Hopkins "No Need To Fight Kovalev "

People seem to only be capable of thinking small.
They have a myopic view of the world or complex situations.
Although it would be nice for BHOP to become undisputed LHW champion, it really does not appear to be the plan or even necessary to achieve his goal.

Realistically, Hopkins is 50 years old. It's not as if he has a lot of time left to compete at this high level.

He said himself in a recent interview that he would like to unify before the end of 2014.
Who would believe that a 50 year old man will face and fight three of the world's top LHW title holders in the same year?

Obviously, becoming undisputed LHW is not a realistic goal and not what BHOP intends to pursue.
Unifying the top three LHW belts by end of 2014 should suffice to fulfill this phase of the goal.
How BHOP intends to leverage this in 2015 is simply larger than defeating Kovalev.

Observe the artist at work, as he paints this final masterpiece.

 

growing marketability? other than fanboys, who wants to watch twelve rounds of no action? won't matter anyways. stevenson will demolish him,if hopkins actually fights him.

 

We can argue all day whether or not a 4th belt should have been recognized (I would have stopped at 2), but the WBO is not a weak list of champions. There are many WBO champs who are stronger champs than some owning one of the other 3 belts, so take another hit and step away from the keyboard.

 

Prior to the WBO being recognized, you would be correct. In 2014, you are wrong. What you've listed there in 2014 would be the unified champion. Today, you have to add the WBO in there and then you have the undisputed champion.

Kovalev is widely considered to be the third best LHW in the world, and in some lists even higher. Kovalev is hardly a nobody or just guy with a "high ranking" belt. He is a very legitimate contender for being the best LHW in the world. The only way we'd know for sure who is the best is to have the top 3 face off and the best man left is king--undisputed. What's so bad about that? The fans get a great show, and the boxer who wins won't have tons of people saying he ducked a legitimate contestant to the crown and that he's not a legit undisputed champ. I think stylistically, Kovalev is Hopkins toughest match, and I know quite a few other analysts who believe the same thing. So to toss out the fighter who might be your toughest opponent, well looks a little suspect, especially when you decide to just go ahead and call yourself undisputed, anyway, without defeating them.

To be considered the best football pro team in the US you can't just opt not to play the other contender and just give yourself the ring anyway, especially a team who is perhaps your biggest competition.

 

When BHOP - Stevenson happens, will you be watching? :yep

 

I have zero problem with that and will be BHop's loudest supporter if his goal is to UNIFY 3 of the 4 belts. However, if his goal is to redefine the 2014 definition of UNDISPUTED and then apply it to himself, and fraudulently walk around calling himself the Undisputed Champion, that I can't support and with that, I have a problem (and everyone else should, too.)

I'm one of the minority who love pure sweet science (the Rigondeaux's, BHop's, & Mayweather's of the sport.) Others call it boring, but I call it mastery, so I can't wait to see the Hopkins-Stevenson fight. I just wish the master would take on Kovalev and become the undisputed champion. We don't have champs, one by one, pick off all of the other champs in a division enough these days. It's always fun to watch, so I hate for Hopkins to stop one short.

 

When Kovalev became Hopkins' mandatory, Hopkins refused to fight him, so Kovalev had a chance to win a title and the took it, won by knockout in the opponents' home town. Then HBO was promoting a Kovalev/Stevenson fight, Stevenson did not want to fight Kovalev so he ran to Showtime, Hopkins and Stevenson know who the best light-heavyweight in the world is, that's why the both ran from him. Vladimir Klitschko beat all the other champions to win the WBO, WBA, IBF, IBO, Ring, championships, now he intends on fighting the WBC champion since his brother Vitali retired because of politics............

 

Sweet! :good

yeah, I wish BHOP had more time on his side also, and enough youth to unify all the belts.
This new generation aren't into taking the risk of exposing themselves to achieve undisputed status, but I think Andre Ward is old school and may revise/continue the traditions.
We may not get to see BHOP-Kovalev, but more than likely we will see a Ward-Kovalev match up.

 

When Vlad succeeds in obtaining all the titles and belts, he will have obtained the new title of UBB;
Undisputed Big Bum.

 

Vladimir Klitschko is the best fighter in the world today, he can beat all the other champions no matter what weight division. Ward said he would easily beat Vitali and Vlad, well, Ward did not sign a contract. Ward would get killed. Kovalev is the best light-heavyweight in the world today, both Stevenson and Hopkins are running from him...............Vlad has WBO championship and is proud of it, he also has the IBF, WBA, IBO, Ring championships and intends on fighting for Vitali's WBC belt ASAP............

Roid Jones, Jr. fought Ruiz for the heavyweight title and won, but he refused to fight Vitali. Why doesn't Hopkins do what Jones did and fight Vladimir Klitschko? If he is the best fighter in the world he should do what Jones did, before that he should fight Stevenson and Kovalev, but I doubt if he can beat Stevenson, and I am sure he won't beat Kovalev, that's why he will not go near him.............Stevenson a proven chicken, Hopkins a proven chicken also............

 

Vlad is figting on ESPN, for free.
That is because other than in Russia, England or Germany no one wants to pay to watch bums fight.

 

There are a lot of boxers out there who would give their right arm to have what Vlad has....................Vlad also won the gold medal, back in 1996, super-heavyweight division. If Vlad is a bum, I hate to think what the others are................hell, he knocked out Thompson two times, yet Wilder refused to fight Thompson, good thing he did.............

 

No more meaningless than the WBC, IBF or WBA.

Hopkins, in his mind, honestly believes be can beat the limited Stevenson, but for some reason he don't want anything to do with Kovalev.

Ward won't fight outside of Oakland, and brings absolutely no monetary value to the dance so that probably won't happen.

I suspect Hopkins will get drilled by Adonis and he and Kovalev will fight spring 2015.

 

Boxer- english translation:

"No need" = "He scares the living **** outta me, even tough i'm well aware it's a fight everyone would like to see."

 

Or maybe its because its on the other side of the world and not at primetime for American viewers.

Even Mayweather and Pacqiao aren't on PPV in Europe, does that mean no one wants to watch them outside of American and they're always in bum fights too?