titles released. The presentation of each release has evolved notably over time: from 1986 through to 2013, all double and triple CD sets were released in chubby Jewel cases which could hold up to 6 discs. From "Now That's What I Call 30 Years", in 2013, all "Special Editions" were released as gatefold digipak sets (but rare 2-CD set were still issued in Jewel cases during this period). In 2019 and until the end of 2020, "Now 100 Hits" were all issued in glossy, gatefold "digifile" sleeves (similar to the digipak, but without plastic trays) where the CDs are pushed out from either side of each sleeve; from the "4 CD series" sets starting in January 2021, gatefold cardboard sleeves are retained, but each CD is now stored in a slot cut into the card, known as a "wallet", which makes the CDs easier to remove than the previous design. Some of the "Special Editions" have identical names, although a few of these titles are followed by their year of release. In November 2018, the "Now" team took over the ""100 Hits"" brand from Demon Music Group, and in 2019 and 2020, the "Special Editions" series was effectively rested while 24 different "Now 100 Hits" compilations were issued in very quick succession, until the end of November 2020. From January 2021, the "Special Editions" series resumed, albeit with reduced output due to the introduction of two new series; "Now Yearbook" and the "4-CD series", with these three release variations, along with the reissues of the original "Now That's What I Call Music" series (up to "Now 12" by July 2022) continue to the present day (July 2022).


text: The 4-CD series follows the same general format of the original "Special Editions" series, with genre, era, and decade collections, but over four compact discs (there is also an abridged vinyl version of "Punk and New Wave" and "Rock"), meaning they contain more tracks than the original special editions, but fewer than the "Now 100 Hits", which preceded this series. They are only issued in cardboard gatefold wallets, with a slot cut into each sleeve which stores the discs.


text: The "Yearbook" series are 4-CD and 3-LP vinyl sets, each representing a year of music, which launched in June 2021. Each release has a tie-in block of programming on "Now 80s". Each release is issued as a limited edition mini-hardback book, with the CDs in sleeves forming the pages of the 'yearbook' which contains an introductory overview of the year, original 7" single artwork, trivia, chart positions and a quiz. The limited edition 3-LP version is released on bright coloured vinyl. A standard 4-CD version is also issued in a gatefold "wallet" design, which retails cheaper than the mini-hardback books. The first collection focuses on hits from 1983, the birth year of the "Now That's What I Call Music" series. The year 1984 followed, but after this, the series rewound its year of focus, issuing collections that went from 1982 and backwards into the late 1970s. A triple-CD only release, "Yearbook Extra: The Collectors Edition", is issued a few weeks later; these include lesser known tracks and more songs by big artists included on the main album and they are released only in standard gatefold wallet packaging. A further release, "The Final Chapter", a deluxe 4-CD and 3-LP set, was issued in December 2022, rounding off the "Yearbook" years 1980 to 1984. The same month, a deluxe 5-LP boxset, "Now Yearbook '80 - '84: Vinyl Extra", was released. This was the first time tracks from the "Extra" CD series had been issued on the vinyl format.


text: Another strand of the "Now Yearbook" series, in August 2022, is the somewhat experimental release of two limited edition, extended play, 7" vinyl singles, each containing 4 tracks from the corresponding 1983 and 1984 "Yearbook". This is the first time the "Now That's What I Call Music" brand has ever released music commercially on the 7" vinyl format.


text: The "Now Yearbook" series continues both forwards, with "Now Yearbook '85" issued in November 2022, and backwards, with the release of "Now Yearbook '79" in September 2022 (an "Extra" followed in October). The latter contains a new retro-70s "Now" logo design and artwork which compliments its 80s sister "Yearbook" series.


text: The tie-in television programmes are a month by month video playlist of tracks, from one year previously featured on a "Now Yearbook" album, with Bruno Brookes presenting.


text: The 21st century vinyl revival inspired limited edition vinyl only "Now" collections. They are not issued on any other format, and are limited to a run of just 1200 copies worldwide. Some of them have unique tracklistings and are not related to similarly themed collections already issued on compact disc, however, more recent releases have been 'selections' taken from a larger CD collection (Rock, for example). Due to the higher cost of pressing vinyl and the limited time they are available, they are at least three times more expensive than their compact disc counterparts. They are mostly pressed on black vinyl as standard although some are released on coloured vinyl. The "Now Yearbook" series also releases a vinyl selection of its primary release, with an "Extra" round-up vinyl boxset featuring tracks from the CD-only series, released at the end of 2022.


text: To commemorate ten years since the release of the first "Now That's What I Call Music!" album, from June to August in 1993, a series of ten, 40-track yearly collections were released on CD and cassette (but not vinyl), covering the years 1983 to 1992. The 1993 volume was not originally part of the ten-year anniversary series. This, and two additional volumes were added in 1994 and 1995. These were all released on CD/cassette, but with the 1993 and 1994 volumes also being released on the vinyl format.


text: To commemorate the turn of the millennium, a series of twenty "Now That's What I Call Music" collections were released in 1999 which all contained 36 tracks, and covered hits from the years 1980 through to 1999. These compilations are very similar to the anniversary series, however, they contain a lower amount of tracks and retailed much cheaper than the former series. The first sixteen volumes were all released on the same date, with the final four being issued four months later. They are also notable as being the first time a "Now" series had released a compilation of hits from the years 1980 to 1982. An earlier compilation tie-in with "Smash Hits" from 1987 did, however, include tracks from those years.


title: Hina Khan

text: Hina Khan (born 2 October 1987) is an Indian actress who appears in Hindi television and films. She is known for playing Akshara in Star Plus's "Yeh Rishta Kya Kehlata Hai" and Komolika in "Kasautii Zindagii Kay 2". In 2017, she participated in the reality shows "" and "Bigg Boss 11" and emerged as the runner up in both.


title: Hina Khan

text: Khan was born on 2 October 1987 in Srinagar, Jammu and Kashmir, India into a Kashmiri Muslim family to father Aslam Khan. She belongs to a family of 4 - her parents, herself and her younger brother, Aamir Khan, who is the owner of a travel agency company. She completed her Master of Business Administration (MBA) in 2009 from the CCA School of Management in Gurgaon.


title: Hina Khan

text: Khan has been dating "Yeh Rishta Kya Kehlata Hai"s supervising producer Rocky Jaiswal since 2014. She had confirmed that she suffers from asthma on "".


