Interesting pick but can we really say he did not fulfil his potential as he pretty much cleaned out a generation of heavyweights in the mid to late 1980s. Youngest heavyweight champion in history and unified all the belts including Ring Magazine and lineal titles.
You mean the big time fight that was held on an undercard? That was no big time fight back then. Hopkins was barely known in 1993.
I remember it was a Bowe undercard and ITV in UK showed brief highlights after showing the Bowe fight.
McClellan, Julian Jackson, Reggie Johnson, John David Jackson, Thomas Tate, Kalambay, Pyatt, Collins, Parks, Norris, McCallum etc were considered a lot better than Hopkins at the time. Castro was a better win for Jones
Proved correct with the hell this Mercado dude put on him. Hopkins really came into his own against Keith Holmes in 00.
Certainly one of the best examples of picking a 'name' opponent and having it completely backfire in Duran.
Pipino Cuevas,,,,,fought very good fighters turning pro at a young age and was practically done at 25
Ruben Olivares. It was a testament to just how great he was that he still dominated Bantam and then won Featherweight honors. And Mando Ramos is a poster boy for this. Won the title at 19, youngest LW champ ever - great style. He then became a drug and party fiend and left the sport a shell in his mid 20s. Had some amazing fights though.
