Stevenson is the man at LHW not Kovelev ! Who did he beat to become a LHW titlist ? Clevery where was he ranked ? Stevenson beat the man in Dawson ! The WBO belt holder is not the man to beat !
What makes Kovalev's punching power overrated? lol I haven't heard that one before. How does Hopkins take away his punching power, by fighting inside or movement? Kovalev would beat him up inside and I don't see Hopkins staying away from Kovalev for twelve rounds. I wouldn't call myself a Kovalev fan like some on this board but I see no way Hopkins gets through that fight.
bernard, has the cheek to beg floyd , for a fight after condemming him several days before. **** off & fight ward hopkins!!
the wbo belt was made 'legitimate' by hbo with dlh and the klitschkos. it's always been the least desired strap. with that being said....if bhop doesn't fight kovalev....it would be similar to trinidad not fighting bhop in the middleweight tournament bhop won. it has to happen.
Usually being linear means you undisputed but not always. Was Shannon Briggs undisputed after he controversially beat the linear champion in Foreman? While you are right belts mean less and less with the proliferation and devaluing of titles the linear title can mean very little too if the linear champion won unfairly or if they are avoiding the best available.
Very true it was Stevenson who beat Dawson to become the man. While I personally think Kovalev is the best 175lbs fighter on the planet he has still to prove it. Beating Cleverly just makes him one of the top contenders.
The fact that he's done nothing other than crush TOMATO CANs. Hopkins has arguably the best defense the boxing game has ever seen - and that's no exaggeration. I think the ole man boxes circles around Kovalev staying outside the range of his power shots and making an ugly fight of it on the inside. Kovalev has zero inside game. He had no problem doing just that this weekend with a guy who fights in a style similar to Kovalev.
Not even close. Trinidad had demolished a top 160lb'er to earn his spot against Hopkins while Hopkins had been sitting on top of the division for YEARS. Exactly WHO has Kovalev beaten? Nathan Cleverly? LOL...
If Hopkins becomes undisputed Champ and I believe he will, I also believe the powers to be will be fought by the guy who most personified that struggle throughout and even leaving Jim Gray speechless after the Robert Allen fight. Bernard won't resist the temptation to fight Kovalev specially if Kovalev's name gets thicker and thicker like Hoya's became but first comes Stevenson who in Canada is a far more dangerous challenge.
Agreed. It's all about BHOP getting past Stevenson, post fight reaction of fans/networks, and finally, money. I'm still wondering which is the more attractive fight for Hopkins post Steverson. Kovalev or Ward? If both choices were available to him, I'd guess that Ward would be the bigger draw. Hopkins would choose Ward over Kovalev. If Kovalev and team were wise, while Hopkins-Stevenson is simmering, they should become super aggressive at pursuing a Ward-Kovalev match-up to give Kovalev better positioning when Hopkins-Stevenson settles.
Hopkins has already said that there is no way he would fight Ward. Supposedly, Ward reminds him of himself too much. However, Mayweather is a different story and he would fight him at 160.