another analysis vid - Hopkins v Trinidad

[arlovski]

I've done another video on a favourite fight of mine, one i think is worth studying.

I was (and still am) a huge Trinidad fan, in fact i've never been more excited about the sport as when he was moving up the weights destroying people at will; i remember vividly seeing the shocked look on Joppy's face when he felt the power of Tito's punches, he was a force of nature at that point, and i couldn't wait for him to wipe the floor with Hopkins and then move up to supermiddle, maybe even light heavy, there seemed to be no real limit when he carried such power.

Watching him get slowly and methodically dismantled by Hopkins was a real shock then, i couldn't understand why Tito didn't just barrel forward and let fly with his left hook, Hopkins didn't seem to be doing anything apart from fire the odd jab, why did Felix look so hesitant? why wasn't he pulling the trigger??

I've watched the fight numerous times in the years since, each time noticing different things that Hopkins did, things that he's continued to do for the past 10 years, in order to control the pace of his fights and completely shut down his opponent.
I've tried to condense the fight a bit and include some of these tactics in this video, it's still fairly long but hopefully of interest to a few, i can't wait for November 8th to see if the old man can do it again...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=twIfTDDZwDM

cheers

[edgey2009]

Was this fight ever in doubt with the terrorist attacks in New York occurring a couple weeks before? Nice video anyway!

[jimb0d]

Nice work. I think the cumulative effects of those short punches did get to Tito in the end and the video does highlight how effective those body feints can be.

How about a vid of the Pavlik dismantling?

[1 nut]

Nice work

[Datsue]

Outstanding stuff again mate, thank you!

[arlovski]

Outstanding stuff again mate, thank you!

cheers mate, appreciated!

[arlovski]

Nice work. I think the cumulative effects of those short punches did get to Tito in the end and the video does highlight how effective those body feints can be.

How about a vid of the Pavlik dismantling?

Funnily enough i watched that in full the other day, another fine performance. He did some different stuff in that fight - footwork impeccable still (this time moving right to avoid Pavliks right hand), but jabbed less, threw more left hooks than usual and really punched well in combinations to head and body.

Ruined Pavlik, like he did Trinidad really.

Surely he can't do it again to Kovalev???......

[Tomasino]

That was great. I've watched that fight at least 10 times previous, absolutely masterful.

I've subscribed to your channel some excellent looking vids good work man.

[Tomasino]

Nice work. I think the cumulative effects of those short punches did get to Tito in the end and the video does highlight how effective those body feints can be.

How about a vid of the Pavlik dismantling?

Funnily enough i watched that in full the other day, another fine performance. He did some different stuff in that fight - footwork impeccable still (this time moving right to avoid Pavliks right hand), but jabbed less, threw more left hooks than usual and really punched well in combinations to head and body.

Ruined Pavlik, like he did Trinidad really.

Surely he can't do it again to Kovalev???......

I don't think so but I've doubted him and been wrong before. What do you make of ODLH vs Hopkins?

[lefty]

Good stuff mate .... I think one of Hopkins biggest assets is also the fact that he has quite an awkward, herky, jerky style whereby he'll be constantly moving, particularily backwards with his opponent following him around the ring and then he'll let off a quick single shot or flurry and then tie up but in doing so he's good at not showing a tell and thus the opponent doesnt see the shots coming and by the time he does he's been caught and tied up and then the fight gets into a rythm like that.

[arlovski]

That was great. I've watched that fight at least 10 times previous, absolutely masterful.

I've subscribed to your channel some excellent looking vids good work man.

Thanks mate, the vids are slow in coming as i have only just graduated to being able to switch a computer on and off properly, but hopefully they're worth the wait

Haven't re-watched the ODLH fight in a while, as i remember it was fairly cagey as per the norm, Oscar did well early on because he's great at feinting too and clever enough not to react to Hopkins' little traps. I'll have to re-watch it fully again definitely.

Good stuff mate .... I think one of Hopkins biggest assets is also the fact that he has quite an awkward, herky, jerky style whereby he'll be constantly moving, particularily backwards with his opponent following him around the ring and then he'll let off a quick single shot or flurry and then tie up but in doing so he's good at not showing a tell and thus the opponent doesnt see the shots coming and by the time he does he's been caught and tied up and then the fight gets into a rythm like that.

Cheers! Yeah i think you're spot on. His lateral movement and footwork in general is outstanding, hardly uses any energy yet can shift his weight both ways, pivot beautifully and slide in and out of danger deceptively quickly.
His quick single shots are a huge weapon like you say, he throws the right hand out of nowhere, doesn't need to be set up like many fighters have to, there's a great video out there of him explaining this in detail to an MMA fighter (Rashad Evans?) as i remember.

You're right, his biggest weapon is that he dictates the rhythm and tempo of a fight so well, like Trinidad in the video - so mesmerised by the feints, footwork and jab early on that he spend the rest of the fight just following Hopkins around walking onto counters

[dookus]

Arlovski, thank you so much for this - another excellent video (which, unusually for a boxing video, I don't have to turn the music off for!). In particular it does a great job of showing how Hopkins uses movement and feints to control the pace and range of the fight, allowing him to control the action without throwing punches constantly (a certain G. Groves could do with a bit more of that intelligence). It also shows him using some of the more overlooked punches in boxing to impose his gameplan - e.g. the short right hook, which he is a real master at throwing on the inside. Another one that comes out in that fight in the later rounds when Hopkins starts to stand and trade with Trinidad is the short lead left uppercut which he uses to great effect in punishing Trinidad when standing in front of him.

[frankgreaves]

Great work mate, you have a really good eye for the little details, love watching your analysis vids, keep up the good work, please.

[hurlock]

Has to be hard work watching Hopkins ten times!! Good job

[Tomasino]

Has to be hard work watching Hopkins ten times!! Good job

Not the Trinidad fight it's a masterpiece. I'm always showing it to Hopkins haters. I've watched the pavlik fight at least four times that's another one he changes his tactics and is aggressive.