Taylor by split decision!!

johnswan1 · Post by **johnswan1** » 17 Jul 2005, 00:26

Has to be a rematch!

lvlarc · Post by **lvlarc** » 17 Jul 2005, 00:47

Yep rematch defo. My prediction before fight was Hopkins to win Split Decision.

Had the 3rd judge scored the last round for Hopkins like all the rest did, and every other person with eyes, it would of been a draw.

So a rematch is definetly expected, but next time Hopkins will set the pace at the start and go for the early KO. Hopkins had Taylor hurt in the last 3 rounds and he should of went for the KO, I think he thought he was winning the fight.

Bring on the rematch!

Neri · Post by **Neri** » 17 Jul 2005, 00:58

Well done to Taylor. I think he deserved the win. I was really dissapointed by Hopkins. He didnt do anything notable for the first 6 rounds. I was really struggling to give Hopkins rounds, even after predicting a Hopkins win. I dont think Hopkins deserved to win , Jermain pushed forward effectively and was all effort and credit to him getting through the rocky few rounds at the end. Good on him

states · Post by **states** » 17 Jul 2005, 01:03

116 - 115 for Taylor on my card. Hopkins left himself with far too much ground to make up. Taylor didn't do anything that exceptional, either.

From the British point of view, Eastman could have been the man to dethrone Hopkins, if he'd been prepared to leave everything in the ring, a la Hatton (Yes, I know: this would never happen). Fair play to Taylor, mind. Not intimidated, stuck to a plan early, and didn't let the rough stuff get to him. Hanging on a bit at the end, but just deserved it, in my opinion.[/i]

Rory McCloskey · Post by **Rory McCloskey** » 17 Jul 2005, 01:04

i wanna see wright-taylor... its not fair to wright that he nevr gets his shot i think he is the best in the division!!

stujones · Post by **stujones** » 17 Jul 2005, 05:14

Strange Night really in Vegas.

The Montiel vs Brecino scoring.

Wayne McCullough getting stopped

Hopkins losing.

All three were surprises to me, especially the first one. That scoring was rediculous - I thought Brecino won the fight.

Matchfixer · Post by **Matchfixer** » 17 Jul 2005, 06:37

Can't believe there is only one thread on this here, there are currently 22 threads on Hopkins v Taylor on the current scene

Hesketh Vampire · Post by **Hesketh Vampire** » 17 Jul 2005, 06:39

Great change of expression on Bernard's face when Buffer bellowed "..and the NEW...". Never seen such a stunned face.

Bard of Boxrec · Post by **Bard of Boxrec** » 17 Jul 2005, 06:41

Hesketh Vampire wrote:Great change of expression on Bernard's face when Buffer bellowed "..and the NEW...". Never seen such a stunned face.

He dug his grave I feel when he announced 'and still' just before Buffer revealed 'And new'.

stujones · Post by **stujones** » 17 Jul 2005, 06:41

Hesketh Vampire wrote:Great change of expression on Bernard's face when Buffer bellowed "..and the NEW...". Never seen such a stunned face.

Yes that was a great change, he was seemingly ignoring the score cards (very little change) when Buffer said "Split Decision" still not paying much attention.... and then "and the NEW" and he was like "thats not supposed t happen".

Fair play though, I thought he handled it well and I think he'll have Taylor in the rematch.

dve3333 · Post by **dve3333** » 17 Jul 2005, 08:06

Poor De La Hoya looked like he was about to cry in the background

Neri · Post by **Neri** » 17 Jul 2005, 08:15

Matchfixer wrote:Can't believe there is only one thread on this here, there are currently 22 threads on Hopkins v Taylor on the current scene

That will be the gulf in common sense between here and the current scene. If someone over here has a comment to make on a fight such as Hopkins-Taylor they put it in an existing topic. The current scene all seem to be fighting to be the post starter

johnswan1 · Post by **johnswan1** » 17 Jul 2005, 08:18

I really didn't think Taylor done enough to win the fight. The early rounds were very close while Hopkins was really beating up on his towards the end of the fight. I was very surprised the judges were happy to let the belts change hands despite the champion showing to be the better (although lazier early on) fighter.

