Hoppie Groenewald

Hoppie Groenewald is a fictional character in Bryce Courtenay's novel, "The Power of One".

The protagonist in this book, Peekay, meets Hoppie on a train ride home from his boarding school in South Africa. Peekay, who has been abused his whole life by the other boys at his school, finds a friend in Hoppie. Hoppie is a boxer, and one evening he takes Peekay to a fight. Even though it is a short friendship, Peekay always remembers the effect Hoppie had on him especially his words of wisdom when it comes to boxing and life, "First with the head, then with the heart".