Correcting Ignorance: "Hopkins only fought smaller men"

Great post, that will be lost on many people. Probably the same people who call Tito a cheat and think Calzaghe is the #1 P4P ATG. So its not all bad.

 

and what a great comparison of duran, hearns and mugabi compared to hopkins opponents. Shameful.

Anyhow hagler was like 5,9 and not as naturally big as hopkins.

 

There wasn't really any need to deconstruct something which was just a piece of hating; but, for what it's worth, I agree. In fact, Hopkins fights against "smaller" guys like DLH were overtly tactical; it's not as if he went in brawling or slugging or something. Hopkins' style is very tactical and all about crisp punching and effective defence, so weight doesn't have that much to do with it anyway.

 

:rofl
WOOW. These posts are pretty bad.

 

Most of Hopkins best wins were against smaller guys or guys he had move up in weight to fight him, with Tarver being the notable exception. What Hagler did doesn't make a bit of difference (although Marvin fought smaller guys, too, and people do notice that and compensate his P4P rankings as such) in what Hopkins did.

Fact is, if you go by name value at the time of the fight, Hopkins most notable wins were Oscar, Tito, Tarver, Pavlik, and Winky. Out of those 5, only 1 was a "career" fighter (as in, that's the weight they built their career and name at) at the weight they fought Hopkins at.

 

Well isn't that ironic...

 

Would you care to expand on that? Didn't you see the DLH fight? Didn't you see 9 rounds of slow-paced, strategic, outside fighting?

 

Hopkins made his name beating smaller guys. Thats not to say they weren't great some of em - they genuinely were. But let's not pretend he wasn't, for instance, a naturally bigger guy than Tito.
"It is what it is".

 

Again, you're missing the point, and the point is that he fought the very best available opponents...Trinidad, DLH, Pavlik, Winky were all established champions and P4P fighters, with both Trinidad and DLH being ATG fighters..Were they Duran or Hearns? Of course not, but that doesn't change the fact that they were the best opponents out there, and great fighters in their own right...

 

Can we also get some ignorance busting inre: Hopkins faking lowblows that Calzaghe admitted throwing.

 

And that was a perfect example of hes size and strength playing a big role.

Look man i didnt want to sound too mean...but you said someting like weight doesnt have much to do with it....Ofcourse it can...especially in these circumstances

In that fight de la hoya as you say it was quite strategic.....then de la hoya was stopped by a body shot....for the first time ever in hes career............................

 

That made me laugh, the British commentators and fans acting all outraged at Hopkins 'cheating' when the replays blatantly showed him being hit in the nuts.

 

Just to follow up on my last point, hopefully it was taken..this is de la hoya after the fight...

De la Hoya said he was "proud" of his performance, despite being stopped for the first time in his career.

"My gameplan was to keep moving and watch out for that right hand, and it was working. I put up a good fight but he just caught me.

"He's the middleweight champion of the world. I tried to do the impossible and I'm proud of my performance."