Taylor vs. Hopkins

Couldn't care about punch stats. I would like to see the punch stats, because one fighter can land a higher percentage but it means nothing.

Example: One fighter lands 20 of 30 shots thrown in a round, and the other lands 30 of 50. The first fighter lands a higher percentage, but clearly doesn't win the round.

Anyway the fight was a close decision for Taylor, 115-113 in my eyes.

Hopkins lost my respect after whining about the decision. He went on about he felt he dominated the fight, which was nonsense. It was nowhere near a Chavez-Whitaker, Holyfield-Lewis I type of decision.

 

i meant sharper in terms of speed.

yes hops was kicking arse in the last few rds.

but u don't score just on the last few rds.

i fail to see how people had hops winning more than a couple of the first 9 rds tbh. :huh

 

No Hopkins hater here, as you know. He happens to be one of my favourite fighters. I liked his attitude after he handed Tarver a lesson. It seemed to be no big deal while being interviewed afterwards by Merchant. None of the "I told you so" and reminding everyone he proved the doubters wrong.

 

Landing more than Hopkins I'm afraid. Busier as well when the rounds were very close.

 

I had it even. I had Hopkins winning the rematch. There were a lot of close rounds, so I didn't have much of a problem with either decision, but Duane Ford giving the 12th round to Taylor in the first fight is a ****ing joke.

 

Lewis and Whitaker won most of their rounds clearly. Dominated rounds. That cannot be said about Hopkins over any of the first 8 rounds against Taylor.

 

something we agree on robbi. :yep

 

i agree that ford's scoring of rd12 was pants. :yep

 

If one fight on Hopkins' record effects his legacy, its the Taylor rematch. A chance to turn the tables and get revenge on a fighter who was the first to beat him for 12 years. Hopkins finished the first fight strongly, and clearly had Taylor shaken on a few occassions. That proved his style was effective while being aggressive against Taylor. The rematch was a dull affair, and I'm not usually one for complaining about tactical fights. Hopkins should have picked up from where he left off, and gambled more during the early rounds of the rematch. That may not be Hopkin's style, but he was asking for trouble yet again with his strategy. I'm not for one moment saying Hopkins should have went all aggressive and wreckless, but more positive power punches should have been bouncing off Taylor's head more often.

 

Ford's a drunk fool. He also had Foreman behind Moorer before the knockout......BY ONE POINT.

Ford, Eugenia Williams, and Ken Morita are probably the crappiest of the bigger name judges.

 

Ken Morita. Some people who post on Eastside could judge a fight better than him. He had Tyson ahead on points against Douglas. Apart from Tyson knocking Douglas down during the 8th, a 10-8 round, and Tyson winning two other rounds at most, closely as well. He was getting a lesson behind the jab and beaten up.

 

It does. He's came back after losing twice to Taylor and beaten Tarver and Wright, thus making the possible revenge against Taylor look worse. So just because he was 41 years old it means nothing. And its nothing like the equivalent of Hagler fighting Jones in 1995. Hagler would be making a comeback if that happened, after 8 years of inactivity.

It effects his legacy that he never won the Taylor rematch.

 

It would have looked far more impressive on Hopkins record if he had won the Taylor rematch. He shouldn't have lost the first fight, but if you lose the first fight and have the chance to get revenge in a rematch, make sure you get the "W".

Lewis done it, Holyfield done it, Leonard done it, Ali done it, Robinson done it, Louis done it, Pacquauio done it, and Hopkins' had one chance during his career and he failed.

Don't get me wrong, Hopkins has done enough in his career. 20 defenses of the middleweight title, and stepping up two divisions to beat Tarver.

I'd take Hopkins to beat Leonard, Hagler, Hearns, and Duran at middleweight.

 

yeah it's a small hit on his legacy.

no doubts.

he didn't find any answers in that rematch.

he just fought the same fight. atsch

 

Isn't that a bit of a double standard that every win Hopkins has is amplified because of how old he is, but he gets a free pass for every loss because of it?