Would leonard of the Hagler fight have beaten Hopkins of the 1st Taylor ft?

He was a different fighter against Taylor than he had been just five years earlier. Taylor didn't look very sophisticated to me, but his speed and workrate was too much for Hopkins to handle at that stage. Perhaps the same would be true of the trickier Leonard. But SRL didn't have much left in his legs when he met Hagler. The question is if he'd manage to keep away during the second half. A toss up for me.

 

In the other Fergy thread Hopkins vs Hagler title opponents i picked Hopkins to beat
Leonard. However this was based on prime Hopkins of Trinidad fight of 01. By 05
Hopkins had slowed down enough for Taylor to out work BH.
If Taylor could outwork a 40 yr old BH then so called SRL . Leonard on pts.

 

I think I'd take Leonard. He'd slid but still managed to (arguably) win a decision over MMH which is no small beer.

 

was hopkins struggling with the 160 weight limit at this point as he looked rejuvenated when he went up to 175?

 

yes

 

Yes.

 

Yeah, the guy had his first pro fight at LHW and was a big MW from the start of his career, but he managed to keep his weight down due to intense road work and dedicated training and lifestyle overall. But at 40 he must really have been pushing it to stay at 160.

 

I dont know. The knee jerk reaction is yes but a couple of things make me think no. Hopkins and Hagler may have been similarly faded when they met Leonard and Taylor but the comparison's can pretty much end there. Ive always thought Leonard legitimately beat Hagler by a very narrow decision. But I thought Hopkins just barely beat Taylor. Hopkins is a different animal than Hagler. In confronting Hopkins Leonard would be facing a much bigger guy. Would Leonard be able to steal rounds with his flurry's the same way he did against Hagler? My guess is he has a harder time, especially considering Hopkins is a master of stealing rounds himself. This fight is a pick em to me. I think Hopkins size, style, and ring habits would pose problems for Leonard that Hagler didnt.

 

Yeah Probably.

 

Probably. Hopkins underwhelmed me in his previous fights against DLH and Eastman, and it was only a matter of time before a talented 160-lber gave him serious problems. Leonard had the legs, skill, and speed to do it.

I'd definitely favor prime-MW Hopkins (from a few years earlier) over Leonard though, for what it's worth.

 

Yes. The Hopkins of the first Taylor fight would have lost to a number of men. He simply didn't do enough to win.

 

Possibly. This was the worst 160 post title version of Hopkins i probably ever saw. Making 160 for so many years finally caught up with him and his work rate and effective dropped dramatically near the end there. One he moved up in weight he had a new lease of life and won a couple of sensational fights.

Hopkins wouldn't make the same mistakes Hagler did but at the same time he didn't have much workrate. He'd sit on Leonard more but whether he could do it effectively enough i don't know. SRL wouldn't beat the best of him at 160 which is certainly no shame for a natural 147.

 

Agree with those who say that Hopkins was having quite a bit of trouble with making the 160 limit at this time against Taylor...Hopkins was using guile and pacing to win his fights...but I don't think Leonard's style would have easy for Hopkins to deal with at any point though due to his mobility. Hopkins would have had to force the fight, and he much preferred the fight come to him, so he could set up his traps. Trinidad was a force coming forward offensively, but Leonard's movement and adaptability pose different questions.