Beautifully said. This clarifies the argument very well for those in boxing who confuse H2H exercises (which is all they really are) with "greatness" -which is far more measurable.
But in this cases H2H is very measurable as Jones beat Hopkins in the ring not on some imaginary ranking. Still, it's a complicated question and I can see the legitimacy of both sides.
It might skew people's perspective to ask the day after Hopkins breaks a huge record and a shot to **** Jones gets knocked out cold by a cruiserweight...
But Hopkins also beat Jones as well, and neither of them were at their peaks for either of their two fights. I think the only real argument in Jones' favor here is the big win over Ruiz up at HW. Otherwise, I think Hopkins has matched or surpassed him in almost every other regard.
RJJ was more dominant and spectacular in defeating his opponents than hopkins was in defeating his. On the other hand, Hopkins beat an overall better class of opponents than Jones and was impressive in doing so. I think that it's a matter of how you look at it because people judge greatness in different ways.
Hopkins. His resume is as good or close to Jones and his longevity is unbelievable. He's been a top 10 rated fighter or champion for nearly 20 years and is still fighting at an incredible level. Prime for prime belongs to Jones. All time belongs to Hopkins. Edit: Jones positive test for PED's has to be factored in the equation to. It opens the door to the possibility he may have cheated in other fights but not got caught.
Hops smokes Jones based on what has happened since 2003...... Hops loses close decisions, while Jones gets parked like a jalopy.... 'Nuff said... MR.BILL:deal
Yeah. The rest is very close, could be argued either way. Hopkins´ longevity and good wins at a high age - I don´t think many people realise how much age takes of you even without the wear and tear of 200 fights - edge it for him. Neither is in the Top35 for ne though.
"Longevity" at or near the top happens to be a key issue and major player here....:deal MR.BILL:think:yep:bbb