This Match Needs No Introduction-Bernard Hopkins Versus Marvin Hagler

Hagler wins a competitive decision

 

B-Hop outboxes him, out-toughs him, uses his size, range and technique to tag Marvin at every distance and stifle his offense. Wins a pretty clear stinker like 8-4.

 

Hopkins. He would take advantage of Hagler's tendency to get lulled into his opponents kind of fight and spoil him.

 

Although overall I thought Hagler was better, I think Hopkins would outpoint him..the clinching, use of distance and counter right hands along with his size advantage would be enough.
I often felt that Hagler made harder work of his fights than he needed to sometimes, whereas Hopkins was the opposite.

 

Gone for Hagler although no result hear would surprise me.

 

young hopkins loses a close decision in a good fight and complains about it. Late 90s onward hopkins wins a close boring decision and Marvin complains about it.

 

Hagler by UD. He is just better

 

I think Hopkins would struggle with Hagler's speed and versatility. MMH could be unpredictible and flexible in the ring, more so than Hopkins. Hagler was smaller but better conditioned and prepared imho.

 

Hopkins would outsmart him and outmanoeuvre him often enough to win a close one for mine. It would be ugly for periods but he'd get the job done IMO. He has the ability to seamlessly adapt on the fly if needed and Hagler not so much. Hopkins is quite a bit bigger, has ATG durability, brilliant sense of range, knows how to fight southpaws, has a brilliant right lead and excellent stamina and defense at his best. Hopkins is also great at getting under the skin of an opponent and winning the mind games. Hagler of course brings immense skill and ability to the table but i don't think he will be able to establish, and work off his superb jab as he almost always did. Hopkins is great at taking away the jab and can fight effectively at any range. Whatever happens it has distance fight written all over it.

 

The only thing that imho gives Hopkins a chance in this is his considerable size advantage. He was pretty damn big at middleweight, under dehydration rules that make him even bigger. If they were the same size Hagler would turn him inside out I think.

 

Personally i wouldn't count Hopkins out under any scenario. When i was talking about size i didn't actually mean poundage.

 

Hagler didn’t complain about losing to the worm…and I think it would be technical not boring, but to each their own.

Hopkins 8-4ish type decision

 

Provided Marvin uses the right fightplan he outpoints Bernard in a close one.

 

According to this site - https://basementgymboxing.blogspot.com/2014/08/bernard-hopkins-weight-with.html?m=1 - Hopkins fight night weight at MW ranged between 166 and 169lbs.

That's high enough above 160lbs that the timing of the weigh-in relative to the fight, would be material to the outcome (but not necessarily the result) of the fight, but yes, Hopkins in the ring weight advantage over Hagler at MW was likely only 3 to 7lbs. I.e. its not a huge difference, unlike, as you allude to, the difference between their respective frames (e.g. I can't see Hagler going on to weigh 186lbs in the ring like Hopkins did vs Pascal).

Hagler was already a tank at MW, whereas Hopkins bigger frame always had substantial scope to fill out post his days at MW.