who were more credible challengers at 160?

[Left Hook Tua]

Fair enough,

I'm just getting annoyed in general with all the Hopkins and Calzaghe hatred going around.

i understand.

but you have to understand this......

roy jones nuthugger = left hook tua + tito trinidad nuthugger = left hook tua + big winky wright fan = left hook tua

that means : **** bernard hopkins!

[Left Hook Tua]

who should he have fought..?

i never said hopkins ducked anyone.

i hate but within reason.

i think hopkins is a great fighter BUT i disagree when people call him an "ALL TIME GREAT". that he is NOT!

[Left Hook Tua]

I think all of them apart from DLH were credible opponents.

I know Duran was a lightweight but he had beaten Davey Moore prior to the Hagler fight in very impressive fashion so why not try to beat the best at middleweight as well? And Duran then went on to beat Iran Barkley at middleweight a few years later. And his style allowed him to move up and be effective.

DLH's style really didn't allow him to be effective at middleweight.

Also, Hagler's era still was using the same day weigh in so it made the size difference a little smaller.

excellent points as always , mr. silencers.

[ИATAS]

Tito was a middlweight champion, he had a belt. He was undefeated and a 6-1 favorite over hopkins. He was a very credible opponent.

Oscar didn't look that good his fight prior at 160, so he probably wasn't as credible as an opponent, however his natural weight class was (is) 154 so it's not that much of a jump. Besides, Oscar challenged bhop and like I've said before, only an idiot would turn down a fight with oscar.

[Flawless.]

3 Vs 2????

[TheGreatA]

It's not only Hagler of the great middleweights that defeated smaller opponents but also Monzon who fought Emile Griffith and Jose Napoles.

The great middleweights have traditionally had to fight smaller fighters for recognition.

The problem I have with people criticizing Hopkins for beating Trinidad and DLH is that Hagler and Monzon had lots of trouble defeating their smaller opponents while Hopkins did not, so it's hard to fault him.
Size doesn't always win fights and Hopkins hardly used his size to defeat Trinidad.

Watch Monzon's struggle in the rematch against an old Emile Griffith or Hagler's fights against Duran and Leonard for proof.

[Bhopreign]

Its actually closer than what people are making it out to be. If you look at the fighters, Oscar and Tito, with their height, are more natural middleweights than Duran and Leonard. In my mind Tito and Oscar should have started their career no lower than 154 and 147 at the lowest. Same day weigh in makes a huge difference. The question that should be asked if you want to nitpick opponents is what chance would Duran or Leonard have against Hopkins at middleweight instead of degrading him fighting fighters he fought. He made 20+ defenses, who else was out there at middleweight that he didnt fight that he should have? Nobody.

[slicksouthpaw16]

I only chose Duran, Leonard and Hearns becuase of Hearns run at middleweight which was a pretty good one. Leonard wasn't very successful at middleweight other than his gift decision against Hagler. Duran only won the middlweight title one time and that was for his win over Iran Barkely, which was a great one considering Barkely was 6'2 natural light heavyweight and Duran was a blown up lightweight and past his prime.

Trinidad was a very credible challenger as well as champion and even till this day i don't think Hopkins the credit that he deserves for that win. People ***** about him being a blown up welterweight, when he was unbeaten up until that point and was blowing out every other middlweight champion until he ran into Hopkins. Funny how he is all of a sudden a lesser opponent and past his prime.

Oscar has the least run at middleweight. Even though he beat an unbeaten champion that is still middlweight champion today( Felix Sturm), that was his only good win up there and it was a controversial decision.

[Bhopreign]

I only chose Duran, Leonard and Hearns becuase of Hearns run at middleweight which was a pretty good one. Leonard wasn't very successful at middleweight other than his gift decision against Hagler. Duran only won the middlweight title one time and that was for his win over Iran Barkely, which was a great one considering Barkely was 6'2 natural light heavyweight and Duran was a blown up lightweight and past his prime.

Trinidad was a very credible challenger as well as champion and even till this day i don't think Hopkins the credit that he deserves for that win. People ***** about him being a blown up welterweight, when he was unbeaten up until that point and was blowing out every other middlweight champion until he ran into Hopkins. Funny how he is all of a sudden a lesser opponent and past his prime.

Oscar has the least run at middleweight. Even though he beat an unbeaten champion that is still middlweight champion today( Felix Sturm), that was his only good win up there and it was a controversial decision.

How was Barkley a natural light heavyweight but nobody say Tito nor Oscar was a natural 154 or 160. Barkley hadnt fought above 160 before he beat Duran so why not call Barkley a natural middleweight.

[slicksouthpaw16]

How was Barkley a natural light heavyweight but nobody say Tito nor Oscar was a natural 154 or 160. Barkley hadnt fought above 160 before he beat Duran so why not call Barkley a natural middleweight.

Becuase he was 6'2 and was pulling himself down to make middlweight. I also considered Taylor and Pavlik super middlweights becuase they are so big and in reality, not middlweights. Felix Sturm and Aurther Abraham are the only natural middlweight champions. Just look at Barkely's frame, he finshed his career at heavyweight.