Hopkins was at 175 for one fight only after spending 15 years at 160. Plus he's 43 years old. To put that into perspective, he is a year OLDER than Chris Eubank and a few months younger than Nigel Benn.Originally Posted by Fenster
Hopkin's age surely counts as ample compensation for Winky's weight disadvantage.
B Hop is a living legend, if he was to go on a fight for a heavyweight belt he could well beat Foreman's record and become the oldest ever heavyweight champ as well as the only true full middleweight to win a heavyweight title, as both Jones Jr and Toney were really higher weight fighters.
He did what Ray Robinson could not and won the light heavyweight title. Robinson was also scheduled to fight Floyd Patterson before it fell through after Patterson was knocked out against Liston. Hopkins is as keen a boxing historian as anyone. He knows that if he wins a heavyweight crown it would put him in the top 10 greatest of all time.
Anyone with an appreciation of boxing history can see the merit in such a fight. He's also trying to create a better legacy than his two arch rivals Roy Jones Jr and James Toney.
These fights make sense. Wright vs Hopkins is a battle between the two best American middleweights since Hagler. It's never happened and should do as the best fighters in any era SHOULD fight each other.
I think it will be a better fight than anticipated as Winky will be forced to press the action. Winky's last three fights have all been entertaining and Hopkins looked great last time out against Tarver in a fight that most people thought would bomb as well.
I'm looking forward to this one. It's not Mayweather vs De La Hoya for sure but it will settle a longtime rivalry between two of America's best fighters.
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