Sergio vs Hopkins?... too fast or too big??

Sergio's speed would surely decrease going up there, as will his power. Hopkins would just lean against him on the ropes, doing ungodly things to Sergio's body on the inside.

Hopkins by Mauling.

 

Wow we are having this thread for a top 3 P4P guy and a 46 year old:-(

 

I have B Hop in my top 10 p4p list

 

Me too, but this whole thing about matching Sergio up with all these monstrously big fighters is getting ridiculous. And it's mostly because people are pissed he wants to fight Pac at 154.

 

I actually don't think it would be that close. I'd expect Martinez to actually KO Hopkins late or Hopkins DQ'ing himself as a way to save face. Martinez has too much speed and accuracy. He also has way too much confidence at this point. Hopkins admittedly is crafty and smart but he just doesn't have the work rate to keep Martinez from scoring accurately and plentifully. Martinez will not fade nor give Hopkins the respect Pascal did. Don't see Hopkins as the stronger of the two either. In any case, Hopkins won't be applying pressure on Martinez. It's not his game. They're both natural counter-punchers and that favors faster, more athletic fighters like Martinez. The more I think about it, the more I'm convinced Hopkins has NO CHANCE!

 

:deal

 

I think Sergio has a higher work rate than Pascal, but I wouldn't necessarily say he's better than Pascal because Pascal brings the size and power advantage that Sergio won't have against a guy like Hopkins.

In a PFP sense though, I understand where you're coming from, but at the same time I don't think Sergio sets a lot of his attacks up. I think he tends to rely mostly on his superior athleticism.

 

I disagree that he wouldnt use his size, he is great on the inside and of course with a fast guy he will get on the inside and hold to slow him down and the size difference will place a big role there.

A smaller guy with speed and stamina? of course he will use his size there and try to tie him up, wear him down, tire him out and reduce his output

 

Hopkins is near impossible to KO and Sergio isnt going to be the guy to do it. His power is overrated, he didnt stop pavlik and williams with power, he stopped them because they are wide open and he landed flush with ease.

Watch the williams KO, williams was in a very very bad position, his chin was not tucked and he got hit with a perfect shot that had his head flying around like a bobble head. Hopkins not only has a solid chin but he keeps his chin tucked at all times. He doesnt put himself in a bad position to get hit that cleanly with his head out in the open.

 

Good post.

 

I think you guys are giving B-hop too much credit at this point, Martinez moves a lot which would cause trouble for an old Bernard who we all know enjoys tying up

 

Hopkins weighed 156lbs against DLH! He never had to cut weight at all to make middleweight. Fighting over 160 is likely due to his age and not that hes 'outgrown' MW in his 40's. Hopkins is quite tall, about 6'1, but he is not a big man naturally. THis fight would be good at 160 and Hopkins can make that weight easily.

 

I don't think Hopkins can make MW anymore, not to mention years of ring wear have his legs looking funny, Pascal put him down with not much, he wasn't hurt, he just loses his balance when he gets hit, too much getting hit for too long wares the brain, though he never took a ton of punishment, his career is long in the tooth, 20+ years. Martinez already moved up to middle, I don't think he is big enough for SMW, I doubt this fight ever happens, if it does it will not be at MW. I'm a Bhop fan, I think he needs to retire after his fight with Pascal, win or lose, and I honestly think he could be in trouble in this upcoming fight, and its not because I'm a Pascal fan, I'm not, he's just getting old, such is life, I hope he wins and retires.

 

Some good points here. However, I gotta disagree that Hopkins is near impossible to KO at this stage of his career. Ever since that RJJ rematch, something is wrong with Hop taking shots around the ear or slightly behind the head. He just gets very discombobulated. It happened again in the Pascal fight (I believe the first knock down) He also is susceptible to short hooks he doesn't see in exchanges ( second knock down in Pascal fight). Pascal could have KO'd Hop early had he kept his foot on the gas.

You have to believe, based on his recent fights, that Martinez is gonna exchange and mix it up with Hopkins and this ups the chances that Sergio is gonna land something around the ears or that sneaky short left of his, especially as Hopkins tries to nullify Sergio's feints and movement by getting close and trying to tie him up. To me, it's a numbers game. Martinez is gonna be throwing a hell of a lot more punches than Hop. Couple this with Martinez's uncanny accuracy and ability to ambush and get out, Hopkins is probably a sitting duck.

I just don't see Hopkins' old legs and bag-o-tricks overcoming this match-up. The combination of speed, skills, guts, and confidence that Martinez brings right now will only remind observers that, even during his prime or just-past prime, Hop had trouble with speedy, athletic guys (RJJ 1, Taylor 1 & 2, Calzaghe)