prime hopkins beats kovalev

Impossible to say as Hopkins is so far past his best, yet Kovalev won so convincingly. Kovalev showed us he is among the best if not the best that Hopkins has fought a light heavy.

I think Kovalev would have given even the Hopkins that beat Tarver a tough fight. It all comes down to foot work. Kovalev showed last night he has the foot work to compete to not be so easily out boxed, he didn't just over power and out work Hopkins he out boxed him. That for me suggests he would have always been a tough opponent even against the best version of Hopkins at light heavyweight.

One thing other than the result surprised me last night and that was the size difference. Hopkins looked every bit the former middleweight against Kovalev last night. Kovalev just looked so much bigger than Hopkins.

 

hes 49 years old. FORTY NINE. reflexes, timing, and speed is completely shot.

 

Putting aside how this makes statements like Hopkins is special or a great fighter (because he fights at age 50) or an alien false since he is really a completely shot fighter, the reality is hopkins age (and fear of kovalev) saved his life no doubt. If he had had better reflexes and engaged with Kovalev more and gotten disrespectful, he would be lights out. Kolvalev would knock out a more engaged and confident version of Hopkins no doubt.

There's no excuse. Hopkins was destroyed. He was outboxed and out strategized. He was made to look like an unskilled fighter. And this only gets worse the more Hopkins tries to fight. Ward's next.

 

Hopkins is special and he is great. He just lost to a younger man who also is a good fighter. No shame in that.

 

lol no. u expect me to believe someone who couldn't KO a 50 year old would be able to do it to a younger version, whos faced plenty of heavy hitters and has NEVER been stopped in his long career? get real. "destroyed" yet no stoppage and hardly any facial damage on Bhop. 12th round was the only scary moment for him. cleary beaten, not destroyed. age is a factor no matter how bad u wish it wasn't.

 

yet you were predicting hop schools him.

 

We will never know. All we know is that Hopkins just got lit up for 12 rounds by Kovalev. This was the first time Hopkins ever fought a fighter like Kovalev. A giant,non weight drained LHW, with massive punching power that can box on the outside and move just as much as he could slug it out.
I believe Kovalev would have beaten him at any point. Hopkins had nothing for Sergey, NOTHING.

 

Yes he's 49 and way, way past his best but he wasn't completely shot. The easy level of his recent opposition hid some of his decline no doubt but I had been saying before the fight Hopkins had declined a lot from the Pascal fight.

Yet to just rule last nights results as simply being a case of Hopkins being shot is a real insult to Kovalev and the rest of the light heavy division.

Hopkins is my favourite fighter of all time but even I won't try and tarnish what was a good win for Kovalev by simply saying Hopkins was completely shot despite him being a top 3 light heavy. Not because he won but because how he won. It kind of pains me to say it but Kovalev rarely got out of first gear last night he won at a canter.

 

It's funny how all the Nut-hoppers claimed it'd be the Kovalev fans who'd be wheeling out the excuses.

 

BHop fan here and I have no excuses, so don't include me in with those who can't accept what happened last night. Kovalev was simply the better man and probably the best light heavy Hopkins has fought, better than Tarver, better than Pascal and better than Dawson.

 

Just because someone went the distance, doesnt mean if younger they would have won.

 

summed up best

 

Unless Hopkins took a better punch years ago, he's not beating Kovalev.

 

probably would have shut him down yes.

wahaa, whats wrong with those bigging up ko4clev? hes beaten one good fighter, one puppet titlist (clev) and one 50 year old.


I am not putting him down because hes a proven ko artist in his numerous title defences now, but hes not beaten anyone great or close to it yet. Hes no legend or close to it, though I hope he gets there. Calling him something bhop has never faced is dumb.