Hopkins v Tito 2

Raff The Frenchman · Post by **Raff The Frenchman** » 14 Apr 2005, 15:46

knockout wrote:funny how Hopkins is 4 years older and Tito isnt????

Tito took two years off doing fornicate all and blowing up to 14 stone...... he has had one fight against a punch bag...... in that time Hopkins has had several "easy fights" kept sharp and close to his weight....

2 years when your 39 is a lot...2 years when your about 30 is not much...

Manos de Oro · Post by **Manos de Oro** » 14 Apr 2005, 17:30

nickd wrote:This could well be a moot point as I quite fancy Taylors chances against Hopkins.

Wright is overated by many, but I'm warming to his chances against Trinidad. Tito seems quite placid during the press conferences. Must be a bit hard to get up for a guy with the paint-drying-on-the-wall personality of Winky Wright. Especially when you've just fought Mayorga.

stujones · Post by **stujones** » 14 Apr 2005, 17:48

I don't the Wright is overated at all. However, I do the he is starting to slide now and I think Tito has the style to beat him.

Wright doesn't like a fast pace and a fight against a hard puncher with a good engine. Harry Simon deservedly beat a younger Wright - because he had the power and workrate to make Winky think and spoil his rhythmn. Whilst, I think he beat Vargas it was undoubtedly a close fight - again Vargas had these characterstics.

Tito has hit, but probably has a better work rate and definately a big puncher than the two. I don't think Wright has the power to keep him off.

Tito by a points or late KO.

Manos de Oro · Post by **Manos de Oro** » 14 Apr 2005, 18:10

stujones wrote:I don't the Wright is overated at all. However, I do the he is starting to slide now and I think Tito has the style to beat him.

Wright doesn't like a fast pace and a fight against a hard puncher with a good engine. Harry Simon deservedly beat a younger Wright - because he had the power and workrate to make Winky think and spoil his rhythmn. Whilst, I think he beat Vargas it was undoubtedly a close fight - again Vargas had these characterstics.

Tito has hit, but probably has a better work rate and definately a big puncher than the two. I don't think Wright has the power to keep him off.

Tito by a points or late KO.

That's the way I see Wright too, the reason I say overated is because many people seem to consider him in the category of 'elite' after the Moseley wins. It's as if he has been an all time great all through his career, who has been avoided and not got the breaks. This isn't true because, as you say, he has been beat legitimately more than once. It's the same scenario with Juan Manuel Marquez for me - I think a lot of people get too carried away with the hype after big wins... it's not like these guys sprang out of nowhere.

My original pick for Tito-Wright was Tito KO 10, maybe points with Wright being down late (ala Reid), but his demeanor has made me question.

stujones · Post by **stujones** » 14 Apr 2005, 18:21

I think fighters can lose and still be called elite. Tito has lost but he is still an elite fighter, so has Hopkins and so has DLH.

I have always rated Wright highly and tipped him to beat Moseley, since winning the WBO title way back. I have never had him out of my P4P top twenty (and I have never had Joe Calzaghe in it). His sole (in my opinion) defeat since that capturing the WBO title was against another exceptional fighter who unfortunately it looks unlikely we will find out how good he is.

I think Wright is hall of fame bound and will step back down to perhaps capture a Light Middle belt for a third time. I just think Tito has the style that can beat him.

Manos de Oro · Post by **Manos de Oro** » 14 Apr 2005, 19:25

stujones wrote:I think fighters can lose and still be called elite.

Without question, but usually - for me - it takes an elite fighter (or elite performance at least) to beat an elite fighter. I don't think that's the case with Wright - Harry Simon looked hot from what we saw of him, but somehow, like you say, I don't think we got the full book on him. Vargas came close to eliteness but fell short, in my view.

Apart from those two I don't see any HOF-potential names on Wrights record - apart from Vasquez... whom he also lost too. But you've got to take into account his greeness at that stage. Sure, he had 25 fights unbeaten - but look at how padded his first campaign was.

I see where the problem lies with this: it's with Moseley. I saw him as a disaster waiting to happen from the Marquez fight on. For me, he would have been lucky to get into the top 5 light-middles in 2003 (when he 'beat' DLH). I would have tipped DLH, Forrest (third fight at 154), Castillejo, Wright, maybe Vargas to beat him. I even think Mayorga would have had a good shot at KO'ing him - remember, even at lightweight Moseley took a hell of a lot of shots for a fighter on his level; despite the flashy speed, footwork and combinations, he never quite had his defence on par with the rest of his attributes.

For me, he's been all hype - living off that one win from summer of 2000. I don't think he would have been awarded immediate rematches with Forrest or Wright if he had not had that DLH win on his ledger. I personally did not think he deserved, or would win, either rematch; he was so soundly beaten first time in each. I even had Adrian Stone winning the first round (maybe first 2, can't remember) when they fought. He hit his peak at 147 that night against DLH and has never been anywhere near it again, IMO.

BTW, no need to mention Calzaghe - I know you ain't biased. 8)

Hut*Hut · Post by **Hut*Hut** » 16 Apr 2005, 13:09

ive seen zero regression in hopkins. whether tito can adjust and fight more intellegently is debatable and the question on which the fight hinges.

i dont think tito has the skill to deal with Hopkins, but that hook is an equaliser so you can never rule him out.

id pay to see it anyway

Hopkins v Tito 2

What is the most likely outcome if they fought again?