Hopkins is / was a strategical genius

:good You hit the nail square on the head with this analysis.
As Joe tried to overwhelm BHOP with flurries of slaps, BHOP used his defence to create short inside hooks and uppercuts to Joe's jaw as they slid across the ropes.
Joe's frustration and his corners could be heard verbally following every round.
Joe retired to avoid a rematch because he knew for certain that Hopkins could figure out his weird and unorthodox style.

 

Bernard Hopkins IS history fool!!

While Joe is home on the sheep farm sitting on a tattered raggedy couch doing lines, Hopkins is fighting next week to unify the LHW division. :yep

 

Joe's millions went up his nose years ago.
About next year he will be talking about making a come back. 1st opponent; Lucien Bute.

 

Hopkins has been able to compete at the elite level through his 40s... He is one of the most dedicated fighters ever, he is a master at fouling when he knows the ref can't see it... His sneaky right hand is texbook brilliance, and he is great at watching fighters and picking weaknesses he can exploit in the ring... He is nothing short of a genius IMO.

 

While Calzaghe can win fights using his quick fast slaps at a high workrate, and Roy Jones Jr can win fights using sheer athleticism, or Kovalev can win fights with his brutal power, or SRL can win fights based on his natural talent....

Bernard Hopkins does not possess a stand out natural asset like the ones mentioned above, so he has to have a solid strategy going into fights especially at age 35+ which was 15 years ago. While other fighters strategy begins once the opening bell is struck, Hopkins strategy is already under away before the fight is even talked about.

Getting Puerto Ricans to burden Felix Trinidad's back was strategic, fighting Antonio Tarver after he just went life and death with Rocky Balboa was strategic, acting friendly with Kelly Pavlik in the build up to the fight but then completely changing his tone at the weigh in was strategic. Now that does not mean his strategies always succeed, the 'I never lose to a white person' did backfire a little but that does not nullify his other successful strategies pre fight.

Those mentioned were his strategical genius before the fight, then come his strategies within the squared circle, and there is a lot of it that you have already seen. But there is also small things that BHop did in the ring that can only be seen by those that know the game, observe:-

And in Bernard Hopkins words himself, from 4:18 of the video Hopkins talks about how to fight dirty and get away with it.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JZ5IBrHaswg

Now this is where Calzaghe showed his genius, by making Bernard Hopkins dirty fight, even dirtier by dry humping him the the 10th round. While some men saw this as gay porn suck as sailor boy Aquamarine:-

:-(

Calzaghe should really be praised for turning around the fight on top of its head, from giving BHop too much respect in the opening rounds, but then dry hump was a revolutionary tactic deployed by Zaggers.

And that covers Bernard Hopkins tactics before and during the fight, once a close fight comes to an end, Bernard celebrates like he schooled his opponent 120-108 and acts like it was a shutout, which does not require too much skill but helps his focus.

When Bernard is not boxing, he shows his strategical genius in ways Floyd Mayweather, and Pacquiao can learn a lot from, Observe:-

While Calzaghe is owed money by Frank ******, and Mayweather is owed money by Bob Arum, Bernard Hopkins remains the only strategical genius in the game to being paid in full.

 

Your third paragraph is something that I have had similar thoughts about, getting into opponents heads etc, and its something that Hopkins has done many times before, even the push and shoves with Wright and Pascal before the fights (though I dont think he got to Pascal). But when he cant seem to get into the heads of his opponents, I wonder if that back fires on Hopkins a little and seems to get to him. He didnt seem as comfy around Taylor and Calzaghe who didnt seem intimidated or fall into the mind games

 

A genius But yet he has 6 losses

 

Exactly he picks and chooses like a genius and sergey Kovalev obviously wouldn't be a genius pick and Bernard knows this :deal

 

You told me you was black Korean :hi:

How can you defend Bernard saying :dealI'll never lose to a white boy :deal



If that's not racist then what do you call it?

 

So your saying you don't understand how saying I'll never lose to a white is racist ?




Im not the sharpest tool in the shed but I'm willing to bet your black :yep

 

just YOU are saying it. YOU have your own reason for saying it.

You've read what I said about the phrase 'black boy'. don't change the goalposts to just black and white now.

ok, what do you want to bet? no? thought not -flop, mate.

 

I agree, I don't usually make too much out of a faceoff or a staredown, but usually Hopkins does seem to be the 'dominant' when facing off with an opponent. But during the Hopkins vs Calzaghe weigh in, Calzaghe looked like the crazy dude. And you can't intimidate crazy people.

http://kterrl.files.wordpress.com/2011/05/joecalzaghe.jpg

Calzaghe instead was trying to intimidate Hopkins back.

Also, Chad Dawson didn't looked too bothered about Hopkins:-

http://youtu.be/GIaIKMRAX60?t=3m45s

Dawson then stuck to his gameplan and did his thing without much trouble.

Now Adonis Stevenson might be a fighter Bernard can get to, but Kovalev I am not too sure about.

 

Because Calzaghe is a ATG, and might be one of the greatest ever.:deal

 

:rofl:think:think:rofl:rofl

 

Yes, you were good
now get outta' here before you make a bigger fool of yourself
Bernard