Well if you actually seen a Hopkins fight from around 98-01 you would know what a PRIME Hopkins looks like.
Watch the fight again. After the first four rounds which Hopkins boxed brilliantly in Joe started backing Hopkins up with good, powerful jabs. I saw Hopkins forced on a couple of occasions from mid-ring right into the ropes just on the strength of Joe's jabs. Then Joe would rush in and strart swarming him with rapid punches. After round 4 Joe dominated and frankly humiliated Hopkins badly. His faking low blows and sucking wind during those rest periods was a disgrace. He bitched out badly in that fight.
I don't understand your point. As a Calzaghe fan are you saying that another win over Hopkins would not increase his legacy? You're complain about Americans demanding the best of Calzaghe, but they are also demanding the best out of Hopkins, demanding that he fight Dawson now.. So you, as a Calzaghe fan who doesn't want him to fight Hopkins again, please tell me whats your reasoning. The first fight was close, Hopkins just dominated Pavlik who was calling out CAlzaghe. The rematch is obvious.
Yea and Hopkins is a good U.S. based fighter who can deal with other pedestrian U.S. based fighters like Pavlik but loses badly to U.K. fighters like Joe. Joe humiliated Hopkins. Hell he performed a simulated sex act behind Bernard when he had him bent over sucking wind. Shades of his prison days I suppose.
And this is why I refer to Calzaghe as a Hall of Famer and not a All time Great. He is a great fighter who is very unique you can even make a case that he has his own orginal style and I find that very impressive considering this is a sport that has been around since what the 1800s. However what stops me from making him a All time great (for the record I'm very picky when it comes to placing fighters there) is he should have fought at the states much sooner in his career much like hatton and lewis did. That way he could have faced a prime version of say hopkins and rjj, now some may argue and say well calzaghe was 36 when he face a 43 hopkins and they are correct I understand calzaghe wasnt exactly 20 but calzaghe is more closer to his prime than hopkins is despite hopkins beating pavlik, and is more closer to his prime than rjj. In fact I'm willing to say the minute Calzaghe beat Eubank or better yet Reid he should have started taking fights in the states. That way he could have faced the likes of prime versions of hopkins,rjj,nunn,griffin,mccallum,woods, etc.
Woods? Are we talking Tiger here? I hardly think that the 1998 version of Nunn was 'prime'. McCallum was retired by the time Calzaghe beat Eubank. Griffin would not add much to Calzaghe's CV. The Calzaghe v Hopkins fight would have happened in 2002, in the US, if Hopkins had just signed the contract, so that one doesn't stand up. So we're left with Jones again.
so who should he fight.. i mean it's so easy for you posters to sit on here and tell fighters what they should do and most of you can't fight worth a lick. so let me ask again, who should he fight?
I believe the only fighter in this era that could have beaten Joe convincingly was a prime Jones. Maybe BHOP, but I think it would have always been a close fight.
My bads I got the Eubank year confused I was thinking it was 1995 instead it was 1997. That aside I think it was opportunities that could have landed him fights with Hopkins or RJJ in their prime. That could have been done by fighting other top 10 american boxers from 168-175 that were not as talented as those two, and I say american because at the time they was very rich in talent at those divisions. guys like Harding and Griffin at the time were top 10 guys He could have gotten figths with them looked impressive and if he was impressive enough could have drawn interest in the states. I also think in my humble opinion that beating Woods in the 90s is more impressive than beating Reid but thats just me. In fact that fight would probably have been huge in Europe at the time and would have been a perfect "before I test my waters in america fight". Also some years back A fight with Johnson was scheduled but he pulled out because of injuries I feel that would have been another good opportunity.
Calzaghe did fight Americans who were ranked in the top ten at that time: Brewer, Mitchell, Sheika, and was scheduled to fight Tate before he pulled out.