GGG is - at the very least - the Greatest middleweight since Hagler

Hopkins career at middle is no better than GGG's. The only fights people remember are the welters he fought and the Taylor fights.

 

Taylor beat Hopkins....twice...that was great but other than than his list of opponents weren't that great.

Kelly beat Taylor....outside of that who did he really beat during his reign as the middleweight world champion?

Martinez beat JCC Jr....beat Paul and lost to Cotto....Martin Murray, Barker? None of these 160 champions had reigned over the division the way guys like Hopkins and GGG have

 

You have an argument there....but I rank Hopkins higher at this point because he was just as dominant in his era and his overall body of work throughout his career is legendary. I know we are specifically talking about their middleweight careers but I think the fighters at 160 in the late 90s and early 2000s were slightly tougher. Not by a substantial amount but slightly

 

Is it the record of defences why you hold Hop higher than GGG?? At 160lb

 

This really gets your blood boiling. Relax....it's really not that serious. He's the lineal middleweight champion and has unified the division. Those are accomplishments that hold a lot of weight which factors into the discussion of where he ranks amongst the best the division has produced over the last 30 or 40 years.

Toney is my all time favorite boxer. I'd love to give him the validation of the best middleweight since Hagler but that's not how this works. Toney h2h probably beats everyone at 160 IF he was completely prepared, focused and on his "A game"...but based on his body of work at 160 he didn't have much consistency or longevity. He had some masterful performances and great wins against great opponents but overall it was short lived.

Quantity doesn't TYPICALLY trump Quality but if you have one 5 carat diamond worth $5M and 20 1 carat diamonds worth $10M....quantity trumps quality. Same with factoring in dominance, longevity and consistency as it relates to boxing. It holds value when you can say someone has the lineal title, has a record number of title defenses and has unified the division

 

That is a big factor but I also believe the division Hopkins faced during his physical peak were under appreciated. They were very good boxers but not noteworthy. It's viewed as a weak era but it had some really tough guys who operated at 160 at that time. I think the division now is also under valued...with no big names or superstars the division as a whole doesn't get the recognition it probably deserves....plus, they have been dominated by Golovkin for the most part which makes the current crop look average

 

Felix Trinidad

You got anything else, Einstein?

 

Who did Bumlovkin beat to earn that distinction?

 

Ward's two wins over Kovalev defecate and urinate over the whole of Bumlovkin's career...

 

Nothing on Bumlovkin's resume comes within lightyears of Taylor's TWO wins over Hopkins.

Nothing on Bumlovkin's resume comes anywhere close to Pavlik's KO win over Taylor.

Nothing on Bumlovkin's resume comes close to Martinez' dismantling of Kelly Pavlik. Especially when you consider that Martinez wasn't a natural 160lb'er...

 

You are really over estimating the magnitude of intellect. I'm no Einstein, but thank you.

Trinidad....Why not add DLH to the mix. They were both welterweights who won middleweight titles. Those wins are good but the fact those were welterweights with BIG names meant more than anything they brought to the table as true top tier middleweights

 

Nah, you cant have 2 fights over the brilliant record that GGG's compiled with pure dominance for what seems like an eternity. Impossible. You have to understand artwork at its finest to truly appreciate ! It'll come with time !

 

Of course not. The two wins over Hopkins for Jermaine is what his entire legacy is built on. But it's not about 2 quality wins that makes a great legacy or solidifies a historical feat.

Kelly's win over Taylor is also the foundation of Kelly's legacy. Those are shallow waters albeit crystal clear water...shallow nonetheless.

Sergio beating Kelly is again, what makes his legacy at 160. Great win, but it's a flash in the pan. There's little to add to his great vicotry over Pavlik to make that flash into a inferno

Golovkin still is etching out his 160 legacy....title defenses, lineal champion, unification of the straps...big names are coming but what what he's done thus far and how he's done is noteworthy

 

Adding DLH to the mix doesn't suit the agenda with him !

 

Hopkins KO'ed his welterweights. Bumlovkin, OTOH, could only manage a DRAW against his...