It is likely Calzaghe can stop Hopkins in 4 rounds, somewhat easily...

:thumbsup

I try...

 

Hopkins UD Calzaghe

 

Some may even feel that toward the loser

 

You still can't understand that Hopkins isn't what he was back then?

I would be pretty surprised if Calzaghe stopped Hopkins in 4 rounds, but not shocked or anything like that. After rewatching the Winky fight I can't see Hopkins lasting the distance in this fight. When you consider how shot he looked in that fight against a B level opponent (past-prime Winky at 170 is B level at best) and how this fight against a 100% motivated true top P4P fighter is nearly a year after that, it's completely possible that Hopkins gets blown out in the first half.

 

So I'm not allowed to get sick of wading through neverending bull**** like the premise of this thread?

 

You still cant understand that NOONE looks good vs Winky Wright.

Yet Bernard CLEARLY beat him...and hit him cleaner and harder than ANYONE has in over a decade. People point to Winky being old and blownup...yet he was 35 and fighting 3 classes above his prime weight...as opposed to Bernard who was 42 and 2 weight classes above his. The old and blown up thing doesnt hold weight....I mean, they BOTH are above their natural class...they both are old.

Now the people saying these things are also the people knocking Bernard's unbelievable win over Tarver...where he was BLOWN UP and OLD...and shut out and embarrassed the recognized champ at that weight. Doesnt make much sense now does it...

I totally understand that Bernard is past his prime...I have NEVER said differently. But he is not NEEEEEARRRRRLY as "past it" as most of you guys would have people believe. He still has tremendous defense, still has unreal footwork and movement (as attested by the fact that Winky threw 1000+ in the fight before Bernard...and only 400 in it), still has pinpoint accuracy and timing (Winky's shell defense is not predicated by speed or weight...and is among the best of this era...yet he was hit cleaner and harder than he had been in over a decade vs Bernard), still is the smartest fighter alive (arguably ever)....and his stamina is actually BETTER at the higher weight...as he said BEFORE the first Taylor fight that he could no longer make 160 easily and that it would be his swan song there (staying only to avenge his loss....that most felt was a win).

So yes, Bernard is not the fighter he was in his prime. But he is not the faded shell of himself that some are trying to make him out to be as well...

:good

 

Hopkins was a natural LHW by the time he fought Winky. Winky was nowhere close to that. And, NO, he didn't beat Winky as clearly as you make it out to be.

:good

 

COOOOOMMMMEEEE ON!!!

By that account Tito was a natural MW by the time Bernard beat him. By that account Oscar was a natural MW by the time Bernard beat him.
By that account Michael Spinks was a natural HW by the time Tyson beat him.

Give me a break Dec...

And yes...he did.

 

Well, in another thread, Amsterdam said he STRUGGLED with Winky...so there you go.

 

Main reason why many people, including myself, are impressed with Hopkins' last couple of performances, beside the cunning, clever stuff he does, is that we KNOW he's 42. At the back of our minds, even if subconsciously, we say: "Damn, he's amazing for a 42 year old!". Consciously, we don't always look at it like that.

Let me ask you this, if Hopkins has been in his mid thirties fighting Tarver and Winky, would he get as much credit as he got, for those performances?

I, personally, don't think so. :good

 

Well, fine, if you want to suggest I'm a parrot for whatever Amsterdam says...suit yourself.

I watched that fight 5 times now...I know what I saw.:smooch

 

:rofl :rofl :rofl :rofl :rofl :rofl :rofl

OH GOD...Im not gonna even LOOK for that thread.

Struggled.....

 

So have you given up on that comment about Hopkins being a natural LHW when he fought Winky then???

:huh

And no...the fight was NOT close.

 

No! Did I say I gave up on it?

Look at Hopkins' muscle build. He might not be bigger than a big SMW, like Calzaghe, Bute, Kessler, etc, but he doesn't come in on the night at less than 185, I'm sure of that. He has grown into the new division. It's not like Pavlik jumping up from 165, which he weighs day-in-day out to 185 overnight...(in a couple of months)...

If you compare Hopkins with Diaconu - around 185 on the night, Dawson - around 175 on the night and the big SMW's who come in at 182+...he doesn't looks so small to me, Hopkins...

 

He did have problems with Wright, otherwise he'd have easily dominated him and looked excellent, like a prime to prime match up would have gone.