By John Hively

 

I disagree with those who place Bernard Hopkins up there among the top five or six middleweights of all time. Hopkins was an alphabet champion for six years, unified the title eventually, held it four years before losing it on a controversial decision, and defended his various titles twenty times. Those who claim Hopkins as being one of the five or six best middleweights of all time base their case on these numbers.

 

However, these pundits carefully ignore the fact that Hopkins was one of the most carefully managed champions of all time, when the division was arguably at its weakest ever. It’s true the champ defeated a number of capable fighters; Keith Holmes, William Joppy, Howard Eastman, Antwun Echols, Glen Johnson, Robert Allen and one or two others were all capable ring men, but none are likely to be elected to the Hall of Fame. Johnson might prove to be an exception, but it will be his achievements as a light heavyweight that will get him there, rather than what he did at middleweight.

 

It’s true that Oscar De La Hoya and Felix Trinidad, knockout losers to Hopkins, are likely headed into the Hall of Fame, but it was their exploits in lower weight classes that will earn their placement alongside the greats. If anything, De La Hoya proved to be a mediocre middleweight, and Trinidad wasn’t much better.

 

It wasn’t as if there were no future Hall of Fame fighters for Hopkins to face during his heyday. He could have risen up in weight a little to fight James Toney or seek revenge in a rematch with Roy Jones, but he didn’t. He could have gone up just a few pounds to face Joe Calzaghe, Chris Eubank or Steve Collins, but he didn’t. He waited for the little guys to come up to him.

 

Now the aging Hopkins is poised to challenge Antonio Tarver. A win over the light heavyweight champion will boost his stock as an all time great, because Tarver is a potential Hall of Fame candidate. This time it’s the little guy coming up to face the big guy. Now Hopkins is finally flashing courage like Oscar De La Hoya, Harry Greb, Tiger Flowers, Stanley Ketchel, Archie Moore, Mickey Walker, James Toney, Roy Jones and so many other greats. The willingness to accept serious challenges is something that’s been missing throughout Hopkins career—until now.

 

It’s difficult to conceive of Hopkins winning this fight. Jermain Taylor threw right hands from left field for twenty-four rounds and Hopkins couldn’t take advantage of this serious flaw enough to get the decision in either of those two battles. If he couldn’t beat a flawed greenhorn like Taylor, it’s unlikely he’ll beat a veteran like Tarver.

 

If he couldn’t take advantage of a flawed Taylor, it’s difficult to envision even a prime Hopkins defeating such great fighters as Marvin Hagler, Carlos Monzon, Ray Robinson, Tony Zale, Jake La Motta, Harry Greb and several others. When the quality of opposition is taken into account, Hopkins isn’t even in the same ballpark as those named above, as well as several other middleweights.

 

Looking at the Ring magazine’s top twenty middleweights of all time from a few years back, Hopkins probably belongs anywhere from number sixteen, his current position, to nineteen. That’s pretty good company for a guy who has never beaten a Hall of Fame fighter of his own weight or heavier.

 

In direct contrast to Hopkins career we have Manny Pacquiao. This guy has been fighting in and around 128 pounds for the last few years. Pacman has ducked no one, and has gone out of his way to fight the best in a talent rich era. Erik Morales and Marco Antonio Barrera, two future Hall of Fame candidates, have fallen before the fists of this mighty fistic tsunami from the Philippines. At some point in the future, both Barrera and Morales will be prime candidates to enter the list of the top twenty or thirty greatest fighters of all time at featherweight. Like Pacquiao, these two boxers have never been reluctant to take on the best, in start contrast to Hopkins.

 

Pacquiao has also drawn with Juan Manuel Marquez, another fighter typically rated among the ten best pound-for-pound fighters today, and it was only the scoring mistake of a judge that prevented him from earning the nod.

 

In contrast to the declining Hopkins, Pacquiao can still improve. In his latest encounter with Morales, he demonstrated a fine jab and won the first two rounds. Then Pacman forgot that he had this powerful weapon and lost the next three rounds in my opinion. When and if he remembers to consistently use his jab, as well as use more head movement, Pacquiao will become an even greater fighter. Despite all of his achievements, his future is still ahead of him.

 

For Hopkins, however, his time has come, and most likely, gone. Why he didn’t take risks and seek big fights against people his own size or slightly heavier after his loss to Roy Jones in 1993 is a mystery. Perhaps he knew he wasn’t good enough to defeat skilled speedsters such as Calzaghe and Jones, or capable enough to beat an all around great ring mechanic like James Toney. Maybe we should leave it at that. His greatness is established, but the question of “how great?” will likely go unanswered and debated for decades. However, at least from my point of view, Hopkins clearly hovers outside the top fifteen of all time.