title: Hina Khan

text: Khan auditioned for Sony TV's singing reality show "Indian Idol" where she managed to be in the top 30 in 2008. Later, during her college studies in Delhi, Khan auditioned for "Yeh Rishta Kya Kehlata Hai" when her friends forced her and got selected for it. She moved to Mumbai and made her television debut in 2009, when she starred in one of the longest running Indian soap operas as Akshara Singhania. After eight years, she quit the show in November 2016 to pursue other projects. Her performance in the series earned her positive critical reviews and also won her multiple awards.


title: Hina Khan

text: In September 2017, she participated in Colors TV's reality show, "Bigg Boss 11" as a celebrity contestant. She survived for fifteen weeks and became one of the four finalists and emerged as the first runner up in January 2018.


title: Hina Khan

text: In late February 2018, she wrapped up the shooting of a Punjabi music video with Sonu Thukral, which released in March 2018. On 31 March, it was announced that she had signed in to make her digital debut with Ankoosh Bhatt's short film, 'SmartPhone', opposite actor Kunaal Roy Kapur. In July 2018, Hina appeared in a Sonu Thukral's Punjabi music video "Bhasoodi". In October 2018, she bagged the role of Komolika, an antagonist in "Kasautii Zindagii Kay" however she left the show in April 2019 and got replaced by Aamna Sharif. In the same year, she signed her debut film "Lines", opposite actress Farida Jalal, which is directed by Hussain Khan and written by Rahat Kazmi and Shakti Singh.


title: Hina Khan

text: On 2 January 2019, she signed another short film "Soulmate", opposite actor Vivan Bhatena. The film was directed by Pawwan Sharma. In May 2019, she shot for Rahat Kazmi's short film "Wish List" opposite actor Jitendra Rai. In September, she began shooting for Rahat Kazmi's third film, the Indo-Hollywood' movie called 'The Country of the Blind' as Gosha. In the same month, she signed a psychological crime drama, digital series called "Damaged 2".


title: Hina Khan

text: In January 2020, she signed a ZEE5 horror film opposite actor Kushal Tandon. Khan played the main lead in a cameo appearance in the fifth season of Ekta Kapoor's "Naagin" along with Dheeraj Dhoopar and Mohit Malhotra. In February 2020, Khan made her Bollywood entry with the film "Hacked", with director Vikram Bhatt, alongside Sid Makkar. In October 2020, Khan returned to "Bigg Boss" in its fourteenth season as a toofani senior along with Gauahar Khan and Sidharth Shukla for the first three weeks. In May 2021, Khan appeared in the music video song for T-Series song 'Patthar Wargi' alongside Tanmay Ssingh. In June 2021, Khan appeared in her next song 'Baarish Ban Jana' along with Shaheer Sheikh, which was shot in Kashmir. The song was sung by Stebin Ben & Payal Dev.


title: Hina Khan

text: In September 2021,her Music Video 'Main bhi Barbaad' was released, opposite Angad Bedi sung by Yasser Desai


title: Hina Khan

text: Khan has also appeared as a guest in many serials. Her first guest appearance was in "Kayamath" in 2009 followed by "Kis Desh Mein Hai Meraa Dil" and "Sabki Laadli Bebo". After that she appeared as a guest in "Sapna Babul Ka... Bidaai", "Saath Nibhaana Saathiya" and "Chand Chupa Badal Mein" in 2010. In 2011 she appeared as a guest in Chef Pankaj Ka Zayka a cooking show. In December 2016, Khan made an appearance on Bigg Boss 10 as a panellist to support good friend Rohan Mehra.


title: Hina Khan

text: She was named in the Top 50 Sexiest Asian Women List by "Eastern Eye" in 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016, and 2017. In 2014, she was listed eight among the "35 Hottest Actresses in Indian Television" by MensXP.com, an Indian lifestyle website for men. She was included in fourth place on "Television's Top 10 Actresses" list by Rediff.


title: Hina Khan

text: Khan earned the title of Sher Khan in "Bigg Boss 11". She was also named the Most Favorite Actress of 2017 by Biz Asia.


title: Hina Khan

text: In the same year, she became the victim of troll for posting the image of her teddy bear named 'Pooh' when saving her co-contestant Luv Tyagi during the task in "Bigg Boss".


title: Hina Khan

text: On 2 April, she walked the ramp for Streax Professional in Mumbai for marigold collection. Hina was awarded "Style Diva of Television Industry" at 11th Gold Awards Hina appeared on the cover of FHM India December 2018 edition. Khan was entered Times of India's "Most Desirable Women on Television" in 2018 and 2019 where she was at the number one position. She was also ranked in "The Times Most Desirable Women" at No. 19 in 2018, at No. 29 in 2019.


title: Ilkhanate

text: The Ilkhanate, also spelled Il-khanate (, "Ilxānān"), known to the Mongols as Hülegü Ulus (, "Qulug-un Ulus"), was a khanate established from the southwestern sector of the Mongol Empire. The Ilkhanid realm, officially known as Iranzamin (), was ruled by the Mongol House of Hulagu. Hulagu Khan, the son of Tolui and grandson of Genghis Khan, inherited the Middle Eastern part of the Mongol Empire after his brother Möngke Khan died in 1260. Its core territory lies in what is now part of the countries of Iran, Azerbaijan, and Turkey. At its greatest extent, the Ilkhanate also included parts of modern Iraq, Syria, Armenia, Georgia, Afghanistan, Turkmenistan, Pakistan, part of modern Dagestan, and part of modern Tajikistan. Later Ilkhanate rulers, beginning with Ghazan in 1295, converted to Islam. In the 1330s, the Ilkhanate was ravaged by the Black Death. Its last khan Abu Sa'id died in 1335, after which the khanate disintegrated. The Ilkhanid rulers, although of non-Iranian origin, tried to advertise their authority by tying themselves to the Iranian past, and they recruited historians in order to present the Mongols as heirs to the Sasanians (224–651 AD) of pre-Islamic Iran.


title: Ilkhanate

text: According to the historian Rashid-al-Din Hamadani, Kublai Khan granted his brother, Hulagu (Hülegü), the title of Ilkhan after Hulagu's defeat of Ariq Böke, another brother. The term "ilkhan" here means "khan of the tribe, khan of the ulus", and this lesser khanship refers to the initial deference to Möngke Khan and his successors as Great Khans of the Mongol empire. The title "Ilkhan", carried by the descendants of Hulagu and, later, other Borjigin princes in Persia, does not appear in the sources until after 1260.


