Who is your favourite British boxer out of those actively boxing right now?

Wasn't that what Calzaghe was supposed to do? Pavlik's power will only help him if he can land. Hopkins will never give him the time & space to land clean.

 

I wouldn't be at all surprised to see it play out this way. What I'm really interested in is how easy Hopkins finds it to land the kind of right hands he was tagging Calzaghe with.

 

Pavlik is far easier to hit than Calzaghe. Joe adapted to avoid those right hands, I can't see Pavlik being able to do the same.

 

I think most people thought Calzaghe would win by decision rather than KO, that was my pick anyway? Calzaghe has slipped and couldn't maintain the pressure on Hopkins when he tired, I think Pavlik (in addition to punching harder than JC) will be able to keep up the pace and stop Hopkins late.

 

I seem to remember quite a few people predicting Joe to be bouncing combos off Bhops head late on. Pavlik doesn't fight at a pace & I certainly haven't seen him up the pace in any fight I've watched him in. I'd go as far to say Pavlik is tailor made for Hopkins. A one paced, one dimensional fighter, who only really throws one-two's & has a slightly shakey chin.

Syd Vanderpool anyone?

 

Nobody stops Hopkins, unless he moves up to heavy :deal

The love for Pavlik on General is beyond a joke - the guy is good, but his only notable is beating Taylor twice. It's the old P beat T and T beat H therefore P must beat H theory again.....

Though one could argue that Hopkins won both fights.....

In reply to the other poster - Haye hates everyone at the Newbridge gym for how they dissed him prior to the fight, and also for refusing to acknowledge that he is a better fighter than Enzo Mac. Most of the hate is directed at Calzaghe sr, but most people think he is an arsehole anyway.

 

I can't help what other people predicted Dan....

 

I know that but you said most people weren't picking a Calzaghe KO & I was just saying some did. Not sure what your beef with that comment was.:huh

 

Those Taylor fights were wierd & I really need to watch them again. Hopkins bought into the Taylor hype a bit I think which was a mistake from someone so adept at mind games. Hopkins gave away too many early rounds which may have coloured the judges views a bit. Plus I think Hopkins was just starting to struggle at the weight a bit.

 

The fact that you seemed to use other peoples incorrect predictions on the Calzaghe fight to refute my prediction on the Pavlik fight, I can't really answer for other peoples picks. I predicted JC-Hopkins correctly (and for pretty much the right reasons as it turned out) but I think Pavlik is a different thing all together, its about styles and at this point in his career I think theres every chance Hopkins will be stopped by Pavlik.

 

I predicted a late stoppage. I was surprised how hard Calzaghe found the fight.

But as someone told me shortly after the fight, Calzaghe was unable to carry out what Enzo was instructing him because he had never shared the ring with a fighter on the level of Hopkins - skills wise.

 

He gave away far too many rounds at the beginning - in the US once you have built up a lead you always get the nod against a guy coming on down the stretch (Hatton Collazo as an example) and struggling at the weight is bound to be a hindrance.

I haven't seen a great deal of him if totally honest - in the Calzaghe fight it seemed like he was trying to fight like Mayweather. Has he always been like that, or only since stepping up?

 

2 Enzos are bad losers, particularly the little one.

 

'Young Hopkins' ?? Are we talking about the Hopkins that got beat by Roy comfortably ?? or are we talking about the guy who made his name by beating up welterweights that had no middleweight record (Tito and Oscar) .. Other than these 'name' fighters, Hopkins reigned over the weakest middleweight division in history .. I'm a fan of Hop because he has that 'old-school- ring generalship that the younger fighters dont have a clue about Calzaghe included, but lets be honest Hopkins is a cagey counter-puncher with a big over-hand right (when he can be bothered throwing it). After his defeat to Jones, Hopkins was smart enough to develop a brilliant styly to maximise his strengths and because the opposition was so weak it worked all the time, but even then his fights were scrappy, spoiling affairs .. Pavlik is 100% going to win this fight simply because Hopkins doesnt work enough, too many rounds are given away cheaply by Hopkins nowadays because he cant work. This will be a typically technical but dull performance from Bernard, at the end, he wont be marked up but he'll lose by 3 or 4 rounds and he'll moan that he was robbed, predicatble Hopkins, its all about picking up the cash for this guy now and trying not to take clean shots .... Hopkins would have been annihilated by Middleweight King Carlos Monzon .... Hatton is my favourite active British fighter, he gives everything and has a pleasing style, Haye looks good but his tests are in the future and as for Joe, well this guy has never convinced me, his CV like Hopkins is weak and comparing him to the great fighters of yesteryear from 160 to 175, i can see plenty of people taking him apart but that also goes for Hatton too at 140 .... Does anybody in the world really believe that Joe Calzaghe could beat a prime Roy Jones Jr, if anybody does, they need to be locked up in a secure unit, Roy would have toyed with him .......

 

I agree with what you say about styles but I happen to think the opposite in that Pavlik is made for Hopkins. I just don't see how a cagey fighter can be made for a one dimensional, one-two man like Pavlik.

Yup I think Enzo underestimated Hopkins, he predicted an easy night for his boy which was never going to be the case. Plus Hopkins has never really been close to being stopped so why anyone thought Joe could stop him was beyond me. Hopkins has been down twice his entire career & that was in the first Murcado fight & was more to do with the altitude in Ecuador that he wasn't prepared for.

Hopkins prior to the Trinidad fight was quite different to the fighter you see today. Very aggressive, still not pretty, but very effective & stopped a lot more fighters. You really should try & watch the Glen Johnson fight. Many feel that was prime Hopkins.

But what has Pavlik done to suggest he is streaks ahead of Hopkins? Hopkins gave Roy a good fight by Roy's own admission & I don't see too many people crticising Hagler for having his best wins over smaller guys.