Prime Nigel Benn vs Prime Joe Calzaghe

**SugarBoxing** · 10-13-2013 02:28 PM

Originally Posted by mikeeod

Why shouldn't Hop be mentioned alongside Monzon, Hagler...etc.?!? At this point in his career I can't see how anyone can still try n discredit his ability n accomplishments.

No power and no speed, dirty, not otherworldly ring tricks. Solid, but not special

**mikeeod** · 10-13-2013 03:48 PM

Hop fought Roy, Joe C, Tito, Oscar, Winky, Tarver, Cloud, Taylor, Pavilik, Dawson, Glenn Johnson, Jean Pasquale and list to Roy when Hop was still green, and Taylor (disputed both times), Joe C(disputed) n Dawson when Hop was WELL past his best days. Everyone of those guys I listed above, except for Johnson at the time, were ranked p4p when Hop beat them throw in tough challengers like John Davud Jackson, Keith Holmes, Joe lipsey, William Joppy, Robert Allen, n Antwun Echols n u have an ATG resume. Record 20 successful defenses, lineal middleweight n lt heavy(x 2). No way u can discredit Hop at this point. Only fellow ATG fighters like Manny n Floyd have that class of resume.

**mikeeod** · 10-13-2013 03:53 PM

No power?!? Semin, r u new to the sport? Prime Hop was a beast. For a while he held the record for fastest k.o. In a title fight. As he aged Hop morphed into the clever, defensively minded fighter u see today. In his prime however, he had power to spare (but was a little crude). The Hop that beat Tito would have hung even with greats of the past such as Hagler, Monzon, n Robinson. There was no area of the sport that Hop of that time wasn't great at.

**SugarBoxing** · 10-13-2013 03:56 PM

Originally Posted by mikeeod

No power?!? Semin, r u new to the sport? Prime Hop was a beast. For a while he held the record for fastest k.o. In a title fight. As he aged Hop morphed into the clever, defensively minded fighter u see today. In his prime however, he had power to spare (but was a little crude). The Hop that beat Tito would have hung even with greats of the past such as Hagler, Monzon, n Robinson. There was no area of the sport that Hop of that time wasn't great at.

That's my current opinion.

**smashup** · 10-16-2013 01:07 PM

Calzaghe loved a tear up but wasn't always a good move, Kessler was outgunning him early on and JC had to go to plan B , adjust and box him silly.
I reckon Benn would have put him on his ass early in the fight in a mad exchange then JC would have done the same again and won by pure boxing skill and speed.
Def think he'd have walked onto wild Nigel hook tho.

Would have been some fight that ;-)