Hopkins/Taylor - How Does the Classic Forum...

Hopkins started too slowly in the first fight and dropped a 7-5 decision on my card. In the rematch, I thought he did enough earlier to take a 7-5 decision. Still, it obviously was time for Bernard to move on.

His accomplishment in those fights was to stymie the action, rather than to create it. He was becoming a hindrance. As for historical perspective, unless Taylor rebounds, I think the two fights will be remembered as an aging champ giving way to a young, athletic, A-minus fighter. Fairly or not.

 

That about sums it up. Hopkins was no longer the strong dynamic fighter he'd been, and he began to work by undermining more than beating them athletically. Not a problem in itself, but his fights were getting uglier to watch. I was kinda glad when he was finally upset, and I really expected Taylor to be more and grow a little with the title, but he stagnated. Some would say even fell back a bit.

 

What will be interesting to see is how Taylor performs in his rematch with Pavlik. I was hoping that his near punching himself out against Ouma, and near upset loss to Spinks would show him the value of strategy. Maybe a loss is just what he needed.

Look at what Holyfield's loss to Bowe, in their first fight, did for him. Holyfield was used to outwilling everyone he faced, and was willing to throw a gameplan out the window the minute someone got his attention. When that will to win didn't work by itself, he became a smarter fighter.

Taylor was always getting away without a loss, even when his showing was not so great. If you see a version of him that is more like the Taylor of round 5 in his match with Pavlik, then you'll know this to be true.