Best win by a presumed shot fighter?

[Dioufy]

It's arguable that Hopkins is better at 44 than he was at 33 - I believe that anyways.

[banjo]

Hopkins would have KO'd Joe the same way Pac did Hatton if it was Prime v Prime.

Outpoint him? Definitely, stop him? Possibly but knock him out cold? Not a chance.

[oliverfennell]

Come on dude, you could take away 90% of Hopkins talent, and the guy has sheds load more than Joe ever did.

Hopkins' MW reign was along the same lines as Calzaghe's at SMW - great stats but lots of filler.

[Carbo]

Come on dude, you could take away 90% of Hopkins talent, and the guy has sheds load more than Joe ever did.

Hopkins' MW reign was along the same lines as Calzaghe's at SMW - great stats but lots of filler.

Trinidad win a great deal better than the Lacy win, though, surely?

[bennie]

Mullan tipped Ali over Holmes while Houston tipped Bobick over Norton.

Harry must have had a thing about Larry, he tipped Cooney to beat him too.

Harry must have been over-indulging in Las Vegas (he always enjoyed his 'long' lunches in London) and always had a blind spot when it came to his fellow Irish (he physically cried when Jim Watt hammered Charlie Nash in four rounds).
Houston did the official preview in the pre-fight issue and went for an early win for Holmes, but Harry, who was already out in Vegas, added a build-up piece in the same issue and wrote in the last few pars:
"Holmes, at 33, must be nearing the end. The skill remains but the incentive must be waning, especially as this must be the last of the mega-buck defences he can make.
"Sore, hurt by those Cooney left hooks will he have the iron will to get up and keep fighting back.
"If Cooney floors him, will he let him off the hook as Snipes did?
"The answer to both those questions is, I suspect, no. I don't go along with the Cooney early, Holmes late, school of thought. The longer it goes the tougher it's going to get for the 33-year-old whose ambitions are fulfilled and whose best days are behind him.
"Oh, and there's one more reason why I'm backing Cooney: he's Irish and how can he lose?"
His piece caused a real stir in the office. We all told him to alter the end and Tim Mo nearly managed to convince him, but in the end what can you say to a great writer like Harry Mullan. This is a man who tipped Ali to beat Foreman.
Coincidentally, Houston learned a harsh lesson from his Duran-Moore prediction. He tipped Duran to go the full 15 rounds with Hagler in a competitive fight.

[MightyWarrior]

Mullan tipped Ali over Holmes while Houston tipped Bobick over Norton.

Harry must have had a thing about Larry, he tipped Cooney to beat him too.

Harry must have been over-indulging in Las Vegas (he always enjoyed his 'long' lunches in London) and always had a blind spot when it came to his fellow Irish (he physically cried when Jim Watt hammered Charlie Nash in four rounds).
Houston did the official preview in the pre-fight issue and went for an early win for Holmes, but Harry, who was already out in Vegas, added a build-up piece in the same issue and wrote in the last few pars:
"Holmes, at 33, must be nearing the end. The skill remains but the incentive must be waning, especially as this must be the last of the mega-buck defences he can make.
"Sore, hurt by those Cooney left hooks will he have the iron will to get up and keep fighting back.
"If Cooney floors him, will he let him off the hook as Snipes did?
"The answer to both those questions is, I suspect, no. I don't go along with the Cooney early, Holmes late, school of thought. The longer it goes the tougher it's going to get for the 33-year-old whose ambitions are fulfilled and whose best days are behind him.
"Oh, and there's one more reason why I'm backing Cooney: he's Irish and how can he lose?"
His piece caused a real stir in the office. We all told him to alter the end and Tim Mo nearly managed to convince him, but in the end what can you say to a great writer like Harry Mullan. This is a man who tipped Ali to beat Foreman.
Coincidentally, Houston learned a harsh lesson from his Duran-Moore prediction. He tipped Duran to go the full 15 rounds with Hagler in a competitive fight.

Great to hear about that Steve, good old Harry Mullan, you have to forgive him just about anything, he probably got McGuigen/Pedroza right in that case.
Houston doesn't get it wrong often, must have taken him years to get over that! I couldn't see Duran pulling that one off either, should have known better, it was a brutal mismatch in the end.

