BoxRec

How would it have gone?

Benn at his most ferocious against arguably the best middleweight in the last few years.

A cracker!!!

Hopkins by decicsion for me

Late KO. Remember what Watson did to him at middleweight?

Unless we are talking about the Benn who fought at SM?

Hopkins KO

Hopkins KO 9

Hopkins wins by mid round stoppage. Too smart for Benn.

I loved Benn, but he was at his weakest against smart fighters

Good fight though

Slapsie

agreed, hopkins would have absorbed all of benn's shots and stopped him late. benn's heart and workrate would have made it a great fight though, and it would have been close on the cards at the time of stoppage.

I don't think Hopkins stops him. Benn had a decent chin and was strong, Hopkins stops guys he dominates and he wouldn't dominate Benn.

Be a cracker, though. Benn's definitely got the advantage in natural size as well, and would certainly set a work rate at the upper end of Hopkins' comfort range. But Hopkins I'd say knows just a bit much and is just a bit clever. Hopkins on points with Benn trying to draw him onto a brawl and failing.

Benn punched himself out trying to muller Watson, and I see the same thing happening against Hopkins.

I think Bernard would have thrashed Nigel, Benn maybe making it exciting for a couple of rounds before being stopped by the 6th/7th. Even the more mature patient Benn (circa the Eubank rematch) would have just been dominated.

Have to go with Hopkins really. I think he'd box his way to a fairly wide decision. Benn's punch could conceivably cause Hopkins problems, after all, he's not totally invincible, but having seen the way he dealt with Trinidad (where the big punch was totally negated), then Benn's chances would have been pretty slim.

Be interesting to see who got the upper hand on the inside though. I thought Hopkins gave a masterclass in that regard against Joppy, but i always felt that it was one of Benn's strengths.

Benn was possibly physically stronger than Bernard, especially on the inside where Nige liked it, but technically, Benn was flawed. His best shots were wide looping hooks, and I think he would have been easily countered. Trinindad is a better technical boxer than Benn, although he tends to be one paced, and Bernard just took him to the cleaners.

Benn probably hit hard enough to hurt even Hopkins, but I think that he would have got drilled every time on the way in with those lashing hooks.