BoxRec

Both are awesome feats and i think they should each have its own cattegory not going head to head but if i was forced to decide then i too gotta go with Benitez via quality of oposition.

The quality of oposition factor is very important specially when we have stuff like the WBC helping Canelo break Fernando Vargas' record as the youngest jmw.

I believe Foreman would still be holding the record if it wasnt for Dawson-Pascal. When i saw that fight i felt like dragging BHop out of his hose to make him fight Pascal. Not taking anything away from Hopkins but even as great as he is i dont see him beating any of the other champs including Dawson. If it wasnt Pascal holding that belt we it wouldnt have happened.

I gotta wait and see how Glen Johnson looks tomorrow but if he takes a 5 years break ide bet on him to beat a guy like Pascal in his comeback fight.

Hopkins, most definitely. He stole the show when he starting doing push ups when the final bell rang. That man's cardiovascular system is something else.

SaadOffTheDeck wrote:

Goodnight, Irene wrote:Its definitely a debate, as I see it. There are some really good points on either side.

Im the age DempseyFire mentioned in his post, 27, and to be honest, I cant even remember if I bounced back quicker or not when I was 17. Seems like a long time ago.

I was in better shape at 27. But I never messed with weights until my early 20's. I started noticing issues bouncing back in my later 30's. But even if that is different than most. A 27 year old is a full strength grown man as opposed to a teenager. At 27 I would have put a 17yr old me in the morgue. I'm 42 now and there aren't many 17yr olds in the world that I wouldn't decimate. That's a kid.

I'm also 27 and I can definitely agree that it is harder to keep myself injury free now than it was when I was 17. I'm only about 5 kilos heavier than when I was 17 and most of that is muscle and I am definitely fitter now than I was at 17. All that said, I wind up much more sore after exercise than I ever used to and when I pull a muscle, it takes much longer to return to 100% than it used to.

How do you remember that?

Bernard Hopkins is a great fighter. An all-time top 50 pound per pound great. I have him inside the top 50 because of his longevity and accomplishments, which are remarkable. But, a kid, at 17, that should be worrying and doing some school work or trying to meet a girl should in no ways be fighting one of the greatest jr welterweight champs of the last 50 years. No way! Antonio Cervantes was a MAN in his prime with lots of experience, and the great Wilfred Benitez, a boy, schooled him. I don't know what the other Venezuelan judge was watching. That fight was not a split decision at all! It was a clear win for The Radar.

Hopkins achievement was good, but not great to me. It was probably because the quality of opponent he faced. Plus, BHop in his whole career, was not in too many ring wars that wear and tear on your body. Most his fights were tactical fights. He until now, has not received a great amount of punishment due to his remarkable defensive tactics. He was never really in a war. And the third point, these fighters today don't know how to fight. Back in the 90s on down, Hopkins would have never been fighting like he is fighting now. And my fourth point is, HE ONLY FIGHTS ONE FIGHT A YEAR. But, still at 46, that is a good feat, not that great of a feat due to the situation he is in.

Hopkins and Benitez are contrast to each other. One was finished by the age of 24 and the other at 46, is still fighting?