Fact or Fiction: Younger Hopkins...

yes and yes.

 

Hopkins had already been fighting for over a decade by then and had already become a very intelligent fighter. He was very athletic in younger days though, underrated handspeed.

That version of Hopkins would have beaten "prime" Calzaghe easily as "prime" Calzaghe doesn't really exist. The younger version of Calzaghe was much more reckless, easier to hit and didn't apply the ring generalship he relied on as he aged as effectively, he also fired up when hit a lot more, leaving himself even more open. Hopkins would have beaten the "physical prime" Calzaghe soundly.

The Calzaghe that fought Lacy however would give any version of Hopkins a tough fight, though i would favour Hopkins of 2001 to win it on cleaner punching.

 

Yes and yes.

 

A peak Bhops would've embarrasses slappy.

 

No, I don't think Hopkins ever would've "torn Joe a new *******". Win, yes, but not a Johnson/Mercado 2/Trinidad type domination.

 

Undeniably.

 

both without a doubt.

 

yes on 1. calzaghe always gives hopkins serious trouble, maybe for different reasons at different stages of his career. younger hopkins never fought anyone as large as calzaghe. and remember - hopkins is still in his prime age aint ****

 

Hopkins was most definitely athletic early in his career. He would have beaten Calzaghe in a very good fight. Maybe 116-112 or so. Calzaghe himself is a tremendous fighter and would not get dominated by anyone, I reckon.

 

hopkins aswell as calsaghe got better whit age but hopinks bigest win was against overblown fighters de la hoya, trinidad

 

Yes too both. A well past his peak B hop knocked down calzaghe and lost very close he wins by a 9 to 3 or 8 to 4 margin in his prime

 

Yes and hell yes

 

I don't really think too highly of the De La Hoya win. It was great for name value, but wins over the likes of Trinidad, Johnson, and especially Tarver were better.

Trinidad may have won his first belt @ 147 but he was a very big welter, who had destroyed the consensus #2 MW in the world before fighting Hopkins, and was the 3-1 favorite.

It was really only afterwards that all the blown-up welterweight criticism came about.