title: Ilkhanate

text: When Muhammad II of Khwarazm ordered a contingent of merchants, dispatched by the Mongols, to be killed, Genghis Khan declared war on the Khwārazm-Shāh dynasty in 1219. The Mongols overran the empire, occupying the major cities and population centers between 1219 and 1221. Iran was ravaged by the Mongol detachment under Jebe and Subutai, who left the area in ruin. Transoxiana also came under Mongol control after the invasion.


title: Ilkhanate

text: Muhammad II's son Jalal ad-Din Mingburnu returned to Iran in c. 1224 after fleeing to India. The rival Turkic states, which were all that remained of his father's empire, quickly declared their allegiance to Jalal. He repulsed the first Mongol attempt to take Central Persia. However, Jalal ad-Din was overwhelmed and crushed by Chormaqan's army sent by the Great Khan Ögedei in 1231. During the Mongol expedition, Azerbaijan and the southern Persian dynasties in Fars and Kerman voluntarily submitted to the Mongols and agreed to pay tribute. To the west, Hamadan and the rest of Persia was secured by Chormaqan. The Mongols invaded Armenia and Georgia in 1234 or 1236, completing the conquest of the Kingdom of Georgia in 1238. They began to attack the western parts of Greater Armenia, which was under the Seljuks, the following year. By 1237 the Mongol Empire had subjugated most of Persia (including modern-day Azerbaijan), Armenia, Georgia (excluding Abbasid Iraq and Ismaili strongholds), as well as all of Afghanistan and Kashmir. After the battle of Köse Dağ in 1243, the Mongols under Baiju occupied Anatolia, while the Seljuk Sultanate of Rûm and the Empire of Trebizond became vassals of the Mongols.


title: Ilkhanate

text: In 1236 Ögedei commanded Greater Khorasan to be restored and the city of Herat repopulated. The Mongol military governors mostly made camp in the Mughan plain in what is now Azerbaijan. Realizing the danger posed by the Mongols, the rulers of Mosul and Cilician Armenia submitted to the Great Khan. Chormaqan divided the Transcaucasia region into three districts based on the Mongol military hierarchy. In Georgia, the population was temporarily divided into eight tumens. In 1244, Güyük Khan stopped raising of revenue from districts in Persia as well and offered tax exemptions to others. In accordance with a complaint by the governor Arghun the Elder (Arghun agha), Möngke Khan prohibited "ortogh"-merchants (Mongol-contracted Muslim traders) and nobles from abusing relay stations and civilians in 1251. He ordered a new census and decreed that each man in the Mongol-ruled Middle East must pay in proportion to his property. Persia was divided between four districts under Arghun. Möngke Khan granted the Kartids authority over Herat, Jam, Pushang (Fushanj), Ghor, Khaysar, Firuz-Kuh, Gharjistan, Farah, Sistan, Kabul, Tirah, and Afghanistan.


title: Ilkhanate

text: Hulagu Khan, third son of Tolui, grandson of Genghis Khan, and brother of both Möngke Khan and Kublai Khan, was the first khan of the Ilkhanate. Immediately after his brother Möngke's accession as Great Khan in 1251, Hulagu was appointed as administrator of North China, however in the following year, North China was assigned to Kublai and Hulagu tasked with conquering the Abbasid Caliphate. He was given a fifth of the entire Mongol army for the campaign and he took his sons Abaqa and Yoshmut along with him. Hulagu also took with him many Chinese scholars and astronomers, from whom the famous Persian astronomer Nasir al-Din al-Tusi learned about the mode of the Chinese calculating tables. An observatory was built on a hill of Maragheh. Taking over from Baiju in 1255, Hulagu established Mongol rule from Transoxiana to Syria. He destroyed the Nizari Ismaili state and the Abbasid Caliphate in 1256 and 1258 respectively. In 1258, Hulagu proclaimed himself Ilkhan (subordinate khan). After that he advanced as far as Gaza, briefly conquering Ayyubid Syria and Aleppo in 1260. Möngke's death forced Hulagu to return to Mongolia to attend the kuriltai for the next Great Khan. He left a small force of around 10,000 behind in Palestine that was defeated at the battle of Ain Jalut by the Mamluks of Egypt.


title: Ilkhanate

text: Due to the suspicious deaths of three Jochid princes in Hulagu's service, Berke of the Golden Horde declared war on Hulagu in 1262. According to Mamluk historians, Hulagu might have massacred Berke's troops and refused to share his war booty with Berke. Berke sought a joint attack with Baybars and forged an alliance with the Mamluks against Hulagu. The Golden Horde dispatched the young prince Nogai to invade the Ilkhanate but Hulagu forced him back in 1262. The Ilkhanid army then crossed the Terek River, capturing an empty Jochid encampment, only to be routed in a surprise attack by Nogai's forces. Many of them were drowned as the ice broke on the frozen Terek River.


title: Ilkhanate

text: In 1262, Hulagu gave Greater Khorasan and Mazandaran to Abaqa and northern Azerbaijan to Yoshmut. Hulagu himself spent his time living as a nomad in southern Azerbaijan and Armenia. During his early rule, the Ilkhanate experienced mass revolts by its subjects, with the exception of the Seljukids and Artuqids in Anatolia and Mardin. It was not until Shams al-Din Juvayni was appointed as vizier after 1262 that things started calming down and a more sustainable administration was implemented.


title: Ilkhanate

text: Hulagu fell ill in February 1265 after several days of banquets and hunting. He died on 8 February and his son Abaqa succeeded him in the summer.


title: Ilkhanate

text: Upon Abaqa's accession, he immediately faced an invasion by Berke of the Golden Horde, which ended with Berke's death in Tiflis. In 1270, Abaqa defeated an invasion by Ghiyas-ud-din Baraq of the Chagatai Khanate. Abaqa's brother Tekuder sacked Bukhara in retaliation. In 1277, the Mamluks invaded Anatolia and defeated the Mongols at the Battle of Elbistan. Stung by the defeat, Abaqa executed the local regent Mu'in-ad-Din Pervane and replaced him with the Mongol prince Qongqortai. In 1281, Abaqa sent Mongke Temur against the Mamluks, but he too was defeated at Homs.


