B-Hop: The Mask Is Back

[Spicoli]

Hoof--that Bernard Hopkins is verbose. This kind of illuminates what he was talking about years ago after fighting nobodies like Morrade Hakkar. He was talking about people working against him and Larry Merchant's face was a giant question mark.

Hakkar was a waiste.Whats amazing is that the W(e) B(e) C(ollecting) had that guy as a Mandatory challenger.Yeh I remember Merchant was all over Hopkins,All in his face.Sort of rude but Hopkins seemed to invite conflict.

[Wayne]

Hoof--that Bernard Hopkins is verbose. This kind of illuminates what he was talking about years ago after fighting nobodies like Morrade Hakkar. He was talking about people working against him and Larry Merchant's face was a giant question mark.

Hakkar was a waiste.Whats amazing is that the W(e) B(e) C(ollecting) had that guy as a Mandatory challenger.Yeh I remember Merchant was all over Hopkins,All in his face.Sort of rude but Hopkins seemed to invite conflict.

It makes me like Hopkins a little more because at the time, I thought he was a little looney. He should have opened up more to Merchant so we could have all been on the same page and not five years later.

[BoxingGorilla]

I think Hopkins will need the mask to cover his wounds.

[Gandalf]

Hopkins is a great fighter but the facts are that he is seriously up against it here. I cannot see him beating Calzaghe. He can talk as much as he likes and he is good at that but there is little to no way he will beat Calzaghe. Im still somewhat confused as to why Hopkins has actually gone through with this, he is usually so calculated and picks his opponents so well. He beat Tarver which was respectable but Tarver was a shell of a fighter that night. And Winky was way out of his weight range and before that there were two fights with Taylor in which Hopkins was pushed to the wire both times. Calzaghe is so much better than any of those fighters (though Winky at the lower weights was extremely good).

I maintain that Calzaghe will dominate this fight and Hopkins will look his age. Calzaghe is as skilled as they come and able to adapt in the ring to anything that Hopkins can offer at this late stage. It wasnt right for Hopkins to go through with this several years ago and now it is?? Something is amiss and its most likely Hopkins.

[ICB]

Hopkins is a great fighter but the facts are that he is seriously up against it here. I cannot see him beating Calzaghe. He can talk as much as he likes and he is good at that but there is little to no way he will beat Calzaghe. Im still somewhat confused as to why Hopkins has actually gone through with this, he is usually so calculated and picks his opponents so well. He beat Tarver which was respectable but Tarver was a shell of a fighter that night. And Winky was way out of his weight range and before that there were two fights with Taylor in which Hopkins was pushed to the wire both times. Calzaghe is so much better than any of those fighters (though Winky at the lower weights was extremely good).

I maintain that Calzaghe will dominate this fight and Hopkins will look his age. Calzaghe is as skilled as they come and able to adapt in the ring to anything that Hopkins can offer at this late stage. It wasnt right for Hopkins to go through with this several years ago and now it is?? Something is amiss and its most likely Hopkins.

Sorry Miles but your way off here and to say Hopkins has little to no chance is way off the mark IMO. He can beat Calzaghe many ways by clinching and slowing Calzaghe's work rate down. Make it a rough tough fight which lesser fighters like Reid, Bika, had great success by frustrating Calzaghe making him lose his concentration and not allowing him to set the pace. And he can also use his best punch to good use aka the right hand which is Calzaghe's biggest weakness and that is one of Hopkins strong points. Im not saying Hopkins will win but he has a much better than than what your giving him.

[Gandalf]

Hopkins is a great fighter but the facts are that he is seriously up against it here. I cannot see him beating Calzaghe. He can talk as much as he likes and he is good at that but there is little to no way he will beat Calzaghe. Im still somewhat confused as to why Hopkins has actually gone through with this, he is usually so calculated and picks his opponents so well. He beat Tarver which was respectable but Tarver was a shell of a fighter that night. And Winky was way out of his weight range and before that there were two fights with Taylor in which Hopkins was pushed to the wire both times. Calzaghe is so much better than any of those fighters (though Winky at the lower weights was extremely good).

