Brit forum historians.....

I got a problem with Hopkins though

When the big names were at the middle / super middle divison he didnt fight them

he werent even a paper champion when the big guns were in town

he only became the man after they left the middleweight division.......

Nigel Benn
Michael Nunn
James Toney
Gerlad McCllellan
Julian Jackson
Chris Eubank
Tim Little
Frankie Liles

 

With all due respect you can't exactly put Bernard Hopkins, Mike McCallum or Yori Boy Campas up with the greatest lists of competition of all-time.

Bernard Hopkins dominated a relatively threadbare division compared to times gone by, fought guys that were more proven as welterweights and then had a brief but impressive foray at LHW.

The old guys fought everyone and anybody as a pasttime, not as an exception to the rule.

 

Enzo fought Bobby Gunn - surely on that fight alone he should be considered on the all time list..................

 

Charles or Greb or the man in my avatar

 

He's up there already with his double over mark hobson for me

 

Fair enough:good

I just thought he had a pretty deep record; deffo not up there with Charles and co though.

 

It's on some list alright.

...









Perhaps the one for worst title defence in history?

 

I sort of know where you're coming from TFFP re: Hopkins fighting some names who were more proven at welterweight (Oscar/Tito), but then you have to apply the same criteria to other fighters.

For example some of Hagler's biggest names:
Hearns (welter)
Leonard (welter)
Duran (lightweight)
Mugabi (light middle)

Monzon:
Griffith (welter)
Benvenuti (light middle)
Napoles (welter)

I don't think the criteria is so specific to dominance, victories, etc (as Jeff said they don't necessarily have to beaten them), just the over all quality of the names on a fighter's record.

 

Hagler wouldn't be anywhere close to best list of competition of all-time anyway.

By any criteria Hopkins isn't. You can count on the fingers of one hand the number of great fighters he's fought, and even a number of them are fringe great fighters that could be argued either way (Trinidad, Calzaghe).

 

Greb

Tiger Flowers
Maxie Rosenbloom
Mickey Walker
Gene Tunney
Tommy Loughran
Kid Norfolk
Tommy Gibbons
Mick McTigue
Battling Levinsky
Billy Miske
Jack Dillon

and many others....

:shock:

 

Archie Moore:

Ali
Marciano
Maxim
Patterson
Burley
Bivins
E Charles
H Johnson
Olson

Plus, he fought some of these a numerous amount of times.

 

Well it wasn't ****ing me, you can ask Achilles or Longcount and they can put the answer up here in the Brit forum.

 

FFS

 

:good 55-60 contests against top ten opposition is pretty impressive