title: Ilkhanate

text: Abaqa's death in 1282 triggered a succession struggle between his son Arghun, supported by the Qara'unas, and his brother Tekuder, supported by the Chinggisid aristocracy. Tekuder was elected khan by the Chinggisids. Tekuder was the first Muslim ruler of the Ilkhanate but he made no active attempt to proselytize or convert his realm. However he did try to replace Mongol political traditions with Islamic ones, resulting in a loss of support from the army. Arghun used his religion against him by appealing to non-Muslims for support. When Tekuder realized this, he executed several of Arghun's supporters, and captured Arghun. Tekuder's foster son, Buaq, freed Arghun and overthrew Tekuder. Arghun was confirmed as Ilkhan by Kublai Khan in February 1286.


title: Ilkhanate

text: During Arghun's reign, he actively sought to combat Muslim influence, and fought against both the Mamluks and the Muslim Mongol emir Nawruz in Khorasan. To fund his campaigns, Arghun allowed his viziers Buqa and Sa'd-ud-dawla to centralize expenditures, but this was highly unpopular and caused his former supporters to turn against him. Both viziers were killed and Arghun was murdered in 1291.


title: Ilkhanate

text: The Ilkhanate started crumbling under the reign of Arghun's brother, Gaykhatu. The majority of Mongols converted to Islam while the Mongol court remained Buddhist. Gaykhatu had to buy the support of his followers and as a result, ruined the realm's finances. His vizir Sadr-ud-Din Zanjani tried to bolster the state finances by adopting paper money from the Yuan dynasty, which ended horribly. Gaykhatu also alienated the Mongol old guard with his alleged sexual relations with a boy. Gaykhatu was overthrown in 1295 and replaced with his cousin Baydu. Baydu reigned for less than a year before he was overthrown by Gaykhatu's son, Ghazan.


title: Ilkhanate

text: Hulagu's descendants ruled Persia for the next eighty years, tolerating multiple religions, including Shamanism, Buddhism, and Christianity, and ultimately adopting Islam as a state religion in 1295. However, despite this conversion, the Ilkhans remained opposed to the Mamluks, who had defeated both Mongol invaders and Crusaders. The Ilkhans launched several invasions of Syria, but were never able to gain and keep significant ground against the Mamluks, eventually being forced to give up their plans to conquer Syria, along with their stranglehold over their vassals the Sultanate of Rum and the Armenian kingdom in Cilicia. This was in large part due to civil war in the Mongol Empire and the hostility of the khanates to the north and east. The Chagatai Khanate in Moghulistan and the Golden Horde threatened the Ilkhanate in the Caucasus and Transoxiana, preventing expansion westward. Even under Hulagu's reign, the Ilkhanate was engaged in open warfare in the Caucasus with the Mongols in the Russian steppes. On the other hand, the China-based Yuan Dynasty was an ally of the Ikhanate and also held nominal suzerainty over the latter (the Emperor being also Great Khan) for many decades.


title: Ilkhanate

text: Ghazan converted to Islam under influence of Nawrūz and made Islam the official state religion. Christian and Jewish subjects lost their equal status and had to pay the "jizya" protection tax. Ghazan gave Buddhists the starker choice of conversion or expulsion and ordered their temples to be destroyed; though he later relaxed this severity. After Nawrūz was deposed and killed in 1297, Ghazan made religious intolerance punishable and attempted to restore relations with non-Muslims.


title: Ilkhanate

text: In terms of foreign relations, the Ilkhanate's conversion to Islam had little to no effect on its hostility towards other Muslim states, and conflict with the Mamluks for control of Syria continued. The Battle of Wadi al-Khazandar, the only major victory by the Mongols over the Mamluks, ended the latter's control over Syria for a few months. For the most part, Ghazan's policies continued under his brother Öljeitü despite suggestions that he might begin to favor the Shi'a brand of Islam after he came under the influence of Shi'a theologians Al-Hilli and Maitham Al Bahrani.


title: Ilkhanate

text: Öljeitü, who had been baptised in Christianity as an infant, had flirted with Buddhism, became a Hanafi Sunni, though he still retained some residual shamanism. In 1309-10, he became a Shi'ite Muslim. An Armenian scribe in 1304 noted the death of "benevolent and just" Ghazan, who was succeeded by Khar-Banda Öljeitü "who too, exhibits good will to everyone." A colophon from 1306 reports conversion of Mongols to Islam and "they coerce everyone into converting to their vain and false hope. They persecute, they molest, and torment," including "insulting the cross and the church". Some of the Buddhists who survived Ghazan's assaults made an unsuccessful attempt to bring Öljeitü back into Dharma, showing they were active in the realm for more than 50 years.


title: Ilkhanate

text: The conversion of Mongols was initially a fairly superficial affair. The process of establishment of Islam did not happen suddenly. Öljeitü's historian Qāshāni records that Qutlugh-Shah, after losing patience with a dispute between Hanafis and Shafi'is, expressed his view that Islam should be abandoned and Mongols should return to the ways of Genghis Khan. Qāshani also stated that Öljeitü had in fact reverted for a brief period. As Muslims, Mongols showed a marked preference for Sufism with masters like Safi-ad-din Ardabili often treated with respect and favour.


title: Ilkhanate

text: Öljaitü's son, the last Ilkhan Abu Sa'id Bahadur Khan, was enthroned in 1316. He was faced with rebellion in 1318 by the Chagatayids and Qara'unas in Khorasan, and an invasion by the Golden Horde at the same time. An Anatolian emir, Irenchin, also rebelled. Irenchin was crushed by Chupan of the Taichiud in the Battle of Zanjan-Rud on 13 July 1319. Under the influence of Chupan, the Ilkhanate made peace with the Chagatais, who helped them crush the Chagatayid revolt, and the Mamluks. In 1327, Abu-Sai'd replaced Chupan with "Big" Hasan. Hasan was accused of attempting to assassinate the khan and exiled to Anatolia in 1332. The non-Mongol emirs Sharaf-ud-Din Mahmud-Shah and Ghiyas-ud-Din Muhammad were given unprecedented military authority, which irked the Mongol emirs. In the 1330s, outbreaks of the Black Death ravaged the Ilkhanate and both Abu-Sai'd and his sons were killed by 1335 by the plague. Ghiyas-ud-Din put a descendant of Ariq Böke, Arpa Ke'un, on the throne, triggering a succession of short-lived khans until "Little" Hasan took Azerbaijan in 1338. In 1357, Jani Beg of the Golden Horde conquered Chupanid-held Tabriz for a year, putting an end to the Ilkhanate remnant.


