How many miles did Hopkins run when was a middle? did he stay too long?

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"You can't be a light heavyweight just eating your way up to the weight," Hopkins said Monday, the eve of the start of a four-city media tour to promote the fight. "I have Mackie because he knows what he is doing. He knows what it takes to put on the weight the right way. He knows the nutrition. He knows the conditioning. He's the best at what he does. "I am making a statement by hiring someone like Mackie. People think I can't pull it [the win] off, but this is something that should show Tarver that he shouldn't sleep on Bernard Hopkins."

 

No you read, Hopkins was drained at 160, he put on 12lbs on fight night, he weighed 172 against DLH

Hopkins weighed in at his 175lbs bouts from 180-185. He 'bulked up' so he'd be strong at the weight, but the percentage of body weight hes draining to make the limit is less than when he was at 160

 

You just believe what you want to believe. Hopkins moving up 15lbs wasn't natural for him. He walked around at 166lbs between fights, and made the weight easily. The man never had any problems making middleweight, regardless of putting on 10lbs or more after the weigh-in. He wasn't a massive middleweight, unlike someone like Taylor for example. Hopkins and Hagler are pretty much as natural at middleweight as you'll ever see. Hopkins had the height which allowed him to move up effectively, where as Hagler would have struggled to cope with 175.

 

If this man struggled with 160lbs as badly as you make out, he'd not being doing and saying what he did below.

"You can't be a light heavyweight just eating your way up to the weight," Hopkins said Monday, the eve of the start of a four-city media tour to promote the fight. "I have Mackie because he knows what he is doing. He knows what it takes to put on the weight the right way. He knows the nutrition. He knows the conditioning. He's the best at what he does. "I am making a statement by hiring someone like Mackie. People think I can't pull it [the win] off, but this is something that should show Tarver that he shouldn't sleep on Bernard Hopkins.

Hopkins moving up to LHW wasn't natural going into the Tarver fight. Thats pretty much a fact, not an opinion. The man needed a specialist fitness guru to move up and he was eating like hell. The weight he put on to make LHW unatural.............No question about it whatsoever. :good

 

And, Hopkins paid serious money to hire Mackie Shilstone for the Tarver fight. I've heard it was in the region of $400,000. Boxers don't part with that kind of money lightly. Considering that Hopkins is well known to be tight with his cash, it makes the jump in weight quite a juggernaut to him at the time.

This man needed serious help to make the transition from 160 to 175. This all points to him not struggling with 160lbs, certainly not alarmingly.

 

Anyone who thinks that Bernard Hopkins struggled with middleweight - even when he rematched Taylor - needs to read this below. Read it carefully.


"But he takes a great shot. I believe thats partly him walking around at 185, 190. I think Jermain Taylor suffers and trains to get himself down to 160, just looking at his body frame. I've been around boxing a long time and I can read guys. Jermain Taylor don't walk around like Bernard Hopkins, '65, 66 - no higher than '67 - Jermain Taylor walks around like a bona fide cruiserweight, heavy light-heavyweight. That body structure can absorb more than the average small middleweight who's not big boned and who's not fighting in a weight class he shouldn't be fighting at, but he's young where he can suffer and strain himself to get down to that weight and then overnight, 24 hours, try to refuel himself "

His words just before he fought the Taylor rematch.......

 

No I believe the facts, HBO pre-fight weigh ins list him at between 170-172lbs in many fights if you bother to pay attention. Draining that amount of lean body mass is exhausting for any fighter especially as his age. Maybe BHOPs did weigh 166 but it would have been before breakfast and after a morning workout that would see him sweat off 3-4lbs, after breakfast and with fluids back in he'd be back to around 172

Fighters these days drain to make so when they rehydrate they can be bigger and stronger at the weight but their is a balance where this stops being benefiscial. Cutting carbs, water, using diuretics and skipping in saunas makes u f'cked on fight night if you over do it, which you may need to in order to make weight

Now the reason BHOPs used a nutritionist to help him add lean mass is because he didnt want to weigh 170lbs on fight night he wanted to weigh a lean 180 on fight night (which he ended up doing) so he'd be stronger at the weight, Tarver probably weighes in the hgih 180s

 

166lbs between fights. That was his walk around weight. Nothing to do with after the weigh-in.