I maintain that Calzaghe will dominate this fight and Hopkins will look his age. Calzaghe is as skilled as they come and able to adapt in the ring to anything that Hopkins can offer at this late stage. It wasnt right for Hopkins to go through with this several years ago and now it is?? Something is amiss and its most likely Hopkins.

Sorry Miles but your way off here and to say Hopkins has little to no chance is way off the mark IMO. He can beat Calzaghe many ways by clinching and slowing Calzaghe's work rate down. Make it a rough tough fight which lesser fighters like Reid, Bika, had great success by frustrating Calzaghe making him lose his concentration and not allowing him to set the pace. And he can also use his best punch to good use aka the right hand which is Calzaghe's biggest weakness and that is one of Hopkins strong points. Im not saying Hopkins will win but he has a much better than than what your giving him.

Of course, Hopkins has a chance but I do think its a minimal chance and reliant upon a freak right hand. Just isnt going to happen. I really dont think im way off the mark whatsover here. Hopkins will slow Calzaghe down. No doubts about that. But Calzaghe will throw so many more punches than Hopkins and he can punch a bit himself. Its not like against Wright where Hopkins was able to walk through what Winky was able to throw. Tarver didnt actually throw anything! Calzaghe will make Hopkins work like he hasnt done ever before. Not even when he was at his best. Hopkins isnt even all that big a puncher thse days. The right might land but Calzaghe will keep on coming back and throw a lot of punches in bunches.

Calzaghe has always risen for the big ones and Hopkins at 43 is there for the taking. Hopkins is so old and he hasnt actually fought in a bloody long time since Winky. Calzaghe has just beaten Kessler and looked as good as ever doing it. I watched that again last night for the first time in a while and it was a great display. If Calzaghe brings that then it really will not be close.

[GAME]

Hopkins is a great fighter but the facts are that he is seriously up against it here. I cannot see him beating Calzaghe. He can talk as much as he likes and he is good at that but there is little to no way he will beat Calzaghe. Im still somewhat confused as to why Hopkins has actually gone through with this, he is usually so calculated and picks his opponents so well. He beat Tarver which was respectable but Tarver was a shell of a fighter that night. And Winky was way out of his weight range and before that there were two fights with Taylor in which Hopkins was pushed to the wire both times. Calzaghe is so much better than any of those fighters (though Winky at the lower weights was extremely good).

I maintain that Calzaghe will dominate this fight and Hopkins will look his age. Calzaghe is as skilled as they come and able to adapt in the ring to anything that Hopkins can offer at this late stage. It wasnt right for Hopkins to go through with this several years ago and now it is?? Something is amiss and its most likely Hopkins.

Sorry Miles but your way off here and to say Hopkins has little to no chance is way off the mark IMO. He can beat Calzaghe many ways by clinching and slowing Calzaghe's work rate down. Make it a rough tough fight which lesser fighters like Reid, Bika, had great success by frustrating Calzaghe making him lose his concentration and not allowing him to set the pace. And he can also use his best punch to good use aka the right hand which is Calzaghe's biggest weakness and that is one of Hopkins strong points. Im not saying Hopkins will win but he has a much better than than what your giving him.

Of course, Hopkins has a chance but I do think its a minimal chance and reliant upon a freak right hand. Just isnt going to happen. I really dont think im way off the mark whatsover here. Hopkins will slow Calzaghe down. No doubts about that. But Calzaghe will throw so many more punches than Hopkins and he can punch a bit himself. Its not like against Wright where Hopkins was able to walk through what Winky was able to throw. Tarver didnt actually throw anything! Calzaghe will make Hopkins work like he hasnt done ever before. Not even when he was at his best. Hopkins isnt even all that big a puncher thse days. The right might land but Calzaghe will keep on coming back and throw a lot of punches in bunches.

Calzaghe has always risen for the big ones and Hopkins at 43 is there for the taking. Hopkins is so old and he hasnt actually fought in a bloody long time since Winky. Calzaghe has just beaten Kessler and looked as good as ever doing it. I watched that again last night for the first time in a while and it was a great display. If Calzaghe brings that then it really will not be close.

Im with you Miles . The win over Kessler is one of my favourites even though I like Kess and the win over Lacy has to rank up there too .

