who was better, hopkins when he fought roy jones or the one that fought calzaghe???

both were not the best hopkins.

hopkins v jones tried to match skills from the outside v a faster better boxer instead of working out this is not working /gritting his teeth and thinking lest just walk through him and let my hands go and see what happens.

v calzaghe hopkins was to cagey/reserved/boxing within himself to much , not prepared to make mistakes in oder to get the win.

the difference was tha v jones hopkins had the stamina and workrate to change things and chose not to

v calzaghe it was simply his ploy and he most probably was not able to implement any other style due to fatigue.

best hopkins definatley lay right in the middle of these 2 fights, when he mixed it up a lot more.

 

Roy Jones beat the better Hopkins and allegedly did it with a hand injury, but Calzaghe was at more of a stylistic disadvantage.

The Hopkins that fought Calzaghe didn't have the legs to be on top of his game for a full 12 and that is the major difference here.

 

The Hopkins that fought Roy Jones was more aggressive, threw a lot more punches, wasn't as much of a polished tactical fighter but I do believe he was better than the version that fought Calzaghe. I think Hopkins was at his best when he beat Trinidad, credit to Calzaghe too though I dont think Hopkins fought the best Calzaghe or the best Roy Jones either.

 

I wonder how much the outcomes would change and how different the fights would be if they had met at their absolute peaks.

 

Slight advantage to the Hopkins who got beaten by Jones Jr.

He was more aggressive, had more stamina and was more able to dictate how fights would go. He hadn't quite evolved into the Hopkins we came to know him as but I think at 43, Hopkins had given everything he had to give by the stage he fought Calzaghe.

Hopkins at 37-38 was the best he ever was.

 

The 28 yr old version of course, he had won 20+ fights in a row before and after facing RJJ. Bhops at 43 is completely shot IMO.

 

Wouldn't say completely shot, still a guy I could see beating most of the Top 10 in MW, SMW and LHW.

Remember, wasn't that long ago he dominated Tarver and decisively beat Winky.

 

Personally, I think they are both on the same level of the ability curve for B-Hop (amazing since he's 43). The Hopkins that killed Trinidad probably would have won against Roy or Joe via decision. Still, Hopkins needs to stop being an ass-munch when loses. I hated that after the Taylor fights and I hated it more against Calzaghe.

 

Any one who thinks Bhops at 43 is on par with 28 yr old version needs to get thier head checked. the Hopkins that fought RJJ would have stopped Calslappy, and the 43 yr old that Calslappy fought would have got KTFO by RJJ.

 

the Hopkins that fought Jones would beat any version of Calzaghe....

 

1. Tarver was weight drained.
2. Any top 15 LHW would have beat Winky by UD that night.
3. The Joppy fight was the last time he looked great IMO, and that was like 6 yrs ago.

 

Always conditions right? Hopkins has looked unbeatable and probably should have beaten Taylor, loses to Calzaghe in a way that wasn't because Calzaghe was faster or more powerful, simply more intelligent and suddenly he's completely shot.

Hopkins has issues with Calzaghe at ANY point in his career, just the same as Calzaghe has issues with Hopkins. Both of them have stylistic advantages over one another, it's whoever gets to dictate the pace and gameplan of the fight that applies them.

Calzaghe beat Hopkins pretty much at his own game, I don't think this would have changed, even the Joppy version of Hopkins would have struggled to win.

Also if we're talking age against Hopkins, why is a 36 yr old suddenly considered young?

 

You've got to be kidding, compared to 43, 36 is very young. Bhops, Winky, DLH, Lewis, SSM, and Holyfield were all decent fighters at 35/36, definetly past prime but not shot. Anyway Stevie Wonder could see Bhops decline after the Joppy fight, he no longer had the speed, stamina or ability to break fighters down, as seen in fights against Eastman, Allen, DLH, Taylor 1&2. No way in hell Calslappy beats beats any version of Bhops between 93 & 02.

 

SSM and ODLH have struggled to win anything since 34-35. Holyfield maybe at 36 but then the guy was impressively conditioned.

Winky has been struggling in his last few fights, he's younger then Calzaghe.

Lewis was looking like being beaten against Vitali before the stoppage.

Meanwhile, we've got B-Hops, who everyone considers the best conditioned 40+ ever and a guy who has the conditioning of a 21 yr old according to many

Yet when he loses, he was just too old but a younger version destroys Calzaghe.

I take Calzaghe at 30 over B-Hop at 36. Any day.