Bernard Hopkins?

tonyevs · Post by **tonyevs** » 24 Sep 2004, 18:24

I got to say I did not really appreciate Bernard Hopkins opponents until I took a closer look.
Have to admit they are pretty good to say the least.

I expected to pick holes in them, but.... well I can’t.

So where does Bernard stand in the all-time list at middle weight, he makes my top 5.

Williams · Post by **Williams** » 26 Sep 2004, 13:10

Probably in the top 10. Unique fighter. Most of his "popular" accomplishments occurred after his 36th birthday. I think tapes will show that he was a very good fighter before that.

zslayton · Post by **zslayton** » 26 Sep 2004, 19:12

He is awesome. I think he is one of the smartest fighters to have fought, ever. I would rank him in the top 10, and could say even the top 5 of all time. I can't think of many that he wouldn't beat.

babyhuey · Post by **babyhuey** » 28 Sep 2004, 21:16

i agree with all of you, my only question....??
why are we discussing this in the
"boxers of the past" section??
hopkins isnt done yet,.......
i do however hope he dosent pull a holyfield on us, and on himself,
it might open up doubt to his legacy, and questions to everything he has accomplished i would like to see him defend his title possably to the 25th time then retire....hes at what 19 now??
he should stay active for a year or two tops, then hang it up....

dan1030 · Post by **dan1030** » 08 Oct 2004, 17:33

He's been saying for years that he wants to make 20 defenses, but he's also been saying he's not going to fight much longer...that more than anything--if he sticks to it--proves he's a smart boxer. We'll see if he's actually able to bring himself to walk away while still on top.

jsc1973 · Post by **jsc1973** » 14 Oct 2004, 04:04

He's easily in the all-time top 10 middleweights, and you can make a case for him in the top five. If he faces and beats Trinidad again, that seals it.

Professor X · Post by **Professor X** » 25 Oct 2004, 06:55

Well, he has one of the greatest chins in boxing history, of course. "Gotta' start with that.

He is quite possibly the most accomplished "old" fighter/champion in history...right up there with, and maybe even beyond, Archie Moore, George Foreman, Joe Brown, etc..

He's a great boxer who probably hasn't lost more than five total rounds in five or six years (all that past the age of 34, when ALL of his opponent's were MUCH younger...when Hopkins stopped an in-great-shape Glen Johnson, Hopkins was 33 or 34 yrs old while Johnson was 28 or 29 yrs old and undefeated, for example). And he can brawl with anybody, of course.

Sure, he lost two fights earlier in his career, but so did Hagler and Monzon.

His power is highly underrated. He can still KO any middleweight around.

There's a lot of experts on this board...can somebody please name me a boxer from any era that has shown such dedication over such a long period of time as Hopkins has?

I have Hopkins sixth on my middleweight list, but maybe he should be higher. Some people do rank him higher...like top three.

tonyevs · Post by **tonyevs** » 25 Oct 2004, 15:14

Archie Moore?

Professor X · Post by **Professor X** » 26 Oct 2004, 00:09

Absolutely. Hasn't Hopkins proven himself by now as one of the greatest "old-timers" ever? Well, of course he has.

You know, Hopkins is "carrying" these guys he fights, with room to spare. Like, I could count the number of rounds that he has lost in the last decade on two hands.

Eric the Viking · Post by **Eric the Viking** » 13 Dec 2004, 13:44

Professor X wrote:I could count the number of rounds that he has lost in the last decade on two hands.

You must have quite a severe case of polydactylism, then.