title: Ilkhanate

text: The courts of Western Europe made many attempts to form an alliance with the Mongols, primarily with the Ilkhanate, in the 13th and 14th centuries, starting from around the time of the Seventh Crusade (West Europeans were collectively called Franks by Muslims and Asians in the era of the Crusades). United in their opposition to the Muslims (primarily the Mamluks), an alliance was never formed nevertheless.


title: Ilkhanate

text: In contrast to the China-based Yuan dynasty, who excluded the native population from gaining control of high offices, the Ilkhanate ruled their realm through a Central Asian-Persian ("Tajik") administration in partnership with Turco-Mongol military officers. Not all of the Persian administrators were Muslims or members of the traditional families that had served the Seljuqs and Khwarazmians (e.g, the Juvayni family). For example, the Ilkhanate vizier from 1288 to 1291 was Sa'ad al-Dawla, a Jew, while the prominent vizier and historian Rashid-al-Din Hamadani was a Jewish convert to Islam.


title: Ilkhanate

text: The Ilkhanate Mongols remained nomadic in their way of life until the end of the dynasty. Their nomadic routes covered central Iraq, northwest Iran, Azerbaijan, and Armenia. The Mongols administered Iraq, the Caucasus, and western and southern Iran directly with the exception of Georgia, the Artuqid sultan of Mardin, and Kufa and Luristan. The Qara'unas Mongols ruled Khorasan as an autonomous realm and did not pay taxes. Herat's local Kart dynasty also remained autonomous. Anatolia was the richest province of the Ilkhanate, supplying a quarter of its revenue while Iraq and Diyarbakir together supplied about 35 percent of its revenue.


title: Ilkhanate

text: In 1330, the annexation of Abkhazia resulted in the reunification of the Kingdom of Georgia. However, tribute received by the Il-Khans from Georgia sank by about three-quarters between 1336 and 1350 because of wars and famines.


title: Ilkhanate

text: The emergence of the Ilkhanate had an important historical impact in the Middle Eastern region. The establishment of the unified Mongol Empire had significantly eased trade and commerce across Asia. The communications between the Ilkhanate and the Yuan Dynasty headquartered in China encouraged this development. The dragon clothing of Imperial China was used by the Ilkhanids, the Chinese Huangdi (Emperor) title was used by the Ilkhanids due to heavy influence upon the Mongols of the Chinese system of politics. Seals with Chinese characters were created by the Ilkhanids themselves besides the seals they received from the Yuan dynasty which contain references to a Chinese government organization.


title: Ilkhanate

text: The Ilkhanate also helped to pave the way for the later Safavid dynastic state, and ultimately the modern country of Iran. Hulagu's conquests had also opened Iran to Chinese influence from the east. This, combined with patronage from his successors, would develop Iran's distinctive excellence in architecture. Under the Ilkhans, Iranian historians also moved from writing in Arabic to writing in their native Persian tongue.


title: Ilkhanate

text: The rudiments of double-entry accounting were practiced in the Ilkhanate; merdiban was then adopted by the Ottoman Empire. These developments were independent from the accounting practices used in Europe. This accounting system was adopted primarily as the result of socio-economic necessities created by the agricultural and fiscal reforms of Ghazan Khan in 1295-1304.


title: Ilkhanate

text: The title Ilkhan resurfaced among the Qashqai nomads of Southern Iran in the 19th century. Jan Mohammad Khan started using it from 1818/19 and this was continued by all the following Qashqai leaders. The last Ilkhan was Nasir Khan, who in 1954 was pushed into exile after his support of Mossadeq. When he returned during the Islamic Revolution in 1979, he could not regain his previous position and died in 1984 as the last Ilkhan of the Qashqai.


title: Ilkhanate

text: After the Ilkhanate, the regional states established during the disintegration of the Ilkhanate raised their own candidates as claimants.


title: Chris Rea

text: Christopher Anton Rea ( ; born 4 March 1951) is an English rock and blues singer and guitarist from Middlesbrough. A "gravel-voiced guitar stalwart" known for his slide guitar playing, Rea has recorded twenty five solo albums, two of which topped the UK Albums Chart. Described as "rock's ultimate survivor", given his recovery from several bouts of serious illness, Rea was "a major European star by the time he finally cracked the UK Top 10" with his single "The Road to Hell (Part 2)". The album, "The Road to Hell" (1989), topped the album chart, as did its successor, "Auberge" (1991). His many hit songs include "I Can Hear Your Heartbeat", "Stainsby Girls", "Josephine", "On the Beach", "Let's Dance", "Driving Home for Christmas", "Working on It", "Tell Me There's a Heaven", "Auberge" and "Julia". He also recorded a duet with Elton John, "If You Were Me". Rea was nominated three times for the Brit Award for Best British Male Artist: in 1988, 1989 and 1990.


title: Chris Rea

text: He has never toured the United States, where he is best known for the 1978 single "Fool (If You Think It's Over)", which reached No. 12 on the "Billboard" Hot 100 and spent three weeks at No. 1 on the Adult Contemporary chart, earning him a Grammy nomination as Best New Artist in 1978. A decade later, "Working On It" topped the Mainstream Rock chart. He has sold more than 40 million records worldwide.


title: Chris Rea

text: Christopher Rea was born on 4 March 1951 in Middlesbrough in the North Riding of Yorkshire to an Italian father, Camillo Rea (died December 2010) originating from Arpino in the Province of Frosinone, and an Irish mother, Winifred K. Slee (died September 1983), as one of seven children. His family were of the Roman Catholic faith. The name Rea was well known locally thanks to his father's ice cream factory and café chain. When he was twelve, he worked clearing tables in the coffee bar and making ice cream in the factory. He wanted to improve the business, but his ideas got no support from his father. After leaving, he was replaced by one of his brothers. At that time he wanted to be a journalist and attended St Mary's College, Middlesbrough.