[MightyWarrior]

Holyfield over Tyson

No way. Tyson was over-the-hill a it were anyway, not to mention the entire Head-Butt/Ear Bite contorversy surronding it. Maybe then, but in Hindsight, time unravelled it al imo

Eh?! The earbite was the rematch. No one saw Holy beating Tyson first time round, apart from around one writer I recall. The bookies must have still been in shock when they made Mike favorite for the rematch too.

[Phenomenal-Nutrition]

It's arguable that Hopkins is better at 44 than he was at 33 - I believe that anyways.

What skills didn't he have as a 33yo? Or are you basing that on him slowing and losing stamina? Calzaghe nuthuggers have no shame

[Coco]

wasn't quite so ridiculous at the time, hindsight is a wonderful thing

Actually, I think it was. Bingham wason a good run and Winky was not yet the finished article, but I did at the time think it was a mismatch. Then I read the BN preview and thought "Hang on, he might have a chance after all!". But it was not to be, and Bingham was more outclassed than I had imagined he would be. At least he lasted the 12, though, unlike Foster and Dodson, the latter of which got badly smashed up.

Yeah Wright had been floored 5 times by Vasquez, who had been outclassed by the much smaller Whittiker and ko'd by Bouduani by the time of the Bingham fight.
Wright had been then brought in as an easy 1st home town defence for McKart, who was certainly limited in world class and won a SD.
Winky was seen as a bit chinny and was certainly not at all rated at that time. Therefore ideal material for the big punching Bingham who was on a rich vein of form.

[Dioufy]

It's arguable that Hopkins is better at 44 than he was at 33 - I believe that anyways.

What skills didn't he have as a 33yo? Or are you basing that on him slowing and losing stamina? Calzaghe nuthuggers have no shame

I meant he seems more effective. For example, if he was 33 when he fought Calzaghe he would've been beaten easily. But he's now turned into a defensive/counter-puncher genius. Look at how he approached the fight with Roy Jones and Calzaghe - big difference.

And I am a Calzaghe "nughugger" - I detest the man and his so called 'achievements' - he didn't fight the best, the prat.

[Coco]

Trinidad win a great deal better than the Lacy win, though, surely?

Trinidad was a career welterweight

[Dioufy]

Yeah, it's very fair to say that Hopkins has been fed smaller guys - Wright, Pavlik, Trinidad, de la Hoya and potentially Froch.

[bennie]

Hindsight can be twisted to make one look great, of course, but I could never see a 12-fight pro (Moore) who had struggled to beat Kevin Rooney beating Roberto Duran. That was honestly the way I felt at the time, Warrior. My overriding memory of the fight is the number of calls we received from fans requesting the result of the fight (in the days when one had to wait for BN on a Friday for the results of overseas fights). There were literally hundreds of callers and they were all overjoyed at the result. Mullan later commented on the number of calls - the most ever for a result he opined.
Duran was the ultimate 'crossover' fighter. A few years he fought a Chicago fighter at a packed venue in Chicago. Historian Dan Hanley was at the fight and said everyone to a man was behind Duran.

[Autobarn]

Holyfield over Tyson

No way. Tyson was over-the-hill a it were anyway, not to mention the entire Head-Butt/Ear Bite contorversy surronding it. Maybe then, but in Hindsight, time unravelled it al imo

I thought the Hopkins JC fight was a mismatch, I'll admit it. I now love Hopkins for the way he handled Pavlik.

It was - Hopkins will never beat fast handed flurry punchers because he hasn't got the stamina or talent to do so. But he'll murder the likes of your Pavliks and Frochs for a while to come because he can tie them up in knots.

Hopkins would have KO'd Joe the same way Pac did Hatton if it was Prime v Prime. At 43, obviously i agree, he has not got the Stamina, but Talent? Come on dude, you could take away 90% of Hopkins talent, and the guy has sheds load more than Joe ever did. Not to mentio many had Hopkins winning that bout anyway.

I agree, although stil good, Hopkins is passed it, and his bout with Pavlik was something else

hopkins isn't natural talent, he's a guy who justpersevered and started getting good adding things to his game, when he was about 34

[Autobarn]

It's arguable that Hopkins is better at 44 than he was at 33 - I believe that anyways.