I think there is potential for both men to do better in the rematch. Hopkins would need to start quicker and also needs to find the correct counter for the double jab as I believe this is something Jermaine will throw a lot more in a second fight. Taylor kept his left hand alarmingly low which allowed Hops to nail him with right hands. He also seemed to have a lot less stamina than the "old man".

A disappointing verdict IMO and I was really shouting for Hopkins towards the end. The stoppage would have been fantastic.

Hesketh Vampire · Post by **Hesketh Vampire** » 17 Jul 2005, 08:23

Conversely I didn't think Hopkins did enough to win the fight. He gace too many of the early rounds away before he solved the problems Taylor was giving him. Doubtless if we were in the days of 15 rounds Bernard would still be the champion. He was starting to become a little too cocksure of himself though, maybe he had a wake-up call coming the way Lennox did a couple of times.

lvlarc · Post by **lvlarc** » 17 Jul 2005, 08:48

Hesketh Vampire wrote:Conversely I didn't think Hopkins did enough to win the fight. He gace too many of the early rounds away before he solved the problems Taylor was giving him. Doubtless if we were in the days of 15 rounds Bernard would still be the champion. He was starting to become a little too cocksure of himself though, maybe he had a wake-up call coming the way Lennox did a couple of times.

If it was 15 rounds maybe B-Hop wouldnt of fought until the 12th round. Dissapointing performance IMO but I do think he will knock Taylor out in a rematch, in mid rounds.

Hesketh Vampire · Post by **Hesketh Vampire** » 17 Jul 2005, 09:00

lvlarc_uk wrote:If it was 15 rounds maybe B-Hop wouldnt of fought until the 12th round. Dissapointing performance IMO but I do think he will knock Taylor out in a rematch, in mid rounds.

Rematches tend to pick up where the first fight left off, so you could well be right. I see a date in October is being lined up for a rematch, personally I'd have thought a little prevarification was in Taylor's interest during which time Hopkins will either retire or get older.

harley_man · Post by **harley_man** » 17 Jul 2005, 09:05

This played out exactly as I (and many, many others) called it - a close, disputed win that we'll be arguing about for a while, likely depending on which fighter you were in for from the start.

And I'm not tooting my horn, since I predicted Hopkins to be on the winning side of such a decision.

I had it 116-113 Taylor. I've been a fan of Hopkins for years and love his sublime skills (rds 10-12 were great) but if I go back to those rounds I called close - but gave to Taylor - and give them to Hopkins, it's still just a draw on my card.

Go back and watch the tape; he does nothing rds 1-4, barely throwing a punch and although he's crafty in making Taylor miss, it's not exactly ring generalship. I was generous and gave him 5, because his savvy was starting to show, but Taylor still seemed in charge.

But Taylor took 6-8, and could very well be given the 9th on the one big flurry he scored with early; otherwise it's even.

But Hopkins owned 10-12. Yes Taylor appeared a different fighter - tired and a bit anxious - but Hopkins preyed on that perfectly and won those rounds handily. He just needed more rounds.

And that's his fault. Taylor was making plenty of mistakes early that Hopkins could have capitalized on: over committing on his punches (especially the first jab), swinging wildly, and dropping his right. But H did nothing to exploit those and win enough early rounds. I know that's not his style but he burned himself this time because his opponent didn't break down in round 7 and touged it out in the championship rounds.

I say Taylor deserved the decision and I'm impressed it actually went to the fighter who won early but looked beat late, given the magnitude of the event. I think for the TV audience, that's the lasting impression. But add up your cards. Taylor wins.

And Hopkins is motivated for a rematch because the whole world is against him again.

KO Artist · Post by **KO Artist** » 17 Jul 2005, 09:48

I had it 116 - 114 for Hopkins.

I reckon Hopkins will stop Taylor in the rematch

Lefthookhappy19 · Post by **Lefthookhappy19** » 17 Jul 2005, 10:51

stujones wrote:Strange Night really in Vegas.

The Montiel vs Brecino scoring.

Wayne McCullough getting stopped

Hopkins losing.

All three were surprises to me, especially the first one. That scoring was rediculous - I thought Brecino won the fight.