title: Chris Rea

text: Rea bought his first guitar in his early twenties, a 1961 Hofner V3 and 25-watt Laney amplifier He played primarily "bottleneck" guitar, also known as slide guitar. Rea's playing style was inspired by Charlie Patton whom he had heard on the radio. He had initially thought Patton's playing sounded like a violin. Rea was also influenced by Blind Willie Johnson and Sister Rosetta Tharpe as well as by the playing of Ry Cooder and Joe Walsh. He was also listening to Delta blues musicians like Sonny Boy Williamson II and Muddy Waters, gospel blues, and opera to light orchestral classics to develop his style. He recalls that "for many people from working-class backgrounds, rock wasn't a chosen thing, it was the only thing, the only avenue of creativity available for them", and that "when I was young I wanted most of all to be a writer of films and film music. But Middlesbrough in 1968 wasn't the place to be if you wanted to do movie scores". Due to his late introduction to music and guitar playing, Rea commented that when compared to Mark Knopfler and Eric Clapton, "I definitely missed the boat, I think". He was self-taught, and soon tried to join a friend's group, The Elastic Band, as the first choice for guitar or bass. Heeding his father's advice he did not join as his potential earnings would not be enough to cover the costs of being in the group. As a result, he found himself working casual labouring jobs, including working in his father's ice cream business. Rea commented that, at that time, he was "meant to be developing my father's ice-cream cafe into a global concern, but I spent all my time in the stockroom playing slide guitar".


title: Chris Rea

text: In 1973 he joined the local Middlesbrough band, Magdalene, which earlier had included David Coverdale who had left to join Deep Purple. He began writing songs for the band and took up singing only because the singer in the band failed to show up for a playing engagement. Rea then went on to form the band The Beautiful Losers which received "Melody Maker"'s Best Newcomers award in 1973. He secured a solo recording deal with independent Magnet Records, and released his first single entitled "So Much Love" in 1974. The band itself split up in 1977. In 1977 he performed on Hank Marvin's album "The Hank Marvin Guitar Syndicate" and also guested on Catherine Howe's EP "The Truth of the Matter". He recorded his first album that same year, but according to Michael Levy (co-founder of Magnet) the recordings were literally burned and started over again because it did not capture his whole talent.


title: Chris Rea

text: "Whatever Happened to Benny Santini?", Rea's debut studio album, was released in June 1978, produced by Gus Dudgeon. The title referred to a stage name that Rea had suggested when the record label insisted that his given name did not sound "croony" enough. It peaked at No. 49 on the "Billboard" Hot 200, and charted for 12 weeks. The lead single, "Fool (If You Think It's Over)", was Rea's biggest hit in the US, reaching No. 1 on the Adult Contemporary Singles chart, and No. 12 on the "Billboard" Hot 100. As Rea gave Magnet Records its first major breakthrough and its first US Top-10, he was their biggest artist, the more so when he was nominated at the 21st Annual Grammy Awards as Best New Artist. Levy remembers him as "more of a thoughtful, introspective poet than a natural pop performer" which Levy felt stopped Rea from becoming a bigger star. Few of Rea's early singles charted in the UK. "Fool..." performed modestly on its second release in late 1978, prompted by its strong performance in the US, and that stateside success also led to Rea being categorized as a piano-playing singer-songwriter, similar to Elton John and Billy Joel, rather than the guitar player he is. For several years, Magnet marketed him based on this misconception. Rea says that it "is still the only song I've ever not played guitar on, but it just so happened to be my first single". Rea has "always had a difficult relationship with fame, even before my first illness. None of my heroes were rock stars. I arrived in Hollywood for the Grammy Awards once and thought I was going to bump into people who mattered, like Ry Cooder or Randy Newman. But I was surrounded by pop stars". Throughout his career Rea has emphatically rejected the label of "rock star".


title: Chris Rea

text: Dudgeon also produced Rea's second album "Deltics" (1979). Rea recorded his self-produced third album, "Tennis" (1980), with musicians from Middlesbrough, and it received positive reviews. As both albums had failed commercially, Magnet rejected the artwork Rea wanted for the cover of his fourth album, 1981's "Chris Rea" (produced by Jon Kelly, who later oversaw Rea's most successful albums). None of these albums reached the Top 50 in the UK, with his singles also delivering lacklustre performances. "Diamonds" reached No. 44 in the US, and "Loving You" went to No. 88 on the Billboard Hot 100. Rea had a difficult working relationship with Dudgeon and the other "men in suits" who he felt "smoothed out" the blues-influenced elements of his music. Rea "always thought that [producers] knew best. I never thought for a minute that they might have another agenda", but "all of a sudden I was the goose that laid the golden egg, and it was hell for me". He ruefully acknowledges, "I can't blame anyone but myself. I gave them what they wanted rather than what I wanted".


title: Chris Rea

text: From 1983, Rea's music began to better reflect his wishes and capabilities, despite pressure from his record company due to the accumulated costs of the production for his first four albums. To keep costs low, the label decided to release the demo tapes of his fifth studio album "Water Sign". It was the first of several successful albums Rea collaborated with producer David Richards on. He also changed managers and went on a UK club tour, followed by a 60-date tour as a support act for Canadian band Saga. "Water Sign" performed far better than Rea or his team expected in Ireland and Europe, selling over half a million copies in just a few months. The single "I Can Hear Your Heartbeat" charted in Europe. With the album's success along with that of the subsequent "Wired to the Moon" (1984), which was his first Top 40 album in the UK (reaching No. 35), Rea began to focus his attention on touring continental Europe and building up a fan base. He established a loyal following in West Germany, and believes this audience saved his career as there was no "image-led market", but only "by music and by word of mouth". It was not until 1985's million-selling "Shamrock Diaries", with its hit singles "Stainsby Girls" and "Josephine", written for his wife and daughter respectively, that UK audiences began to take notice of him.


title: Chris Rea

text: His international fame grew with the million-selling studio albums "On The Beach" (1986), and "Dancing with Strangers" (1987) which reached No. 2 on the UK albums chart, behind Michael Jackson's "Bad", and which included his first Top 20 UK single, "Let's Dance", which reached No. 12. In 1986, Rea was a support act along with The Bangles and The Fountainhead for Queen at Slane Concert for an estimated 80,000 audience. He also performed at Milano Suono festival at stadium San Siro, Italy. By 1987, Rea was finally in a position to pay off the £320,000 debt he owed to the record company, and started to make significant earnings. He signed with Warners, who also bought Magnet Recordings. That year, the "Dancing with Strangers" world tour sold out stadium-sized venues, including two shows at Wembley Arena, and included Rea's first concerts in Australia and Japan. Rea's American label, Tamla Motown, had told him that should go to America and tour there for three years. Out of deference to his family, he did not do so. He commented that at the time he realized that "I could be as big as I liked, if I was prepared to do the touring".