"But he takes a great shot. I believe thats partly him walking around at 185, 190. I think Jermain Taylor suffers and trains to get himself down to 160, just looking at his body frame. I've been around boxing a long time and I can read guys. Jermain Taylor don't walk around like Bernard Hopkins, '65, 66 - no higher than '67 - Jermain Taylor walks around like a bona fide cruiserweight, heavy light-heavyweight. That body structure can absorb more than the average small middleweight who's not big boned and who's not fighting in a weight class he shouldn't be fighting at, but he's young where he can suffer and strain himself to get down to that weight and then overnight, 24 hours, try to refuel himself "

:thumbsup

 

Hopkins did look terribly drained during one of the Hopkins-Taylor weigh-ins. I'm sure it was becoming increasingly difficult for him to make the weight limit.

He weighed in at 156 for the De La Hoya fight, so I doubt he put on more than 15 lbs to come in at 170+. Not sure but there may have even been some kind of stipulation that Hopkins could not come into the fight at over 160 lbs or something.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u84i29ExtMs

Says he was 169 unofficially.

 

"But he takes a great shot. I believe thats partly him walking around at 185, 190. I think Jermain Taylor suffers and trains to get himself down to 160, just looking at his body frame. I've been around boxing a long time and I can read guys. Jermain Taylor don't walk around like Bernard Hopkins, '65, 66 - no higher than '67 - Jermain Taylor walks around like a bona fide cruiserweight, heavy light-heavyweight. That body structure can absorb more than the average small middleweight who's not big boned and who's not fighting in a weight class he shouldn't be fighting at, but he's young where he can suffer and strain himself to get down to that weight and then overnight, 24 hours, try to refuel himself "

 

Well either HBO or BHOPs is talking some sh't mate, because no way is his walkaround heavier than his fight night weight, either that or HBO weigh fighters when they're dressed/gloved/wearing boots.

But on the other hand when I wake up I've lost 2lbs overnight, when I go for 6miles in the morning I shed another 3-4lbs of water, so its possible he's talking 'morning after training weight'

 

It's pretty simple and easy to understand what he's "talking". His weight doesn't go above 167lbs between fights when he was at middleweight. No higher. He obviously keeps himself in shape like a demon when out of the gym or during light gym work. He'd probably just keep in shape with lots of running between fights when not in serious, disciplined, training leading up to a fight.

 

I don't know what else Ive got to do to convince you and others that Hopkins made middleweight easily. And it was unatural for him to make the 15lb jump to light-heavyweight.

He's said himself - and I have two different sources - one being The Ring after the Eastman fight, and the other was Boxing Monthly before the Taylor rematch, that he walks around no higher than 65, 66, no higher than 67. Obviously his "spartan like" training and eating the proper foods helped him to an absurd degree.

He weighed in at 156lbs at the age of 39. If this man was struggling to make the weight at that age, 4lbs is such a serious sacrifice that he'd never have weighed so low. It was quite obviously not a big deal for him to come in at 156lbs. Contrary to what people think, the contract weight for the De La Hoya fight was 158lbs.

And the move up to 175 is pretty much a fact that it was unatural for him. I knew this before providing the vast amount of evidence in this thread. The man needed to part with serious cash to hire a specialist to make the move up as his body was accustomed to his natural weight, 160. He was eating like a lion, lifting weights, and doing various work outs with Shilstone to bulk himself up. And just look at the quotes prior to the Taylor rematch about his weight as a middleweight..........Straight from the horses mouth. He's telling you, he made the weight easily. Even comparing his own weight making to Taylor's, who struggled with the weight and walked around so much heavier than Bernard between fights.

 

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