Ward says he would fight Hopkins at 175

well damn..

nothing more to really say after seeing that.

 

Why not originally fight Dawson at 175 then?

 

Hopkins knows he cannot beat Ward, which I think exposes him a little as a guy who handpicks guys to stay valid and to keep his record going as the oldest man to win a title.

 

If Bhop beat Ward, I would honestly rank him top 10 all time.

 

hopkins only face styles that favor his own

 

Ward fears GGG .. Why is he saying he would fight Hopkins when Hopkins said before he won't fight vs. Wardkke.

 

since when ? Dawson showed stamina & heart problems and vulnerabilities long before Hopkins fought him ?

I am a Hopkins fan but people are getting bit carried away at this stage of his career Hopkins can ONLY do well against guys with stamina issues even Dawson with his gassing after 4 rounds and no power and taking rounds off was able to beat him.

Any guy that means serious business is going to outwork and beat Hopkins let alone Andre Ward.

 

Boring fight IMO. Hopkins probably would lose it.

 

Exactly, it's all on Youtube lol. Now a prime Hopkins vs Ward would be great!

 

This was in reference to the PRESENT competition they have fought as of lately, competition constrained within their division in the past few years.

Half those guys you mentioned get auto-eliminated...

I acknowledge that Hopkins has had great fights earlier in his time, but that it was either at a lighter weightclass (outside of Light Heavyweight), or suckering up a smaller guy TO his weightclass... not competition presently already in the weightclass. Why is this a difference maker? Because he's had that great run in the past, not recently or presently. I'd like to think the past Hopkins WOULD take on Ward, but he knows his limits now, at this age. Im not debating whether Hopkins is a HOF'r or not, that's silly.

 

lol, thats a bit harsh there....

Whether or not you think he's cherry-picked, he has fought the best in the division..... you CANNOT ask more than that.

Not fighting someone who is NOT in your weight division is NOT a duck...

Now if Ward goes up to Light Heavyweight and he refuses to fight Ward, that's something else altogether

 

I'd watch the fight without question - even if it were on PPV, but I don't really want to see a 48-year old Hopkins lose very convincingly to a lesser/sloppier version of his younger self. Ward would completely out-hustle Hopkins and out-do him to the point where Bernard would be struggling to find any openings offensively, and would be dead-tired from dealing with Ward's handspeed, footspeed, and grueling inside presence.

Also, not to say Ward isn't a fantastic fighter. He's arguably the best in the world today and is carving out a hall-of-fame legacy, but he's not as good as the 1997-2002 Hopkins. Water Bernard's skill-level down a tad (defense, post-punch defensive manuvers/positioning, footwork, timing, counter-punching, offensive crispness/fluidity, movement, footwork, angle usage, non-mauling inside fighting), then add a bit of speed/athleticism and you get Andre Ward.