Greats Who Never Had A "Signature Win. "

That's actually a pretty good call. I am very fond of Bernard Hopkins and definitely consider him an ATG, perhaps for his longevity. But its hard to find any truly spectacular scalps on his record.

 

Floyd Mayweather can be argued doesn't have a signature win. Yes he made the most money and was involved in huge money fights.

But what are his notable performances against first class opposition who were not clearly undersized or over the hill?

Diego Corrales comes to mind. So does Canelo. But how high do you rate them?

 

He did fight two H2H monsters in Jones Jr and Kovalev. But he lost the Jones fight and was too old to compete with Kovalev.

Had Hopkins fought James Toney and gotten widely beaten on points you could make the argument that he's not an ATG fighter.

Had he beaten Toney or took a disputed loss that would have improved his resume. But had he lost to Toney badly it would have made you wonder a little about the greatness of Hopkins.

 

True but Gomez then won the title after Sanchez died. Heck he won a title up a weight (controversially).

 

I think, actually, that the Trinidad win IS Bernard's signature win. Tito was favored to win that tournament, if memory serves, and Hopkins had yet to be thought of as a great. We didn't know yet that Trinidad couldn't carry 160 and that he would only go 2-2 over the next seven years. The way Hopkins performed against the favored and undefeated Trinidad, after the fight was postponed due to 9/11, was truly inspiring. The Trinidad fight MADE Bernard Hopkins.

 

Agreed. Trinidad was big news after axing Joppy and 2-1 fave. This win really put Hopkins on the map.

Tarver was also a big win as Hopkins was thought to be finished and was up in weight as well. Tarver was also well regarded and fluttering around the top 10 P4P. Hopkins schooled the 3-1 fave.

 

I didn't find it that close personally.

 

His fight with Vargas is clearly his signature win.
People expect him to be small for Vargas and only capable of winning by decision.

 

Oscar De La Hoya