Hopkins vs Hagler. 25 rounds. Pick your winner!

Hopkins

 

Hagler

 

Hagler by crushing knockout, who only needs a handful of rounds to deal with this customer

 

I even like Animal Fletcher, the guy in my avatar to beat Hopkins but only on points. The division was much more competitive in those days

 

Hopkins UD25

Oh that felt weird to type.

 

I've absolutely no idea on this one. However, seeing as Hagler has gone 15 rounds several times whereas Hopkins hasn't I'm picking Hagler by UD. But really I have no idea.

 

Hagler UD.

 

Crushing knockout? That's a big call considering Hopkins has never been stopped. I find it hard to imagine a fashion in which that result could happen... Early rounds due to a slugfest? I don't think so... Hopkins wouldn't engage in a barfight with such a dangerous opponent, and I don't see him sitting down on his punches 'til he's damn good and ready. And I don't see B-Hop overly fatiguing in the later rounds either, he's always been good to budget his strength...
They're both tough SOB's, but I see Hopkins as the better boxing tactician hands down, Hopkins in a close UD that many observers malign as "boring".

 

Hopkin's was screaming for the return of the 15 rounder after being Johnson.

Anyway, Hopkin's fight controlling, low energy wrestling and mauling is much more suited to a 25 round fight then anything Hagler could manage. That's exactly how fighters managed to go dozens of rounds. Wrestling, holding, pushing one another around.

That's Hopkin's exact style when he feels like it.

 

Not for Hagler it wasn't. hagler when he was hungry thrived on meeting up with formidable fighters then making them collapse. Hopkins is a nice fighter with some neat tricks but he is not a supernatural fighter like Hagler who is simply the greatest ever at middleweight.

Marvin stopped plenty of people that never were stopped previously, people with great chins and a bit more tenacious than Bernard

 

Hagler really didn't stop the most durable fighters he fought, as in Briscoe.

 

Whether Hagler got the knockout was very much dependent on the style he employed for the particular fight. His style against Briscoe was boxing on the move. As it was against Hamsho the first time around. Second time around it was far more direct which led to a crushing KO of the iron chinned Hamsho. Saying Hagler did not stop durable fighters is not correct. It depended more on the opponent's style and the style Hagler took.

Having said that, Hagler would fight Hopkins conservatively. UD for Hagler 12 rounds or 25. While they're both boxing, it would be pretty even (what a fight!) but once it descends into exchanging (which it inevitably would as they both tired) Hagler would have too much in the armoury.

 

Since when is fighting conservatively the way to beat Hopkin's?

Because it isn't.

 

Depends on who's doing the fighting. That's the way Hagler would fight, regardless. Everyone here knows one of Hagler's weaknesses is his overly conservative approach (Vito 1/Duran/Leonard). The style would make the first 2/3 of any contest with Hopkins extremely close (and fascinating). With the pace and intensity, it would end up in a classy brawl in the later stages. That's where Hagler would pull it out.