Bernard Hopkins vs. Sugar Ray Robinson, at 160

Turpin beat him on points, so I could envision Hopkins doing it. I won't pick that to happen on Ray's best night (which we are talking about), but it's a possibility.


I agree with the outcome, Robinson on points. A close fight IMO.

 

I'll pick Hopkins based on Robinson's inconsistency. Robinson could clearly be given trouble at middleweight. Hopkins is well rounded enough to find the formula that the others found.

 

First of all Robinson could be outboxed. He was a boxer-puncher, generally the emphasis on the latter.

But if we are talking at their best I have to go with Robinson, hard fought but quite clearly.

 

Sure. Are you asking if anyone could beat Robinson in a pure boxing match or if anyone could win on points against all of Robinson's tools, primarily using pure boxing techniques? You have to take into account that "out-boxing" or "out-pointing" a fighter isn't the only way to take a decision, and that Robinson was not the best out-boxer, even if he was very good. Mid-range was his domain for my money based on what I've seen, which is a fair amount.

 

That's a mighty bold statement. I disagree there, but I do think stylistically Hopkins could and would give Ray a lot of problems, as well as his size advantage, which people need to look into.

However, when considering a prime Hopkins, we're considering a more offensive version, and if Ray comes in firing on all cylinders, you can't find many more difficult fighters to beat in a shoot-out. For my money the best overall offensive fighter of all time.

I see this fight as basically 50/50.

 

I have alot of respect for Hopkins' defense and overall strategic ability to win fights. Give credit where it's due, he would be a hard fight for anyone in history.
Given that, how would you implement a plan against a peak Robinson? Where would you attack? It would'nt be as simple as going to your right to offset his right hand. Robinson is very adept at firing knockout blows from either side.
Maybe force the fight to the inside? Maybe...but the toll to be paid would be very high. Robinson knows a little about fighting in any situation in the ring...
Watch the beginning of the thirteenth round of his fight with LaMotta, they come together for a clinch, Robinson bends his knees enough to get the room for a nice right uppercut, then two very short, but very hard left hooks to get jake off of him...it's a beautiful sequence.
Robinson by points for me. Smarts, experience, firepower...

 

Use his typical ring generalship to put Robinson on the offensive, pot-shot, clinch, dirty box on the inside.

Hopkins has a way of feinting his way in to land sneaky assaults (often to the body) before pulling his way right back out to optimum distance. I think he has the ability to play ring general on Robinson as long as he sticks to a more defensive gameplan. In this sense I think the Hopkins of the Tito fight would be a better bet than the Hopkins of the Johnson fight.

Also, while Robinson is the better offensive fighter, especially from mid-range (which would always make it difficult for Hopkins to hold too much ground without clinching, but then he always seemed to realize the importance of this), Hopkins is the better in-fighter, and the bigger, stronger man, which has to be taken into account.

Depending on which gameplan Hopkins implies, I definitely think he's capable of beating Robinson.

 

With all due respect to Hopkins, I think he gets beat by the consensus top 4 middleweights of all time (obviously, Grebb, Robinson, Monzon & Hagler)

and I can think of a few others whom I'd favour over him too...

 

Based on inconsistency? You're taking each fighter at his best.

Inconsistency is inherent with such high activity. Fighting that regularly is unheard of these days.

 

Ray is maybe a tad faster of foot, but when Hopkins is the one fighting on the move, I don't think Ray's pure pressuring skills match up with his skills in terms of lateral movement, so I don't think footspeed would be a big asset here, considering Hopkins is not one to fight in straight lines and is rarely a stationary target.

On the subject of footspeed, I think Ray showed on more than one occasion that it's the pressure fighters that get to him moreso than any other style, guys like LaMotta, Basilio, Fullmer, etc (though for the last two he was past his MW prime). So I don't think it's logical to assume that against a larger, faster in and out fighter like Hopkins, who's capable of being almost as rough and at least as crafty on the inside as those guys, that he'd be able to keep him off or nullify his inside game consistently. However, Hopkins would probably not be applying pressure like those guys would, only in spurts. This could either help of hurt him, it's really anyone's guess. Does Robinson simply beat him to the punch or do the feints and forrays inside throw him off his rhythm?

Again, 50/50 in my book.