When was he at his best?? When did he peak?? I'm not just talking about his age.....but his skillset, his best performances etc
Johnson to echols..he wasnt huge yet like he was from tito to oscar..but his fights were amazing at this point in his career!
Really impossible question. For some fighters, the older Hop would be harder to beat than the younger version, for others, vice versa
Tough call. Probably the one vs. Tito, but here's a quick denial of that: not based on the video of the terrific performance (speed, power, stamina) vs. Pavlik, but based on statistics, you'll find that Hopkins at 43 averaged his prime punch output, but getting slightly higher connect percantage, and taking shots in a lower percentage, which is quite shocking. Statistically, the Pavlik fight was the closest to perfection. Watching it on screen, you can't help but think the same.
obviously the human body breaks down as it ages. Hopkins doesn't have the same reflexes now that he did when he beat Tito. When Benard knocked out Lipsey he was physically stronger than he was for Tito. But he keeps on getting smarter in fighting and conditioning. Guy's like Pavlick are tailor made for him. A fight against someone more technically sound and younger, like Chad Dawson, would be much harder for Hopkins to deal with. Hopkins would still have a good chance against Adamek, style wise. Benards body is getting older, but he's getting smarter.
his welterweight period was interesting oscar/trinidad etc though the marvin eastman to kelly pavlik period really does it for me!