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For the life of me... I TRY to like Hopkins' fights. But I just don't like his style. Too much leading with the head and clinching for my taste. It gets old. And Calzaghe throws too many slapping punches to rate highly as an exciting fighter in my book. Sorry. Yes, he throws loads of them... but a lot of them lack form or power.
At that weight, give me the Pavliks and the Mirandas any day of the week.
Try as I may... I just can't get into this sh*t. Watch a Pavlik fight, a Cotto fight, a Margarito fight, a Mosley fight... and then go back and watch Calzaghe-Hopkins.
Between Hopkins headfirst lunging and Calzaghe's slapping punches... I was actually looking forward to the end of the fight and HBO's telecast of "Countdown to De La Hoya-Forbes." (Just kidding... I'm not THAT desperate).
But my point is... styles make fights. Hopkins fights I've never liked. Yeah, he's wily, cagey, all those things you may want to call him. But IMO his fighting style is b-o-r-i-n-g. Just a lot of lunging, clinching, wrestling and fouling. And apparently I've missed the good Calzaghe fights (Lacy and Kessler), and watched the shitty Calzaghe fights (Manfredo and Hopkins). But the guy just doesn't do it for me. What's with all this slapping sh*t? Where are all the punches meant to hurt people?
Tell you one thing. If Joe ever gets in the ring with Pavlik, that "0" is sure to go.
If I had a tenner for every time someone said that about joe's next opponent..Quote:
Originally Posted by TitoFan
....well then boxing isn't your sport bro.
Hopkins has ALWAYS fought in a way that is ugly and that is to his advantage.
Which is why he's still around and so damned good at 43 years old
Well... I never said til now.Quote:
Originally Posted by GodofBoxingIf I had a tenner for every time someone said that about joe's next opponent..Quote:
Originally Posted by TitoFan
;)
Boxing isn't my sport? Why? Because I've never liked Hopkins' ugly style? There's been plenty of boxers I've enjoyed watching over the years that exemplify the "sweet science." And yet they manage to win and excite at the same time.Quote:
Originally Posted by Lyle
Pavlik might be able to knock out old Joe but it wont be easy. Calzlappy is the hardest slapper in the business. B-Hop just sucks, his style sucks but he gave us a great fight against Tito Trinidad. Pavlike comes to fight and that is what is so great about Kelly. B-Hop just comes to get lucky like Mayweather Jr. does it. Boring mother phukers is what they are.Quote:
Originally Posted by TitoFan
;D
Trinidad is an exciting fighter that exemplifies the sweet science...but Hopkin's old ugly style broke him down just fine. It might not be pretty - no, it isn't pretty - but it still works.Quote:
Originally Posted by TitoFanBoxing isn't my sport? Why? Because I've never liked Hopkins' ugly style? There's been plenty of boxers I've enjoyed watching over the years that exemplify the "sweet science." And yet they manage to win and excite at the same time.Quote:
Originally Posted by Lyle
Against Tito he threw combinations and fought the perfect fight. But every other fight I've ever seen him fight... he uses all the tactics I mentioned before that make for ugly fights. And lately he seems to be involved in nothing but controversial decisions after ugly fights. It gets old.Quote:
Originally Posted by bcollinsTrinidad is an exciting fighter that exemplifies the sweet science...but Hopkin's old ugly style broke him down just fine. It might not be pretty - no, it isn't pretty - but it still works.Quote:
Originally Posted by TitoFanBoxing isn't my sport? Why? Because I've never liked Hopkins' ugly style? There's been plenty of boxers I've enjoyed watching over the years that exemplify the "sweet science." And yet they manage to win and excite at the same time.Quote:
Originally Posted by Lyle
A lot of that is due to age, probably - he has to rely on that craftiness to be competitive. I agree - I like the flashier, cleaner fighters too, but I still enjoy watching Bernard simply because he's a great enough fighter to still be competitive in his 40's using tactical boxing.Quote:
Originally Posted by TitoFanAgainst Tito he threw combinations and fought the perfect fight. But every other fight I've ever seen him fight... he uses all the tactics I mentioned before that make for ugly fights. And lately he seems to be involved in nothing but controversial decisions after ugly fights. It gets old.Quote:
Originally Posted by bcollinsTrinidad is an exciting fighter that exemplifies the sweet science...but Hopkin's old ugly style broke him down just fine. It might not be pretty - no, it isn't pretty - but it still works.Quote:
Originally Posted by TitoFan
By the way - I didn't mean anything personal by the Tito reference. That's just one of Bernard's fights that came to mind where he beat a more exciting fighter.
This fight turned out exactly as i thought it would. But i must admit that Hopkins made it a bit closer than i thought he would. He still lost by atleast 2 points IMO.
Hey no sweat, b. While I was devastated about Tito's loss to Hopkins, I have to admit that B-Hop fought a near perfect fight. And while we're at it... I'd have to say that there's things I admire about Hopkins, just as there's things I can't stand about the guy.Quote:
Originally Posted by bcollinsA lot of that is due to age, probably - he has to rely on that craftiness to be competitive. I agree - I like the flashier, cleaner fighters too, but I still enjoy watching Bernard simply because he's a great enough fighter to still be competitive in his 40's using tactical boxing.Quote:
Originally Posted by TitoFanAgainst Tito he threw combinations and fought the perfect fight. But every other fight I've ever seen him fight... he uses all the tactics I mentioned before that make for ugly fights. And lately he seems to be involved in nothing but controversial decisions after ugly fights. It gets old.Quote:
Originally Posted by bcollins
By the way - I didn't mean anything personal by the Tito reference. That's just one of Bernard's fights that came to mind where he beat a more exciting fighter.
For instance, on the plus side: The guy IS 43 years old and stays in terrific shape. In boxing a fighter starts to be called "old" when he's 35, never mind 43. Also, he's his own man and doesn't bow to the Don Kings of the boxing world. He's very shrewd at managing his own career. On the other hand, I think he goes overboard in promoting his fights and just gets too disrespectful. Whether it's a tactic or not, IMO it doesn't justify some of the things he says or does. And on his boxing style, well... I just can't get too excited about seeing him fight, with all the clutching, lunging and just general ugly boxing style. But... whatever it takes to win, I guess.
Hey buddy if you don't like Hopkins' style then you're not going to like a lot of guys' styles.Quote:
Originally Posted by TitoFan
It's all about what fighters use to their advantage....you have to at least respect his talent in forcing the other guy to win in an ugly manner
Oh, I respect his talent alright. I even said so in another post just minutes ago. But I still prefer fighters that just box. No clutching, no lunging, no grappling.... just good ol' boxing. And lest I be misunderstood, I don't mean brawling. I can appreciate and love to watch boxers in the mold of Mosley, Cotto, Barrera. They combine skills like speed, boxing skills, punching power. And they entertain. You rarely see a clean exchange or combination from Hopkins.Quote:
Originally Posted by LyleHey buddy if you don't like Hopkins' style then you're not going to like a lot of guys' styles.Quote:
Originally Posted by TitoFan
It's all about what fighters use to their advantage....you have to at least respect his talent in forcing the other guy to win in an ugly manner
But do I respect the fact that he finds a way to neutralize the other fighter's style and generally win, even if it's ugly? Yeah, I can respect that. I STILL don't like it, tho.
That's all I am saying....just respect his talent, he's horrible to watch though, I agree