Herol Graham vs. Bernard Hopkins

Ya, thats why hopkins is one of my fav fighters. He realized if he was gonna make some money he was gonna have to have longevity. So he learned how to not get hit. Thats the diff between guys like him and roy jones. When their skills eroded jones got koed. What bhop did seperates him. Pac fighting this long against guys like thurman and broner seperate him. Alot of people underrate crawford in here but if pac even takes that fight.....who the **** even does that. Thats what seperates him as an all time great. Bhop and pac in my opinion are 2 of the best of my era. Pete whitaker skillwise head to head but bhop and pac looking at their whole careers seperate from the rest.

 

Pac is in a totally different stratosphere to Hopkins, I have no probs with Pac as the greatest fighter to ever lace them up if people feel that way, he’s in the running. Not disagreeing with you mate, it’s just one has achieved way way more. All these older fighters imo are still here because of the peds. I don’t begrudge it simply because they all do it to some extent

 

Good technical bout but,as has been said,not one for those looking for an exciting battle.

I'll go against prevailing opinion here and say that Graham's speed sees him win a close decision.


Next up - Jimmy Young v Chris Byrd

 

I wont argue that simply because of all the weight classes but bhop vs calzaghie was a vintage masterpiece. He literally dropped him and got hit with less then 10 clean punches the first 7 rounds. I guess when he got racial before the fight really affected peoples ability to watch the fight unbias. Joes dad and joe were frustrated, and arguing, yelling at each other in the corner. Go back and listen to the back n forth after 11. Classic.

 

With Harold...its always the same.....you just feel he could compete with anyone...take it close....but hes gonna defeat himself at the very end....its a shame during 1982-87 he really didn't fight a greater quantity of high quality operators ...hed established himself at light Middle....than wemt over to 160 to start again.....I am assured in my mind personally that hopkins was better than kalambay and mccallum.....I see a 12 round points win similar to the Keith Holmes win

 

Not so sure Hopkins could beat Kalambay. And MCcallum is a 50/50 fight.

 

This: Herol outclassed the domestic/Euro-level opposition but he was always a dollar short when the bill came for the world-level fights.

I knew a guy who spent some time on the lower levels of the pro tennis circuit for a few years, made a good living winning in the B-class events and got to play in some of the bigger tournaments. College All-American. Good player, left-hander.

He told me once that he ‘sparred’ with — as in practiced with — some of the top players like Sampras and Agassi. They would fly him in for off dates to get some strokes with a lefty to prepare for the big tournaments. He said, ‘I can hit balls with those guys all day, if you saw it you’d think I was on their level, but when they turn it up to match level I’m lucky to win a game or two in a set.’

That’s Herol — he could play with the big boys, but he couldn’t beat them.

 

And when Bhops skills eroded, he also got knocked out. What seperates Jones from Hopkins is that the best version of Jones was in another league to the best version of Hopkins.

 

Good analogy, but Herol was desperately unlucky.

He was on their level when at his best.

You can see that by watching the fights.

He had an extremely close fight with Mike and lost a S/D with a point deduction.

 

Graham makes him look a fool for four or five rounds. Then Graham gets scrappier and Hopkins wins.