I thought Ian Darke went way over the top about the Montiel scoring. Sure, it should have been closer, but Briceno winning? Give me a break. Montiel still won. Darke goes on about American judges scoring on aggression and not clean punching yet he was doing it himself.

Taylor is raw as hell and seems pretty overrated to me. He's just a big strong guy with a good jab. Hopkins 4 years ago would have laid a terrible beating on Taylor and Roy Jones at middle would have made a fool out of him.

dwo 27 · Post by **dwo 27** » 17 Jul 2005, 10:57

I had it 114-114 but I'm glad Taylor got the decision, Hopkins did bugger all for the first 6 rounds and didn't look sharp until about the 9th.
I've never liked Hopkins and I hope loses the rematch.

Cannibal · Post by **Cannibal** » 17 Jul 2005, 11:54

I find it odd that some are arguing for Hopkins winning this. I had it 115-113 to Taylor the same as the judges that scored the fight to Taylor but looking back at the tape I can't see any rounds where I could argue scoring the opposite way that I did. Hopkins lost the first 4 to me because he did that thing that he always does where he just moves around and stands in one spot like a statue momentarily waiting to counter but didn't land much because Taylor was quick to get in and out in the early part of the fight and that double jab was working well for him. Hopkins narrowly scraped a couple of rounds in the middle and then finished strong but overall Taylor beat him I think and can't see the arguements for scoring it for Hopkins myself.

Neri · Post by **Neri** » 17 Jul 2005, 13:31

I cant see a Hopkins win either, even by being generous to him. Taylor won by about 2 rounds with me. He deserved it and Hopkins let himself down badly. His comments to Larry Merchant in the interview where interesting

steve689 · Post by **steve689** » 17 Jul 2005, 14:13

I didn't score the fight but felt Hopkins won, Taylor was busier but didn't look immense, he was not intimidated and his double jab kept Hopkins at bay but i wouldn't start crowing about him being a world beater just yet. Even though i felt Bernard won i cannot argue with the scoring as the fight was tight and Hopkins paid for his early inactivity, he seemed to feel it would all come good. He really should have expended more energy late on as well as i felt he could have dropped the tiring Taylor.

As for Montiel-Briceno, Briceno's effort was all in vain because of the ridiculous scoring but i still think Montiel won the fight only by a tighter margin. Super Flyweight is a promising division, i hope Montiel-Castillo happens soon although i would back Castillo after watching them both over recent weeks.

Manos de Oro · Post by **Manos de Oro** » 17 Jul 2005, 15:05

Lefthookhappy19 wrote:I thought Ian Darke went way over the top about the Montiel scoring. Sure, it should have been closer, but Briceno winning? Give me a break. Montiel still won. Darke goes on about American judges scoring on aggression and not clean punching yet he was doing it himself.

I was actually pleased Ian Darke went that way, even though I sort of feel the same way you do about it (as you said on the other thread). This fight was one of the only times in... forever... where I can remember the commentators on Sky actually seeing a fight two different ways.

Lefthookhappy19 wrote:Taylor is raw as hell and seems pretty overrated to me. He's just a big strong guy with a good jab. Hopkins 4 years ago would have laid a terrible beating on Taylor and Roy Jones at middle would have made a fool out of him.

The funny thing is, it was an audition as well as a fight in HBO's eyes. Taylor represented everything they wanted - same size as Hopkins, shaved head, all the visual similarities (e.g. Sturm or Abraham would never have been hyped as the 'next in line') - but most importantly of all, he would be more 'exciting' to the casual fan.

Taylor was to be the heir to Hopkins.

Taylor was cut twice and out on his feet.

Hopkins has never been cut nor out on his feet since 1988.

Some heir.

Hopkins of 97-01 would have won every round lopsided and stopped him in the 10th, if not before.

Roy Jones at 160 would have blown him out in about 2.

Raff The Frenchman · Post by **Raff The Frenchman** » 17 Jul 2005, 15:27

i knew Taylor would win this one, i had picked him...Hopkins always showed he had troubles against bigger/faster guys...plus he was getting old and less motivated while Taylor was young and hungry...expect Taylor to be even more dominant in their rematch and a long reign after that...
this also gave an idea of what debacle it would have been if Hopkins had climbed 2 divisions to fight Tarver...