I did a show last week and the topic was Roberto Duran. During the discussion we talked about lightweight titlists that were successful all the way up to middleweight. As I mentioned Pernell Whitaker's jump to 154 in 1995, I checked the 160-pound rankings to see who was considered the top dog and it was Quincy Taylor, with Bernard Hopkins coming in at #2. I then wondered what would have happened had Whitaker somehow fought Hopkins after his rematch with Mercado in 1995 or early 1996. What do you think? As bonuses, how do you think he would have fared against the other top guys in late 1995/early 1996: Quincy Taylor, Shinji Takehara, William Joppy, and Jorge Castro?
I have to pick Hopkins. The size difference is too much. Pea's skills allow him to hang around for a while, maybe even have his moments.
A huge middleweight vs a small welterweight? I think we saw something similar to what would happen with Spence-Garcia. The big man would dominate this one as well and I'm not sure that Sweetpea makes the final bell.
if Pea was taking on a more defensive fighter at middleweight , he might be able to outthink his opponent on his way to victory, however I think Hopkins can overwhelm him with his size and a decent activity level. Hopkins had more than enough power in his younger years to keep Pea at bay. Hell, he still had enough when he was into his mid 40s.
Whitaker may have his moment s against BHop but in the whole he's getting roughed about a bit . Sweet P still there at the end but no doubt s it's Hopkin s the winner.
Hopkins was a rangy middle who bookended his career at 175. The size difference would have been too much to overcome, and it's difficult to see a scenario that ends with Whitaker winning. Hopkins would have been too disciplined to chase Whitaker and fall into traps; he would have respected the challenge Whitaker would have presented and been happy to pot shot him from distance and rough him up in close. Whitaker stood up to Trinidad's power and may have been able to last the distance; he had a good chin despite the frequent knockdowns and was very difficult to catch clean. Castro is a more interesting fight. In theory he is a stronger version of Vazquez, who Whitaker was able to neutralise with the jab. He would stand a decent chance of doing the same to Castro, and he may have more success than most going to Castro's body rather than cracking his fists over Jorge's concrete noggin. While seemingly crude, Castro had a way of catching the judge's eyes with flurries against superior boxers, and obviously he was difficult to outpoint in Argentina. Taylor had the southpaw thing going for him, but he wasn't a big middleweight and I think Whitaker could frustrate him. Joppy had fast hands, and could well be too active for Whitaker at that time. Takehara was a bit of a mystery even at the time, and there's little footage at top level to properly gauge his level. He really struggled with Joppy's speed and movement, and I think Whitaker would have a good chance of frustrating him over 12.
