It's been a pleasure following Hopkins' career.

Certainly Taylor would have been KO'd. RJJ was tiring and slowing down in the latter rounds, three more?? And perhaps we see RJJ's Chin exposed??? We'll never know, unfortunately.

 

During the last 2 months I have watched about 40 of Hopkins' fights over his amazing career and while watching most of the 12 round decision wins, I thought EXACTLY the same thing about what would happen if they were 15 rounders. Not just the big fights, like Joppy, Taylor, Wright, etc, but the smaller ones. In almost all of the 12 round UD fights Hopkins had pre-Trinidad, by the 12th round, his opponents were so broken down mentally / physically that if he had 3 more rounds to work with, he would stop them. Hopkins is a true 15 round fighter at a time where many top boxers can't handle 12 well. I've never seen him look physically exhausted after a match, even in the first Mercado fight where he got off the canvas twice in Ecuador to own him in the late rounds! Even at 42 in Saturday's fight against P4Per Winky! Hopkins would have a huge KO% if he fought back in the 15 round days.

Hopkins is a great fighter and a real complete boxer, but what really impresses me about him that few people talk about is the determination, focus, and overall mindset he had throughout his entire career. I don't think I can name another boxer who looks so focused and determined to win while being so relaxed in the ring than Hopkins. Whether you watch a fight of his back in in his 20s or the fight against Winky at 42, he's always
looked hungry and his will to win is incredible.

I hate when people label Hopkins as a technical fighter who just looks to score points and not hurt his opponents. These people have never saw his fights during the 20 title defenses. Hopkins did not outbox his opponents and then cruise the last few rounds safely while being way ahead on points to win fights. He would figure fighters out in the early rounds, then increase the pressure and punishment more and more as the rounds went by and his opponents broke down.

In so many of Hopkins' fights I feel like I am watching a master boxer break his opponents down systematically and right as I'm about to see him finish them off, the end of the 12th round bell rings. I can only imagine how great it would have been to see him destroy them in the 13th, 14th, and 15th rounds.

 

thats hard to say, i mean these uys didn't train for a 15 rounder they were training for 12, they probably would have done things differently when training for a 15 rounder.

 

I really wish 15 rounds were brought back, that seriously sorted the men from the boys.

45 minutes of beating the crap out of each other sounds better than 36.

 

What's masterful about throwing 6 punches a round?atsch

 

The only things they would have done differently is get knocked out in the real championship rounds. Many fighters today simply aren't disciplined enough to train like Hopkins does and have the stamina he had back when he was younger.

 

we dont know that for sure now do we, training methods would have been different, instead of running 3 miles they would have ran 5, instead of doing 8 interval circuits they would have been doing 12, fights would have been fought at a different pace, if leon spinks was able to go 15 i'm sure alot of others would aswell.

 

Did you even see that fight?

Hopkins wasnt even hurt in it....how would Jones have stopped him? I mean, what tells you this?

:huh

BTW....good post Am and Huki...

 

exactly.that logic of what if it were 15 rounds is ridiculous.

 

Hopkins>Jones

 

It's not a matter of what he could have or should have done, it's a matter of what he did do, and BTW this suppossed master strategist lost to Jermain Taylor (who, by all accounts on this forum, is just average) TWICE:deal

 

Trinidad, JMW.
ODLH, JWM.
Winky, JWM.
Tarver, sucks and known for KOing an over-the-hill rjj.
Eastman, who is that when comparing him to ATG status?
Taylor, sucks?

The names on the resume are great and he is deffinetly getting up there but I wouldn't jump the gun. If he would have beaten RJJ that would have been truly great.