Hopkins at 40 jumped from 160-175 to fight the best

Bernard Hopkins is the perfect example on how a disciplined fighter can make the weight he wants to make

He Turned Pro at 177 lbs, 1988

Then he went well below the 160 limit, 20 times

• 156 lbs: 1 time
• 157 lbs: 3 times
• 158 lbs: 4 times
• 159 lbs: 12 times

Weaker minded fighters can't keep up with Bernard Hopkins, the average fighter is usually unreliable without a team...without supervision they want to relax, play in the gym, gain weight, let their emotions & feelings take over.

Bernard Hopkins was a man on a mission he gave himself, that is why he is still around at Top

 

You're right. There was a window shortly after the super six when it looked like he was open to the idea but Hopkins threw cold water all over it and Ward just kind of shrugged. I was thinking of this clip:
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In this next one Ward mentions that he'd be interested but respects that Hopkins was firm about not wanting to fight him.
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GJ didn't move above 147 until he was 24 years old. That guy is big enough to be a heavyweight and barely makes the cruiserweight limit these days. It's one of the weirdest things I've ever heard about this crazy sport.

 

Further adding to Hopkins atg status.

 

golovkin at 34 ducking ward , lara, 155 canelo

 

I agree, if Taylor hadn't have beaten him twice in 2005, I think Bernard would have remained at MW for longer.

Yet people are demanding that GG moves up, even though MW looks stronger than SMW at the moment.

 

The boxing world wanted to see them meet in 2002.

Bernard claimed that he desperately wanted Roy, but that the split had to be 50/50.

Roy wouldn't agree to it, as he already held a win over him, and he'd have had to have gone down in weight for a CW.

Roy offered 60/40 but Bernard wouldn't agree.

It became a battle of the egos.

Here's the extended version of their famous HBO argument:

http://youtu.be/UJbOw_5DPiE


When thing's had cooled down 6-7 months later, Roy then tried again to make the fight:

http://usatoday30.usatoday.com/sports/boxing/stories/2002-07-10-jones-hopkins.htm


Bernard then spent over a year out of the ring before coming back to fight Morrade Hakkar.

The versions of Bernard who fought Kovalev etc, did not exist until 2006 onwards, when at that point, he'd got nothing to lose and everything to gain.


:good

 

True, but most boxers don't live the lifestyle that Bernard does.

Bernard could have comfortably fought at SMW and LHW long before he did.

 

:good

He also fought above the MW limit 20 times before he moved up to LHW.

 

atsch

 

Hopkins was utterly defeated twice by undefeated Jermain Taylor, or he would have stayed at 160 till this day to ensure he is the GOAT Middleweight

 

this is why Hopkins will always be a legend...and that triple quack guy will just be another guy that tied or beat his mw record....that nobody will talk about it years after he retires

 

"Hopkins was utterly defeated twice by undefeated Jermain Taylor, or he would have stayed at 160 till this day to ensure he is the GOAT Middleweight "

ya cause Hopkins would still be making 160..lol

so yer saying kovalevs best win is a 50 year old middleweight? COOL

 

You answered your own question, genius.

"Hopkins at 40 jumped from 160-175"

When Bernard was GGG's current age, he was midway between the first two of his three Robert Allen bouts, having won the vacant IBF belt on his second try over Mercado. He had eight defences of that strap, with no names of note at that point.

Bernard was truing desperately to get a big money bout with Oscar or Tito. (He was still two years away from a signature MW win over Tito).

Later, Bernard eventually became the linear champion, unified the division, cleaned it out, and THEN moved up, at age 41.

GGG is 33.

 

:deal