What skills didn't he have as a 33yo? Or are you basing that on him slowing and losing stamina? Calzaghe nuthuggers have no shame

I meant he seems more effective. For example, if he was 33 when he fought Calzaghe he would've been beaten easily. But he's now turned into a defensive/counter-puncher genius. Look at how he approached the fight with Roy Jones and Calzaghe - big difference.

And I am a Calzaghe "nughugger" - I detest the man and his so called 'achievements' - he didn't fight the best, the prat.

one thing about hopkins, he will not go on the front foot and take a risk. this i feel is what stops him from being an all time great. he'll either foul or he'll hesistate for as many as 6-7 rds if he doesn't feel comfortable with his opponent's speed.

[Dioufy]

But he has adapted to his age remarkably well. I feel this makes him an ATG because not many fighters have the same longevity as Hopkins, and the mad thing is, he's still massively competitive in every fight he's in. The guy is a physical phenomenon.

Although I feel Dawson would beat him.

[oliverfennell]

Trinidad win a great deal better than the Lacy win, though, surely?

Yeah of course, but Morrade Hakkar = Mger Mkrtchian, Joe Lipsey = Omar Sheika, etc.

[MR UNTOUCHABLE]

The CAT taking the title from Rothman.

INCREDIBLE FIGHT!

[MightyWarrior]

Hindsight can be twisted to make one look great, of course, but I could never see a 12-fight pro (Moore) who had struggled to beat Kevin Rooney beating Roberto Duran. That was honestly the way I felt at the time, Warrior. My overriding memory of the fight is the number of calls we received from fans requesting the result of the fight (in the days when one had to wait for BN on a Friday for the results of overseas fights). There were literally hundreds of callers and they were all overjoyed at the result. Mullan later commented on the number of calls - the most ever for a result he opined.
Duran was the ultimate 'crossover' fighter. A few years he fought a Chicago fighter at a packed venue in Chicago. Historian Dan Hanley was at the fight and said everyone to a man was behind Duran.

Yeah that's true, I liked Davey Moore though, the Bronx Bomber.
He'd scored a few upsets already, and Bob Arum never really intended for him to stay champ for long, sending him over to Apartheid South Africa to take on the local ( white ) hero, Charlie the silver assassin Weir, a brutal puncher and the pre fight favorite. Moore absolutely hammered him, knocking him down something like 6 times in front of his shellshocked fans.

He showed a massive heart in taking that beating from Duran, and then came his tragic end a few years later.

[Autobarn]

The CAT taking the title from Rothman.

INCREDIBLE FIGHT!

yep, CAT's legs and speed completely gone yet he still pulls the win out, memorably

[stujones]

Ali vs Spinks... okay Spinks wasn't the greatest - but I thought Ali looked really good in the rematch, best he'd looked since Manilla.

[bennie]

Hindsight can be twisted to make one look great, of course, but I could never see a 12-fight pro (Moore) who had struggled to beat Kevin Rooney beating Roberto Duran. That was honestly the way I felt at the time, Warrior. My overriding memory of the fight is the number of calls we received from fans requesting the result of the fight (in the days when one had to wait for BN on a Friday for the results of overseas fights). There were literally hundreds of callers and they were all overjoyed at the result. Mullan later commented on the number of calls - the most ever for a result he opined.
Duran was the ultimate 'crossover' fighter. A few years he fought a Chicago fighter at a packed venue in Chicago. Historian Dan Hanley was at the fight and said everyone to a man was behind Duran.

Yeah that's true, I liked Davey Moore though, the Bronx Bomber.
He'd scored a few upsets already, and Bob Arum never really intended for him to stay champ for long, sending him over to Apartheid South Africa to take on the local ( white ) hero, Charlie the silver assassin Weir, a brutal puncher and the pre fight favorite. Moore absolutely hammered him, knocking him down something like 6 times in front of his shellshocked fans.

He showed a massive heart in taking that beating from Duran, and then came his tragic end a few years later.

Oh sure, Moore could really fight and just got chucked in too early against Duran, a fight which ruined him.

[stujones]

No mention of Mosley vs Margarito.

[Asterix]

No mention of Mosley vs Margarito.

4th post in this topic (it was by me).

[stujones]

No mention of Mosley vs Margarito.

4th post in this topic (it was by me).

Sorry, great shout. His stamina didn't look good against Cotto, everything didn't look good against Mayorga.