If I was looking to put big money down at one of the sportsbook windows in Vegas, I honestly don't know who I'd roll with.
Hopkins to me was the 3rd greatest middle weight of all time,behind only Hagler & Robinson.Hopkins 6'1 GGG 5'10.Hopkins had a great chin,oldest to win a world title belt "48" & oldest to defend "49".I also rank him in the top 20 P4P all time.How many times have people counted him out & he went on to easily win.Hopkins also fought the better fighters easily! He would have not just beat GGG he would have made him look bad just as he did against Trinidad (12th rd ko) Oscar (9th rd ko) Tarver easy decision.He knew how to school great boxers.He doesn't get the credit he deserves.
Hopkins easily.Beat the better boxers & made great fighters like Tito,Tarver,Oscar,Jones all look bad.While i would put GGG 10th for greatest middle weights of all time Hopkins easily gets 3rd,only behind Hagler & Robinson.The thing is GGG fans are boxing fans of today's boxers the general boxing world of the last 100 years they know nothing about,so they watch GGG beat your average middle weight & think WOW ! he is the greatest.For GGG to be truly judged you need to be a true boxing fan & that means knowing the sport inside out.In all of boxing i can say there have been truly 6 real true GREAT! MW Champions & GGG is not one of them. He was a good Middle weight & is hard to say how good because there are no T.Hearns-Leonards-Trinidads,Hopkins,Haglers around for him to fight.
I don't but like i said i got him 3rd just behind Hagler & Robinson.He defended his middle weight belt a record 20 consecutive times how ever his first 12 title defenses were against lesser opponents (not his fault just not many good middle weights around) but he did prove himself by easily taking care of Trinidad.The big fights he won against bigger named fighters were done at light Heavy weight which says a lot more about him.
I've lost count how many times I've seen this poll and Hopkins always wins. While their careers were pretty similar at middleweight in terms of quality of opposition, Hopkins longevity and his success at a higher weight showing he could beat much bigger men will always ensure he's picked above GGG.
Still Golovkin. Better power, better chin, better engine. Hopkins' huggy bear tactics are not going to win out against a guy that started out as a wrestler.
This would be an embarrassing loss for GG. Hopkins would use his pressure tactics against him and wear him out right there in front of everyone on TV, might even sneak in a couple of well timed cheap shots for good measure. GG finishes all lumped up around the face and the eyes, then throws a temper tantrum in the ring when they read the scorecards, kicking and screaming that he was robbed. Everyone in attendance is made to feel uncomfortable watching GG cry about his "injustice"
I think I would lean towards Hops via a close win. But 3G would not be any pushover. An no way does Hops win throwing 20-25 punches a round. 3G is too strong, smart and, skilled for that to work on him.
Um, Hopkins never hugged anyone. He had a solid inside game and was one dirty mofo to boot. This content is protected
Even Kovalev could not KO Hopkins. Heck, the first man to kinda do it was Joe Smith... at 175lbs... when Hopkins was 51. If Daniel Jacobs can go 12 competitive rounds with Golovkin, then so can Hopkins.