If Hopkins was a few years younger

Joe was ducked by everyone! Hopkisn pulled out, Jones refused to fight him (as he admitted in the interview posted on here the other day), who else could he have fought?

 

Joe was ducked by everyone? There was a list of fights that and fighters that Joe was linked to no less than 5-6 years ago. He had bouts penned against US name opponents like Tate, Joppy, and Telesco. All those fights fell through. He had 2 bouts penned in vs Johnson.Twice joe failed to turn up and hence why lacy asked for an advance before they fought. His name was also mooted to be in Don Kings tourney along with Harry Simon Tito and Hopkins, Joe again was nowhere to be seen as he and Frank were very hard to negociate with and frankly at that time were making easy money defending the WBO in Wales. His name was also linked to Howard Eastman just after his 1st loss to Joppy again the fight never happened.Now that is just a small handful of fights that failed to materialise al of which would have given Joe the name recognition he apparently wanted.

Joe now is a name fighter finally. BUT LETS NOT forget his path to greatness nor his awful performance vs a 43 year old Hopkins.

 

what interview?

weren't you challenged on this the other day with zero results?

 

If Hop was a few years younger and didn't fight safety first, Joe would of battered him as he was more agressive and hungry and Joe thrives off agressive fighters.

Plus Hopkins was smaller back then and while Joe has been a career bigger man.

 

Hop turned pro at 75. He turned into a gym rat to make 160. When he fought at 160 he walked around 170 as he was ALWAYS in the gym. So id hardly call him small. Now as for battering him again thats wholly subective. Im sure you remember Joes fight with a shot Charles Brewer? Joe said at the time that was his hardest fight ever. Hopkins is/was a FAR SUPERIOR fighter to brewer. If Hop had stayed in the cup as he liked too in his prime believe me its Joe who would have been on the end of a brutal beat down. The Brewer Calzaghe fight was much closer than the scores indicated.

 

Hopkins has got the ability to carry weight a lot better than Calzaghe. Joe thrives off aggressive B level fighters, they both have their qualities but Hopkins takes this in a UD.

 

If Hopkins were a few years younger and Joe still 36 ?

Or if Hopkins were, say 37 and Joe 31?


Prime is not always measured in years. Lennox was prime from 33 to 37.
Iron Mike was past it at 25.


Joe is arguably as far from his best days as Bernard.

Both fighters are near their technical best but both have begun their physical decline.

 

Calzaghe carries the weight easy and claims to come down from 196lbs, although me thinks It's more 180 odd.

Hopkins lack of safety first and cheating will take away any chance he has at winning more than 2 rounds. :yep

 

Or Bernard is 43, not exactly a 28-32 yr old prime prize fighter.

 

Joe physically is certainly past his prime. But he wasted his best years beating up tin cans and is now trying to cash in his chips at the ripe old age of 36.

 

I'm not debating whether he can get fat, i'm saying looking at him he has zero muscle density, Joe would have a lot of trouble putting any muscle on, it's just genetics. I don't know who you have mistaken for Joe when he was younger, Tyson perhaps?

 

There's a BIG difference between 36 and 43!