Quote Originally Posted by uptoscratch View Post
Quote Originally Posted by Bilbo View Post
If Joe does indeed beat Bernard Hopkins next month will he have had the more successful career?

I know people will question Bernard's age but if Calzaghe does beat him, on paper at least he looks to have the better resume.
I respect Calzaghe but given the options I had to choose #1. You kind of glide right over "the question" of their respective ages, but consider a few things.

Does anyone see Joe Cal stepping up to take the Ring cruiserweight title in 2013? And then beating a top-ten PFPer in 2014 at the age of 42? Because that would be relative to what Bernard Hopkins has done. Or this: if they switched eras and a 43-year-old Calzaghe had to fight the 36-year-old Bernard that destroyed Trinidad, who would the smart money be on?

Considering their respective ages and reputations, Calzaghe needs to beat Hopkins convincingly just to keep his current place in the historical pecking order. If it's a close fight or a Hopkins win, his stature drops dramatically, IMO.
Whilst I think age needs to be taken into account in the event of a possible Calzaghe victory I don't think B Hop should get extra credit because his biggest wins came at an advanced age.

There are many great fighters, higher on the alll time list than BHop who were burnt up well before 35 let alone 42. His longevity is testament to his extraordinary discipline and focus, and also a slight knock on his boring mechanical style, but it doesn't make a difference in his all time standing.

By that I mean BHop shouldn't get extra credit for beating Tarver at 42 than he would have had he beat him at 30. The fact is that BHop's talent just havn't declined much over the years, not that he was so extraordinarily talented that even an old shell of his former self can still be competitive with the worlds best.

Hopkins is no Jones Jr or an ancient Ali, he wasn't much of a better fighter at 25 than he is now at 43.

Prime for prime Jones Jr was clearly the better man. Age has been kinder to Hopkins as his style is not as reliant on speed and reflexes. Doesn't mean BHop is or was a better fighter.

Personally I believe if Calzaghe beats Hopkins in April, he could have beat a 32 year old Hopkins, or even a 25 year old one. Hopkins hasn't slipped much with age that is true, but the flip side is there was never a period where he was much better either.