title: Chris Rea

text: Rea's next album was his first compilation - albeit an unconventional one, as most songs were new versions of older releases. "New Light Through Old Windows" (1988) was another million seller, climbing to No. 5 in the UK. The album included re-workings of some his charting singles, as well a reworking of as his recent single "Driving Home for Christmas". Some of the tracks were successful in the US, including "Working On It", which reached No. 73 on Billboard Hot 100 and topped the Mainstream Rock chart. The re-recorded version of "On the Beach" reached the Top 10 on the US Adult Contemporary chart, and No. 12 in the UK. The album's release and success was followed by an international tour with over 45 dates.


title: Chris Rea

text: Rea's tenth studio album was his major breakthrough. "The Road to Hell" (1989) enjoyed massive success and became his first No. 1 album in the UK, being certified 6× Platinum by the BPI in 2004. While the album peaked at No. 107 in the US, the single "The Road to Hell (Part 2)" climbed to No. 11 on the US Mainstream Rock chart, and was Rea's first and only UK Top 10 single. The song "Texas" achieved extensive radio airplay in the state itself. In December 1989, Rea performed on the Band Aid II single "Do They Know It's Christmas?" In 1991, "Auberge" repeated its predecessor's success, reaching No. 1 in the UK albums chart, and was another hit across Europe. The single of the same title made the UK Top 20. Even at the peak of his success, Rea refused to mount an American tour or perform on "MTV Unplugged", although he was a guest on "Late Night with David Letterman", and also performed on the show. Rea said his neglect of the US market was one of his biggest mistakes because "every time I see a car that's too much money, I definitely regret it, just for five minutes".


title: Chris Rea

text: After "Auberge", Rea released "God's Great Banana Skin" (1992) which reached No. 4 in the UK, while the single "Nothing to Fear" gave him another Top 20 hit. A year later the album "Espresso Logic" made the Top 10 and "Julia", written about his second daughter, gave him his sixth and last Top 20 single. The album was partly promoted by Rea's taking part in the non-Championship "TOCA Shootout" round of the 1993 British Touring Car Championship, although he was eliminated in the first round. In 1994 another compilation album, "The Best of Chris Rea", was released which peaked at No. 3 in UK. That July, Rea performed with Peter Gabriel and others at Sonoria festival in Milan.


title: Chris Rea

text: In 1994 Rea had developed stomach ulcers The following year, he "got peritonitis and nearly died. Facing the prospect of never singing, touring or performing in public again, he characteristically embarked on a radical career shift and went into movies." 1996 saw the release of the soundtrack album for "La Passione", which Rea also wrote and produced. Two years later in 1998 "The Blue Cafe", his fourteenth studio album, followed. It reached the UK Top Ten and received extremely positive reviews and a tour named The Blue Cafe Tour followed to promote the album. In 1999, ten years after "The Road to Hell", the dance and electronica infused "" failed to reach the UK Top 40. Rea rebounded in 2000, when "King of the Beach" made it to the UK Top 30.


title: Chris Rea

text: Rea was first "diagnosed with pancreatic cancer at the age of just 33". In 2000, he underwent a Whipple procedure, which resulted in the removal of the head of the pancreas and part of the duodenum, bile duct, and gall bladder. Since having this surgery Rea has had problems with diabetes and a weaker immune system, necessitating the need to take thirty-four pills and seven injections a day. He has undergone several subsequent operations. Nevertheless, he found greater appreciation for life, his family, and the things he loves.


title: Chris Rea

text: In an interview, he said, "it's not until you become seriously ill and you nearly die and you're at home for six months, that you suddenly stop, to realize that this isn't the way I intended it to be in the beginning. Everything that you've done falls away and you start wondering why you went through all that rock business stuff." A record company offered him millions of dollars to do a duets album with notable artists. Having promised himself that if he recovered he would return to his blues roots, he started the record label Jazzee Blue to free himself from his then current company's expectations. The first album under this label, "Dancing Down the Stony Road" (2002), reached No. 14 and was certified Gold by the BPI. He wanted the label to be a place "where musicians came and made a record" of this style of music. Jazzee Blue released several blues and jazz albums mostly by members of his then current band. He was disappointed with the music business when Michael Parkinson, who supported him to do "Dancing Down the Stony Road", told him songs longer than three minutes were not played as often on radio anymore.


title: Chris Rea

text: In 2003, Rea released "Blue Street (Five Guitars)" and "Hofner Blue Notes", and "The Blue Jukebox" the following year. 2005 saw the release of "Blue Guitars", a box set of 11 CDs containing 137 blues-inspired tracks with Rea's paintings as album covers, which is a once in a lifetime ambitious project about the history of blues music. Rea said, "I was never a rock star or pop star and all the illness has been my chance to do what I'd always wanted to do with music [...] the best change for my music has been concentrating on stuff which really interests me".


title: Chris Rea

text: In February 2008, Rea released "The Return of the Fabulous Hofner Bluenotes", dedicated to the 1960s Höfner guitars, with 38 tracks on three CDs and two 10" vinyl records - the vinyl replicated the tracks contained on the first CD of the set. The box set also included a hardback book of his paintings along with period photos. The release of the album was followed by a European tour, visiting various venues across the UK, including the Royal Albert Hall in London. Part of the tour was recorded and released as a live DVD and his first live album, "The Road to Hell & Back", to positive reviews.


title: Chris Rea

text: Rea released the compilation "" in October 2009 which contained some of his best known (and lesser known) hits over the last thirty years as well as songs from his "blues" period. Two new songs were included, "Come So Far, Yet Still So Far to Go" and the ballad "Valentino". The album reached No. 8 and was certified Gold by the BPI. Rea started the European tour called "Still So Far to Go" in January 2010. His special guest on stage was Irish musician Paul Casey. The tour ended on 5 April at Waterfront Hall in Belfast. In September 2011 "Santo Spirito Blues" box set was released. The set contained two feature-length films on one DVD written and directed by Rea along with three accompanying CDs - two of which featured the music from the DVDs and the third being a stripped back version of the related studio album. Shortly after this release, in October and November, Rea underwent two surgical procedures. On 3 February 2012 the Santo Spirito Tour started at Congress Center Hamburg in Hamburg, Germany, with additional visits to Poland, Russia, Ukraine, Hungary, Switzerland, Netherlands, Belgium and France. The United Kingdom part of the tour commenced in the middle of March and finished on 5 April at Hammersmith Apollo in London.


