Will Hopkisn neutralize Calzaghe's high punch output .....

I am not a Calzaghe fan. I am not a Hopkins fan. Stop being so presumptious (something you seemed upset about when someone did it to you earlier). You obviously don't know much about my taste in fighters. To brand me a Calzaghe fan would be......laughable, to say the least.

Assuming because I disagree with you that my point wasn't thought out is childish, especially in the way you stated it, which was purely meant as an insult based on your faulty presumption.

What you stated wasn't a fact, but your opinion based on certain facts that you have interpreted a certain way. Hopkins best wins are against smaller fighters. And while Calzaghe has less on his resume, he has a few quality wins, ones you cannot dispute, and he has cleaned out his division, much like Hopkins. And his division was no weaker than the MW division Hopkins fought in. The gap isn't huge.

The 168 division is no different than any other weight class in between the original 8. So that's not a valid point at all.

I also noticed you completely ignored the counter point to your "Hopkins dominated multiple weight classes."

 

116-112 for me, vintage calzaghe

i aint no fanboy either it's based on what i have seen from both fighters in their last few fights

 

Hopkins can try to kep Joe from throwing lost of punchs. However, since he could not do it against the one dimensional fighter like Taylor his chances are slim to none. Calzaghe is in a different league than Taylor.

 

My apologies for applying the Joe C fanboy tag, and even more apologetic for my post being implied as insulting. I come across that way but its definitely not my intentions, I tend to be overly aggressive when defending or presenting my arguement - I'm in no way gods gift to analyzing pugilism. I'm not trying to dispute any of Joe C's wins, or any of his limited quality wins....he's a great fighter at 168. I just think during his reign of terror, if he would have been at MW, or at LHW - the tale of his career would be a much different story, just based on his natural god given gifts. I dont blame him for staying at 168, he was in a weight class he could easily dominate and clean up.

My biggest point I'm trying to make is out of 100 fights, Joe C would be hard pressed to win 65 of them vs. B-Hop. Once again, just my humble opinion - no insults or condescension directed towards you.

 

He only dominated 160. I have no idea where you got the idea he has dominated in several weights classes. He has only fought at LHW twice. One being a very controversial win over a natural 154 pound fighter in Winky Wright. He koed oscar and oscar is a natural welter.

 

Fair enough, no worries.

I agree in the sense that Calzaghe's competition has made it nearly impossible to label him what his fans want to. However, I am kinda oldshool in giving credit to fighters for cleaning divisions out.

I honestly think I learned more about Hopkins in his loss to Jones and his win over Johnson than I did from his defeat of Trinidad.

 

Gah I definitely wish i could retract "dominated" from that post, but its way to late.

I meant to say he went through several classes, beating alot of good fighters in each.

I thought I put that in my previous post, but I guess i didn't retract it there

Either way, that bone headed use of "dominated" has put me in a hole I can't get out of in this arguement - and that's a fact.

 

Great statement, and I think two of the best fight examples to paint a good picture of who B-Hop is in the ring. Although I still like his trinidad fight as well.

 

I kinda like the way Joe is perceived now. We defend his resume to the hilt, the Yanks bash him to pieces

Either way, he's something of an enigma and it keeps things interesting on here. My fear is he'll win 2 more after Hopkins, and there will be nothing to argue

 

Hopkins is 43 and only stepped up to LHW a couple of years ago after spending ALL 10 of his championship years at Middleweight.

Calzaghe is 35 and is stepping up to LHW a few years before Hopkins did and will have reigned longer at SMW than Bernard did at MW.

i.e. Arguing this way, it may seem like Calzaghe is on course to eclipse Hopkins' weight division jumping exploits. All of these are actual facts.

 

Not argueing man.

 

I agree completely. I think its hard for us "yanks" to take certain brit fighters as seriously as we should when they never come here to fight, rarely get exposure, and aren't always fighting who we want to see them fight.

Either way, I think the Joe C v. B-Hop fight is great for the sport, but i have that gut wrenching feeling its not going to be aesthetically pleasing and pretty boring.

 

argue/discuss/debate - all kind of interchangible in my vernacular.
Didn't mean to imply you were arguing with me.

 

Will surpassing his weight division jumping put him on the same level as B-Hop though?

If he fights till 43, beats more quality opp. I think it definitely does.

If he retires after bhop(or maybe 2 more fights after that) I don't think it does.

AND BIGGEST QUESTION FOR EVERYONE IN THIS THREAD:
Even if he managed to make it to 50-0 - could you possibly try to justify him as being the greatest ever?

 

Greatest ever? I think it could justify a top 30 ATG ranking if in those 6 fights he needs to get there he beat Hopkins, Dawson, Woods, and a few contenders. There aren't enough available fighters for him to get higher IMO.