Who has the best most impressive win over Hopkins

There is a lot of distance between Jones' and Calzaghe's, IMO.

Calzaghe's and Dawson's, you can make arguments either way (and BE and I have done just that), and they're not too far apart as #2 and #3 in whichever order when you factor in all pertinent details.

Jones' can't be touched. (can't be stopped, can't be moved, can't be rocked..)

 

Obviously Jones

Surprised people are saying Calzage, imo Taylor's wins are better and less controversial, I had Taylor beating Hopkins but Calzaghe losing to him. Plus Hopkins was what 4 years younger then?

So let's look at this logic, a 47yo Hopkins is too old for it to be a good win compared to a 43yo but the 43yo was a better win than the 39yo version now? OK that makes sense

 

Interesting take. :good

I did think Taylor got a couple of lucky rolls of the dice, while Calzaghe just about earned his W, but all three were close.

And as you say, Bernard was another 4 years younger/spryer/undeniably better when Jermain had a close battle with him than when Joe did it. :nod

 

For the first 7-9 rounds of the first fight I thought Taylor's jab and Nard's negatively pretty much saw most the rounds go Taylor's way. It's not like Taylor dominated but he did more each round. The second fight Hopkins got going a little earlier, both fights Hopkins took the championship rounds (from memory) but by that time he'd pissed too many rounds away for me

Calzaghe did more too, but he missed and didn't land too much, while getting clocked clean time and again, Hopkins just couldn't miss him with the right hand and they were very good clean ones. I think Hopkins won the first 4 rounds clean or something from memory, he also landed cleaner throughout

It's interesting allot of people get really influenced by the championship rounds, often scoring the winner by the man who won those rounds, especially if they win them big.

Not fights I want to see again tbh If it was upto me Hopkins-Calzaghe would be a NC, the man who wouldn't fight and the man who couldn't fight

 

Ahh right now I get it, he was old for Taylor but between Taylor and Calzaghe he got younger plus he was obviously still really fit needing a break in round 10 but between Calzaghe and Dawson he actually got older because time passed unlike between 2005-2008 when time went backwards, those were the days

You could also argue the Pascal wins are near as good as the Pavlik ones

As for Hopkins improving, well all fighters learn tricks as time goes on, it doesn't make them better. BHOPs had old school training from the start always was textbook perfect, a master feinter and hard to hit. Watch some of his none Jones fights to see. His stamina and workrate regressed several levels post-Trinidad though

Hopkins was also inactive for about a year coming into the Calzaghe fight

 

This is a good post.

I actually had Taylor drawing one and losing one with Bernard, but I also don't understand why so many people consider Calzaghe's 'win' better than Taylor's. Calzaghe-Hopkins was no clearer and no more convincing than Taylor-Hopkins, and Taylor was obviously fighting a better Hopkins.

Go figure.

 

He wasn't a patch on the fighter he was five years earlier, and yet still outlanded, outclassed and outpointed Calzaghe IMO.

 

Jones by a mile

 

:deal This is the one thing I'm firm as set concrete on.

Dawson vs. Calzaghe for runner-up honors, let the debate rage on. There is room for it.

Jones' result is most impressive, even if Hopkins was "green" (yes, I've actually seen this said many times on ESB. Somehow, the logic goes, if you aren't yet a wizened and wily veteran with plenty of tread on the gears, you're fern-green...nevermind you're already a top-ranked contender five years into the circuit and a scant year away from beating a former world champ, and two from snaring your own first world title... :huh)

 

Well put.

Also to note that Calzaghe was 37 and for a fighter who relies on activity, speed and reflexes, that is post-mortem. Yet, he figured out and beat one of the most skilled spoilers the sport has seen in decades.

 

Hopkins had basically the same number of fights and was about the same age as Jones

Lack of amateur 'experience'? on Hopkins behalf? Loads of amateur experience (P4P the #1 amateur fighter in the world) didn't help Mark breland one iota as a pro

 

:nod

I'm sick of hearing how Jones was robbing the cradle against Hopkins. :-(

It's a damn fine win.