I'm going against what others have said and i think Hopkins wins a decision, no disrespect to Michalczewski but i always thought he was kind of overrated. He didn't really "wow" me when i watched him fight, a solid champion but for me not special despite his many title defences. I also thought he was kind of lucky against Hall and Rocchigiani in their first meetings, Rocchigiani was winning the fight. And i remember Michalczweksi cheated and took advantage of a situation. And Hall was giving him a war and the referee stopped the fight prematurely, maybe i'm forgetting somethings because i've only seen those fights once, and it's been years since i've seen them but that's how i remember it. But yeah i think Hopkins can outbox him and win a decision.
On the surface, DM seems like the logical choice. But this is B-Hop we’re talking about.. if I got a nickel for every time I thought he was going to lose and was proven wrong I’d be richer than he is..:
Again I think that jab of Dm is going to cause havoc for Hopkins. It isn't a light jab its as hard as a right-hand on some occasions and DM has a pretty weird sense of timing with it and also doubles up on it alot.
And the accuracy and follow up punches after the jab. He threw perfect uppercuts with both hands. nasty left hooks to the head and body in a sport where a guy usually can only do one well. Nice right hand. So accurate with anything he threw and just did not seem to miss much and hit air. and that perfect extension on his punches--especially that jab. Not good at all for an old fighter's reflexes. And Bernard's punches are going to do nothing to this guy and he is going to walk through them. Just way too much pressure and Hopkins does not want a fight 3 minutes per round bout anyway--especially at lh. Bernard wants a guy that falls for feints and does not throw consistent combos, especially with the ability to move their feet. A guy with minimal footwork and is easy to read with a moderate work ethic is far far more suitable for Hopkins.
BHOP completely neutralizes him. I have seen people say that DN's work rate and volume would trouble BHOP and I just don't see it especially after BHOP's performances against guys like Pavlik and Cloud who were heavy handed volume guys. I could just see DN getting countered all day and being frustrated by BHOP's sublime footwork and angles.