But for some reason fighting in the States is so much harder for whatever reason . Joes never done it B4 so we dont know how he'll react if as ICB says , Hop drags him into a dirty fight like weve seen with Starie and Thornberry . If Joe brings it though and is at his best I cant see how Hop wins .

[Gandalf]

Sorry Miles but your way off here and to say Hopkins has little to no chance is way off the mark IMO. He can beat Calzaghe many ways by clinching and slowing Calzaghe's work rate down. Make it a rough tough fight which lesser fighters like Reid, Bika, had great success by frustrating Calzaghe making him lose his concentration and not allowing him to set the pace. And he can also use his best punch to good use aka the right hand which is Calzaghe's biggest weakness and that is one of Hopkins strong points. Im not saying Hopkins will win but he has a much better than than what your giving him.

Of course, Hopkins has a chance but I do think its a minimal chance and reliant upon a freak right hand. Just isnt going to happen. I really dont think im way off the mark whatsover here. Hopkins will slow Calzaghe down. No doubts about that. But Calzaghe will throw so many more punches than Hopkins and he can punch a bit himself. Its not like against Wright where Hopkins was able to walk through what Winky was able to throw. Tarver didnt actually throw anything! Calzaghe will make Hopkins work like he hasnt done ever before. Not even when he was at his best. Hopkins isnt even all that big a puncher thse days. The right might land but Calzaghe will keep on coming back and throw a lot of punches in bunches.

Calzaghe has always risen for the big ones and Hopkins at 43 is there for the taking. Hopkins is so old and he hasnt actually fought in a bloody long time since Winky. Calzaghe has just beaten Kessler and looked as good as ever doing it. I watched that again last night for the first time in a while and it was a great display. If Calzaghe brings that then it really will not be close.

Im with you Miles . The win over Kessler is one of my favourites even though I like Kess and the win over Lacy has to rank up there too .

But for some reason fighting in the States is so much harder for whatever reason . Joes never done it B4 so we dont know how he'll react if as ICB says , Hop drags him into a dirty fight like weve seen with Starie and Thornberry . If Joe brings it though and is at his best I cant see how Hop wins .

If Joe is anything near his best then Hopkins will be lucky to see it through until the end of the 12th. As it is, I expect Calzaghe to go easy and pound out a decision probably on the same scale as the Kessler one. This stage in the career will make Calzaghe all the more determined not to let anything slip.

[Preme]

Hopkins is a great fighter but the facts are that he is seriously up against it here. I cannot see him beating Calzaghe. He can talk as much as he likes and he is good at that but there is little to no way he will beat Calzaghe. Im still somewhat confused as to why Hopkins has actually gone through with this, he is usually so calculated and picks his opponents so well. He beat Tarver which was respectable but Tarver was a shell of a fighter that night. And Winky was way out of his weight range and before that there were two fights with Taylor in which Hopkins was pushed to the wire both times. Calzaghe is so much better than any of those fighters (though Winky at the lower weights was extremely good).

I maintain that Calzaghe will dominate this fight and Hopkins will look his age. Calzaghe is as skilled as they come and able to adapt in the ring to anything that Hopkins can offer at this late stage. It wasnt right for Hopkins to go through with this several years ago and now it is?? Something is amiss and its most likely Hopkins.

Sorry Miles but your way off here and to say Hopkins has little to no chance is way off the mark IMO. He can beat Calzaghe many ways by clinching and slowing Calzaghe's work rate down. Make it a rough tough fight which lesser fighters like Reid, Bika, had great success by frustrating Calzaghe making him lose his concentration and not allowing him to set the pace. And he can also use his best punch to good use aka the right hand which is Calzaghe's biggest weakness and that is one of Hopkins strong points. Im not saying Hopkins will win but he has a much better than than what your giving him.

to compare the BIka fight from you shocks me.

you know a lot about calzagh and his career, you know enough to know guys like Calzaghe seldom put on great showings against guys like bika... any fighter who goes into the ring with a guy they have already beat never shines.

