:good No doubt Hopkins is a good boxer & he'll rank higher all time than Hatton(at this point) ton but I respect Ricky a lot more.
Hopkins made one racist comment I think you're over reacting. I'm not sure I go for the whole Hatton decent folk thing. I think people think he's decent because they can relate to him but that doesn't necessarily make him decent. So to you it is a popularity contest.
I think the two come hand in hand. I respect Hopkins more. He isn't a bad man, he hypes his fight. The guys a buisness man too. He finds ways to win when he shouldnt. the guys an old man and he's beating top fighters. You have to respect that.
But he is actually a recently decent bloke. I've never heard a bad word about Ricky from anyone. Many people have met him and they all say how sociable he is and how much time he has for fans. Now either he's the best actor in the world or he must actually be a good guy.
I respect Hopkins far more as a boxer in terms of the fact that hes kept himself in tip top shape for so long hes fighting at the top level at the ripe old age of 43. Hatton won't be fighting when hes 33 and has inspired legions of chavs to populate boxing arenas and often ruin the atmosphere for true fans. I don't buy that hes a proper nice guy either. It seems to be all part of the plan and some big act and him pretending hes star struck every 2 minutes is a pain in the arse. That being said i prefer him to Hopkins. A man who talks alot then throws about 9 punches a round in the ring which is all fine and well but its a bit of a farce when he threatens to disfigure Hoya then ends up leaping into bed with him the first chance he gets. The so called racist comment didn't bother me in the slightest. In fact it was again Hopkins way of getting people interested in him because if he didn't talk he would draw as much as Winky does...plus i give black people a little leeway in that regard due to the injustices of the past....it just doesn't seem as bad and i don't think he really means it anyway. Hes just a boring old ******* that talks alot without really backing it up. Thats what makes me dislike him as a person. So balancing both up id say i respect Hopkins more because while both are phonies Hopkins is at least proffesional in that he looks after himself and i respect that alot more than Hatton recounting how many chinese dinners he had at the weekend in his nuts column.
Lets see......... Racist bigot vs The guy next door......... Pretty tough choice. Only one racist comment, no doubt if Hatton called Mayweather a N1GGER he would be castigated much more than Hopkins has for calling Calzaghe a white boy! Oh, I forgot, the British male has much more class than the Yankee doodles! Worst thing Chris Columbus ever did, get on that ****ing boat!
I actually recall reading an article on here years ago in which Hopkins made a 'white boy' jibe in regards to Eminem. He was discussing his relationship with the rappers Xzibit and DMX i believe....was years ago mind you...i remember some folk saying they were disappointed... Nonetheless i take it with a pinch of salt.
I think that it can be taken with a pinch of salt, but the funny thing is that these things never work both ways. The post about it being accepted because of the wrongs of the past......what bollocks.
Mate, im white and while two wrongs don't make a right its clear from what i see that a great many afro americans from the ghettos have a chip on their shoulder from the past... Let them vent their fury i say and turn the other one. It really makes no difference to me. Its true what you say though about if Calzaghe were to say the same about Hopkins....there would be a mass outcry but thats just the way it goes i suppose.
He had no problem hanging out with Bernard Manning.So your boy next door bull**** dont wash. I dont have no pasty pie looking ****er living anywhere near me. And this is the fight game. Yeah racism has no place in the sport but guess what its been here since the dawn of time. Stop being such a senstive female.This is boxing dammit.
Man, quite frankly if Joe Calzaghe or Ricky Hatton had said something to a similar affect then they would have been ****ing This content is protected This content is protected This content is protected This content is protected This content is protected This content is protected
The problem is as ironic as it seems racism isnt that (no pun intended) black and white. Hopkins grew up in an era when segregation was the law of the land. His 43 and surely old enough to remember when the blackman was see as less than a man. So if he has a chip on his shoulder i may not agree but i can sure as hell understand.