Larry Merchant really made Hopkins look shitty after Hopkins called out the undisputed junior-middleweight champ. I believe it was after his fight with Morrade Hakkar.
In recent boxing history Hopkins and Roy Jones Jr, in no particular order.
one ducked anyone over 160 (and he started at 175), while calling out smaller guys
one handpicked his opponents (with huge help from sanctioning bodies), which is even worse... but at least he did that across 6 weight divisions
I am not going to discuss the concept of "ducking" but they should make the top if I get you right.
the best fighters we have had in many many years. how sad... :(
and they even ducked each other. how sad... :(
also, plz don't mention roy jones ducking lewis, sanders, douglas; those were full fledged f-++ing heavytweights. If you say he ducked them you are implying he is one of the greatest fighters ever (154 to HW and accused of ducking the lineal HW champ...), which is probably not the point you are trying to make.
After all I am starting to think I like De La Hoya, he is not nearly as good ad these 2 guys in terms of natural talents and skills and in fact he has lost and was involved in close fights, but he has fought the toughest competitition available in any calsshe fought in.
Panzer
Actually it is the 'BottyMon'.....which means he is gay.
They actually call him that? Ah man, I thought that my filipino family hating me was bad.
I like your chavez avatar. Talk about a ducker, jc superstar had a lot of weak as title defenses. He had some big victories and was a great fighter but I hate that mother fucker. I have never scene a pooorer sport in the game. His classless acts against Frankie Randal have scarred him forever. And yes he was with Don King who basically does the ducking for you unless he owns both fighters.
Nunn, Jirov and Sanders are without question. I thought at the time of all the talk that Sanders would knock Jones out. Roy would have handled Nunn, but as for Jirov, that would have been fun too watch Roy lay against the ropes and have Jirov throw a thousand punches-Jirov before Tarver had a legit shot at beating Roy. Ya know Roy has never shown heart in the ring before, never. People try at debate the fact that he won the last two rounds against Tarver and call it heart, guts, glory, whatever. It was more like Tarver letting the biggest fight of his life slip away. Point is that most of the fighters that would have brought out or exsposed Roy's heart were never picked. Granted I have no excuse for Hopkins, he did very little in that fight and Toney fought a guy that was light years ahead of him in the quickness department. Roy could still probably beat Toney based upon Toney's lay back counter punching style.
Yes!!! RJ=Ducker
Roy Jones Jr.: Ducked Darius Michaelczeski, Toney and Hopkins rematches, Lennox Lewis, Felix Trinidad.
Prince Naseem: Ducked Junior Jones, Erik Morales, Johnny Tapia, Floyd Mayweather, and Daniel Zaragosa.
are you sure Roy ducked lennox lewis? i recall lewis not sayin much about a proposed bout between the two. by the way, Roy would have eaten Tito alive. Prince Naseem was a fuckin jerk, good riddance.
Roy Jones Jr.: Ducked Darius Michaelczeski, Toney and Hopkins rematches, Lennox Lewis, Felix Trinidad.
Prince Naseem: Ducked Junior Jones, Erik Morales, Johnny Tapia, Floyd Mayweather, and Daniel Zaragosa.
You left out that Roy ducked Rocchigiani, Nunn, Jirov, Sanders, Douglas, and you may as well add Vitali as well because he gave up the WBA belt when Vitali was his mandatory.
Roy Jones Jr.: Ducked Darius Michaelczeski, Toney and Hopkins rematches, Lennox Lewis, Felix Trinidad.
Prince Naseem: Ducked Junior Jones, Erik Morales, Johnny Tapia, Floyd Mayweather, and Daniel Zaragosa.
Without question the two fighters that duck are...
David Reid and Fernando Vargas.
They both waited far too long to take on Tito, cmon Reid had 14 fights and Vargas had 20, shit if they weren't ducking Tito for so damn long Reid would have fought Tito when he was 4-0 and Vargas...probably about 7-0, but they were scared and waited as long as possible to take the fight.
I'm sorry I am off point a bit, David Reid and Fernando Vargas are examples of guys who did the opposite of ducking or stepping up, they both were retarded. Goes to show you what can happen to young fighters when they are offered too much dough, way too soon. Both fights were great for fans but career enders for a couple of young olympians.(Vargas people aren't quite as retarded as Reid's, at least he had fought wright and quartey, but still don't kid yourself, Vargas is still retarded)
I am guessing,is RJJ on the list???
I think this question about ducking should be addressed to fight managers and promoters. But RJJ manages and promotes himself, he should be a big part of the list.