Reid... that was what? almos 10 years ago ice... a fight calzaghe went into the ring with a broke hand, no pad work, no sparring for an already green fighter; he went into that with fittness and nothing more and you know that lol...

ther overhand right and the stright right is a weakness to EVERY southpaw

[Preme]

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[ICB]

Hopkins is a great fighter but the facts are that he is seriously up against it here. I cannot see him beating Calzaghe. He can talk as much as he likes and he is good at that but there is little to no way he will beat Calzaghe. Im still somewhat confused as to why Hopkins has actually gone through with this, he is usually so calculated and picks his opponents so well. He beat Tarver which was respectable but Tarver was a shell of a fighter that night. And Winky was way out of his weight range and before that there were two fights with Taylor in which Hopkins was pushed to the wire both times. Calzaghe is so much better than any of those fighters (though Winky at the lower weights was extremely good).

I maintain that Calzaghe will dominate this fight and Hopkins will look his age. Calzaghe is as skilled as they come and able to adapt in the ring to anything that Hopkins can offer at this late stage. It wasnt right for Hopkins to go through with this several years ago and now it is?? Something is amiss and its most likely Hopkins.

Sorry Miles but your way off here and to say Hopkins has little to no chance is way off the mark IMO. He can beat Calzaghe many ways by clinching and slowing Calzaghe's work rate down. Make it a rough tough fight which lesser fighters like Reid, Bika, had great success by frustrating Calzaghe making him lose his concentration and not allowing him to set the pace. And he can also use his best punch to good use aka the right hand which is Calzaghe's biggest weakness and that is one of Hopkins strong points. Im not saying Hopkins will win but he has a much better than than what your giving him.

to compare the BIka fight from you shocks me.

you know a lot about calzagh and his career, you know enough to know guys like Calzaghe seldom put on great showings against guys like bika... any fighter who goes into the ring with a guy they have already beat never shines.

Reid... that was what? almos 10 years ago ice... a fight calzaghe went into the ring with a broke hand, no pad work, no sparring for an already green fighter; he went into that with fittness and nothing more and you know that lol...

ther overhand right and the stright right is a weakness to EVERY southpaw

Im not comparing the Bika fight i used that as example how Calzaghe has struggled in the past in rough tough fights. So what if the Reid fight was 10 years ago its not like Calzaghe has got any better since then, in fact he has got a little worse since that fight because at least he still had power back then now he has virtually no KO power like he used to. Im not really buying all them excuses Preme it was just Reid had the style to trouble him, ok maybe Calzaghe wasn't 100 percent i'll admit that but it was still Reid giving him trouble end of. Yes i know the right hand is Southpaw's biggest weakness but fighters do adjust and can stop that from happening, from what i've seen in Calzaghe's fights he has no answer for the right hand at all, even Richie Woodhall hit him multiple times with right hands.

Im not putting Calzaghe down i was just giving my two cents on how Hopkins could win because i felt Miles was vastly underrating Hopkins.

[Majesty]

he wore his mask for the Taylor rematch too.

[GAME]

Good debate ICB and Miles.

You both make good points that I agree with but the most determining factor IMO is that if Hopkins couldnt deal with Taylors pace after two attempts afew years ago I dont think he can do any better vs Joe .

[bambamdaddio]

May be the mask is back....because he knows he's gonna need it....

Joe all the way, he has too much of everything, footwork, speed, agility, work rate, versatility, toughness and years...

This is a fight that J.C can't wait for...this is commercially his ticket to Legacyville...B.H wont stop Joe's fight plan with the rough shit, because Joe will not allow him to...

[NUCLEAR BULL]

i think we should remember that hopkins has taken tough fights before, the taylor fight he didn't need to have, he could have fought others but went for it, some say because he dislikes taylors promoter and wanted to settle a score but the fact is he fought taylor. he then went for tarver, i remember clearly not many giveing b-hop any chance saying tarver will ko him...........then not many gave him a chance against winky, people thought winky would be to good for him over 12 rounds. he now takes an even tougher fight in joe, say what you want no one can claim his last 5 fights have been easy choices and all in his 40's

others ( and i wont say his name ) have spent there carrear in a more comfortzone taking talior made opponets in large

i think joe will be to much but much respect to hopkins for taking it