If Smith Jr. knocks Hopkins out early, how will you rate Kovalev?

It would have no bearing on how I rate Kovalev. Smith isn't fighting the 49 year old Hopkins. He's fighting the 51 year old Hopkins.

 

It would have no bearing on how I rate Kovalev, but for different reasons. Kovalev could have knocked out Hopkins if he pushed it, but he had too much respect for him and let him survive.

If that were to happen, I can see already the built-in excuse, that he was too years older. In reality, Hopkins will be at worst the same fighter he was vs Kovalev this weekend. The Hopkins that fought Kovalev was the worst version of Hopkins we've ever seen. Even if he gets knocked out cold early on, chances are he'll still look way better vs Smith Jr and produce more offense than we saw in the entire Kovalev fight. He's two years older, but he's had a lot of time to prepare for this fight.

 

You assume a man doesn't age and slow down in two years. He isn't going from 33 to 35, he went from 49 to 51. Hopkins could very well go in there and look the worst he's ever looked. He's do for a solid performance though. He never gives us two duds in a row, and Smith while strong, and unknown, is likely not better than the Shumenov's, and Cloud types, that he seems similar to.

 

Really?