hopkins Was Emabarrased, Outclassed And Exposed

[X]

I've just found my post from a few weeks ago on this fight, not a bad prediction?




"I really see this fight as a bit of a scuffling chess match, probably with a controversial decision at the end.

Both guys are good solid, thinking fighters, though Calzaghe does often lose his head and get involved in slugfests. He's got a very good chin and good speed though so he gets away with it.

Everybody really rates Hopkins, but he's left me a bit cold thoughout his career (sorry to all his fans). I think he is a real pro - always fit, strong and motivated and he is possibly the best 'spoiler' I have ever seen. Hopkins doesn;t win his fights by imposing his style and gameplan on the other guy - he wins by just stopping the other guys imposing his own style and gameplan on the fight, he frustrates people to death.

I don't really see Calzaghe's workrate having too much of a bearing on this, Hopkins is a master at controlling the pace of a fight and I think both guys will still be standing there at the end, possibly not too tired and possibly without much damage having been done to them. They are both seasoned pros who know how to fight and survive adversity in the ring.

I actually think it will be a boring fight. I'd lean towards Calzaghe simply because he is younger and is a very very slick boxer when he wants to be. Having said that, I would not be too surprised to see Hopkins nick it .... he;s the hometown fighter, he will flurry and steal rounds etc.

[X]

Incidentally, I don't think Hopkins was embarrassed outclassed or exposed.

This might be a bit controversial on here, as Hopkins has a kind of legendary status on this board .... but (to me, anyway) he was always a decent, tough and solid old pro. He was never that exciting to watch, nobody ever looked good against him ....... a solid scuffler who has learnt how to survive in the ring, by coming up the hard way.

In a previous age, Hopkins would have been a solid 'gatekeeper' - the guy that you had to go though to get to a world title (maybe a bit like a Robbie Simms or a Gerry Quarry type status - a headline act and a contender, but he falls short of greatness. Maybe a bit of a Jersey Joe Walcott as well?

It's not his fault - he is a solid professional who never undertrains and has come a long way in life ... a genuinely tough man, just not a 'great' fighter.

Yes, he had middleweight titles for a long time, but I think you need more than that to be called 'great' - you need to fight dangerous guys who are your size, you need to show a bit of class etc etc.

I'm sure there are people here who disagree - this is just my opinion, but Hopkins is/was a very good fighter ............. but not a great one.

Good pros hardly ever get enbarrassed, outclassed and exposed because they know what they are doing in there - they can fiddle and fudge, hols and slip, follow with the head or elbow, pace the fight and often come out unmarked .... but there is a difference between trying not to lose, and trying to win.

I've never seen Bernard 'let it all hang out' and throw caution to the wind in order to get an unlikely victory.

[Bomp]

I've just found my post from a few weeks ago on this fight, not a bad prediction?




"I really see this fight as a bit of a scuffling chess match, probably with a controversial decision at the end.

Both guys are good solid, thinking fighters, though Calzaghe does often lose his head and get involved in slugfests. He's got a very good chin and good speed though so he gets away with it.

Everybody really rates Hopkins, but he's left me a bit cold thoughout his career (sorry to all his fans). I think he is a real pro - always fit, strong and motivated and he is possibly the best 'spoiler' I have ever seen. Hopkins doesn;t win his fights by imposing his style and gameplan on the other guy - he wins by just stopping the other guys imposing his own style and gameplan on the fight, he frustrates people to death.

I don't really see Calzaghe's workrate having too much of a bearing on this, Hopkins is a master at controlling the pace of a fight and I think both guys will still be standing there at the end, possibly not too tired and possibly without much damage having been done to them. They are both seasoned pros who know how to fight and survive adversity in the ring.

I actually think it will be a boring fight. I'd lean towards Calzaghe simply because he is younger and is a very very slick boxer when he wants to be. Having said that, I would not be too surprised to see Hopkins nick it .... he;s the hometown fighter, he will flurry and steal rounds etc.

What do you want, afucking medal?




only kidding. I dissagree with your second post by the way, both he and Calzaghe have suffered because they didn't get the limelight until after their exciting primes, while they still find ways to win they don't capture the imagination.

IMO Hopkins is a great, he might be a bit below Hagler/Monzon and of course below SSR, but he genuinely dominated the division like the first two, and from what I gather the division wasn't exactly loaded when those guys were on top, while Hagler also relied on wins against naturally smaller guys.