Hopkins did/does have a big heart even if he likes to bend the rules a bit. About a day or two ago I remember cesare-bogaria said it's amazing for Hopkins at the age of 45 to come back from two kd's and still fought back to a draw in another man's hometown that should've been a win. Incredible, the stuff legends are made from.
The remactch could possibly be Hopkins best Middleweight performance. He just shows everything in it and chops Mercado down. The first fight I felt was very wide for Hopkins.
Hopkins couldn't miss with the right in their rematch. It was a terrible beating and probably ruined Mercado. I thought Mercado I and Pascal I were very similar scenarios, with Hopkins suffering setbacks with the knockdowns, but came on stronger in the end only to settle for a draw in the opponent's hometown. You have to do a pretty good job in order to get a draw after two knockdowns in enemy territory.