Why do people act like B Hopkins holds the record for middleweight title defenses

[therealpugilist]

In what way are they suffering? They weren't taking on the best in every fight either.

you do have a point


most of the heavyweight champions before Rocky Marciano drew the colour line......screw ducking one fighter....people were ducking a whole race when boxing was one of the biggest sports in the world


IMO Jack Dempsey and the heavyweights before Jack Johnson are the most overrated heavyweight champions ever...Sam Langforde, Harry Wills, George Godfrey and a host of great fighters didn't fight for the heavyweight title


their is no reason why Sugar Ray Robinson and other champions of the 40's didn't fight Charley Burley when he was a top ten contender at 147-160 for an entire decade

[Ham Porter]

But he was not recognized as "LINEAL" until he beat Ali..now you are splitting hairs....

Nobody cares. The best heavyweight in the world going into that fight was Ken Norton.

[DoktorSleepless]

I like Cliff Rold's take on it. Hopkins at least has a debatable case. What's more annoying is people saying GGG is right up there close to breaking the record.

[ИATAS]

Hard to compare since there was only one middleweight belt back then, by the time Hopkins came around there were four major titles, and after Hopkins won his first title boxing politics kept him away from the other title holders (Don King) for years. Needless to say Hopkins would have unified much sooner of given the chance (Joppy and Holmes were title holders Hopkins went on to easily beat).

I like Cliff Rold's take on it. Hopkins at least has a debatable case. What's more annoying is people saying GGG is right up there close to breaking the record.

Not many people say it. I'm probably the only person that talked about it because I made a thread asking a question. Obviously it gets messy with "regular" champs, super champs, etc. If you just look at his regular title, which was later elevated from interim, it's like 12-13 defenses. Again, I realize it's easily discredited because how ******ed boxing is with multiple "champs" of the same belt. It's even more messy than Hopkins situation, his IBF belt wasn't even considered as a serious belt back in 95.

[jas]

OP doesn't rate golovkin as highly as most people do

And is trying to take away from his belt defences

[therealpugilist]

Nobody cares. The best heavyweight in the world going into that fight was Ken Norton.

Norton was on a win streak and Foreman, Frazier and Ali were retired....he was the best available

Mike Weaver....john Tate???? yea right!!!

[boliodogs]

Hopkins holds the record. Lineal is overrated. Lineal heavyweight champ Patterson avoided Liston for years. Lineal champs Martinez and Cotto have between them avoided fighting GGG for years even though GGG is clearly the best middleweight in the world and has been for years. During all of his successful defenses Hopkins was clearly the best middleweight in the world, lineal or not. He fought and defeated all the top middleweights during his reign. No one can name a middleweight who could have defeated Hopkins during his long reign because he fought all the good ones. Monzon was a great fighter but Hopkins hold the record for successful defenses and it's a record that may never be beaten.