title: Chris Rea

text: November 2014 saw Rea embark on a European tour called The Last Open Road Tour, with the UK part of the tour commencing on 1 December in Manchester and ending on 20 December in London. He also performed at the 2014 Montreux Jazz Festival.


title: Chris Rea

text: Rea suffered a stroke in 2016 which left him with slurred speech and reduced movement in his arms and fingers. Soon afterwards he quit smoking to deter further strokes and recovered enough to record and tour. In September 2017, he released his twenty-fourth album, "Road Songs for Lovers", and embarked on a European tour starting in October until December. On 9 December, Rea collapsed during a performance at the New Theatre Oxford, the 35th concert of the tour. He was taken to hospital where his condition was stabilized. This health issue caused the last two concerts of the tour to be cancelled. In December 2020, Rea guest starred on the Christmas edition of "", where he discussed his health issues over the years.


title: Chris Rea

text: On 18 October 2019, Rhino released 2CD deluxe editions of five of Chris Rea's most commercially successful albums, "Shamrock Diaries", "On The Beach", "Dancing With Strangers", "The Road To Hell", and "Auberge". Each contains a remastered version of the original album on the first disc, and remixes, rare and previously unreleased live tracks, single edits, and extended versions on the bonus disc. On 4 October, "One Fine Day" had been released, limited to 1000 numbered copies. The album contains tracks recorded in 1980 at Chipping Norton Recording Studios, most of which had never been released. On 20 November 2020, the triple CD compilation "Era 1: 1978 - 1984" was released. It contains a mix of A-sides, B-sides, foreign language versions and different mixes, as well as all of "One Fine Day" on disc 2.


title: Chris Rea

text: Rea's first guitar was a Höfner V3 or 173 which he bought in a second-hand shop because, at the time, there were not that many shops in Middlesbrough where one could purchase a guitar. He played the V3 until 1979, although, by Rea's reckoning, it was a "dreadful guitar with an appalling action, but playing slide it didn't matter". During his career the guitar most associated with him was a 1962 Fender Stratocaster which he called "Pinky". Rea bought the instrument after seeing a Ry Cooder concert at the City Hall in Newcastle. The guitar once was submerged in water for three months and was more mellow in sound compared to the classic hard Stratocaster sound. Since 2002 "Dancing Down the Stony Road", his main guitar was an Italia Maranello he named "Bluey".


title: Chris Rea

text: One of his childhood dreams was to become a film writer and film music composer. Rea wrote the title track and music score for the 1993 drama film "Soft Top Hard Shoulder". He wrote and produced the 1996 film "La Passione", partially inspired by Rea's childhood experience of falling in love with motor racing and F1 Ferrari's driver Wolfgang von Trips. Rea was the lead actor in the 1999 comedy film "Parting Shots", alongside Felicity Kendal, John Cleese, Bob Hoskins and Joanna Lumley. Rea, ironically, played a character who was told that cancer gave him six weeks to live and decided to kill those people who had badly affected his life. Afterwards, two feature-length films were made for the "Santo Spirito Blues" project, just "so that I could do the music".


title: Chris Rea

text: Rea has acknowledged that several of his songs were "born out of Middlesbrough", his hometown. The verse "I'm standing by a river, but the water doesn't flow / It boils with every poison you can think of" from "The Road to Hell", the songs "Steel River" which refers to a nickname for the River Tees, and "Windy Town, reflect Rea's feelings about the industrial decline of Middlesbrough and the re-development of the town centre while he was out of the country touring through the years:


title: Chris Rea

text: In 1994, Rea was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer and underwent a life-saving operation to remove his pancreas, gallbladder, and a portion of his liver. As a result, he has type 1 diabetes.


title: Chris Rea

text: Rea is married to Joan Lesley, with whom he has been in a relationship since they met as teenagers on 6 April 1968 in their native Middlesbrough. They have two daughters, Josephine, born 16 September 1983, and Julia Christina, born 18 March 1989. Josephine lectures on Renaissance art in Florence and Julia studied at the University of St Andrews. Rea used to live at Cookham, Berkshire, where he owned Sol Mill Recording Studios and produced some of his later albums. When he is not writing songs, other interests particularly include painting. Rea says that he likes to "read a lot and even though I chose music, journalism was my first passion. I wanted to be a journalist and write about car racing [...] somewhere deep down I believe I could have been a decent journalist".


title: Chris Rea

text: Rea is a fan of historic motor racing and races a Ferrari Dino, a Ferrari 328, and a 1955 Lotus 6. In 1993, he participated in the 1993 British Touring Car Championship ToCa shootout as a guest driver. He owned and raced the 1964 Lotus Elan 26R, and the well known Caterham 7 from the "Auberge" album cover, until it was sold in 2005 with all proceeds (£11,762) going to the charity NSPCC. He also owned the Ferrari 330 which was used as a donor car for the replica of Ferrari 250 Le Mans used in the 1996 movie "La Passione". In 2014, he was completing a 22-year restoration of an original replica of a Ferrari 156 Sharknose Formula One racing car. He also joined Historic Racing Drivers Club, where he drives a 1957 Morris Minor 1000 police car.


title: Chris Rea

text: He has taken the opportunity to get involved in Formula One on a few occasions, including as a pit lane mechanic for the Jordan team during the 1995 Monaco Grand Prix. He recorded a song, "Saudade", in tribute to three-time Formula One world champion Ayrton Senna. It featured prominently in the BBC documentary movie.


title: Chris Rea

text: Between August 2008 and April 2010, some major newspapers erroneously reported that Rea had supported and donated tens of thousands of pounds to the Conservative Party. The donations were in fact made by a businessman called Chris Rea and not the musician. In an interview in 2012, Rea denied those claims and noted that this was a good example of how dangerous the internet can be at spreading misinformation.


title: Chris Rea

text: In a 2017 interview, amid the 2017 general election, Rea supported Jeremy Corbyn and even wrote a song called "What's So Wrong With A Man Who Tells The Truth?", saying "in the old way, Corbyn is useless. Because he says the wrong things. But the young people have had enough". Rea considers that the politicians and government of the UK and EU became out of touch with the common people. He is sceptical about the idea of unification of Europe because with a common European market "you [...] force different people to live together [when] they simply do not want to", recalling the downfall of Yugoslavia.