Hopkins vs Pavlik-Does Hopkins have a legitimate chance of beating Pavlik?

Hopkins has a big chance because unlike Calzaghe, Pavlik is a real banger and he will look to overpower Bernard in spite of running numbers on him. That opens a door of danger for old man Hops but another window of opportunity to slip, maneuvre and counter effectively against a guy who doesn't think strategically as much. Oh, and I really think that 44-45 year old Hopkins is sleek and by far the most intelligent man between the two.

 

This is a great time to be a Pavlik fan. ESB is heating up almost like it did before the Miranda fight, and the first Taylor fight.

There were dozens upon dozens of posters saying "Pavlik can't beat Miranda."

The were literally hundreds saying "Pavlik can't beat Taylor."

We all know how those predictions turned out.

Pavlik/Hopkins is very easy to figure. There is absolutely no mystery. BHop will run out of gas after 4 to 5 rounds just like he did against slappy joe. Only this tme it won't be the sloppy and feather fisted duck from wales after him. It'll be the best finisher in the business. Hopkins is going down multiple times, and gets stopped in 10 or 11.

 

Let's see... a fighter who relies on his jab, power, workrate, and physical strength, all of these his best attributes, but has shown concentration lapses, a relatively open defense, has only average hand speed and less than average footspeed, and what appears to be a less than stellar chin, facing a 44-year old man who throws 12 punches around and appeared to tire in his last fight, but is the smartest strategist in boxing, one of the games most experienced practitioners, still has arguably the best footwork in boxing, defensive skills of the highest order, precision and accuracy in his punching, and a granite chin.

Yes, B-Hop has a very good chance here, so good in fact that I'm picking him to win. Pavlik is an outstanding fighter, but he has obvious strenghts and obvious flaws, which is the worst possible thing if your fighting Hopkins. The only way I see Pavlik winning, is if Hopkins looks like every other 44-year old boxer out there, but B-Hop is not the average 44-year old boxer.

In other words, I'm not going to bet on a guy who I only see winning if the other man looks horrible on fight night.