Hopkins says his desire to fight Jones went out of the window after Calzaghe humiliated him, and that he is more interested in fights he would be the underdog in, namely Adamek.
well I don't see how anyone can blame hopkins - after all he did lose to jones at one point and so what if he wants a check? He's 45 years old.
Further, hopkins did say he wants david haye after jones. Is that not a challenge?
Yeah except nothing shows that a Haye bout will happen. Remember when Hopkins wanted Oleg Maskaev? Exactly.
No one is saying it's wrong for Hopkins to want a check. It's not. But that's all it is. It certainly doesn't help his legacy or erase what happened in 1993.
The difference is hopkins is 45 years old, smart guy.
Further, blame HBO for the Adamek fight for not happening - both hopkins & adamek agreed to fight but HBO would not release their 2010 budget. Rather than waiting around to find out if the fight would be approved or not, Adamek decided to fight Golota and rightfully so, as he made a lot of money in that fight. Meanwhile, Jones talks shit and talk on the internet spread of hopkins "ducking" jones and being "scared" so he takes the jones fight. Totally different circumstances.
Nah, man. NATAS you're my man 25 grand but Hopkins just wants a check. He shouldn't be fighting Roy regardless of whatever sh*t Roy talked (like that's something new between them). Heck, he said himself he shouldn't be fighting Roy and this was the same guy who was in Roy's lockerroom after the Calzaghe fight telling him to retire. Hopkins is an ATG but this reeks of a final payday. Just like Joe.
Wtf? Are you serious? Chad Dawson was "actively pursuing" a fight for the past year, before he signed to fight Johnson. Adamek wanted to fight Hopkins too before any talk of the Roy fight came up. Bernard even talked about how he had so many other options instead of Roy on that radio interview.
Bernard doesnt have any options? LOL
So you're saying it's no different than when Dawson was calling out Calzaghe? And that Hopkins should be bashed for fighting a shot fighter?
I agree.
Chad Dawson is fighting Glen Johnson and Hopkins doesn't want to wait for HBO to let Dawson take another 9 month layoff like they did after he fought Tarver. Adamek just moved up to Heavyweight. Kelly Pavlik and Chad Dawson were both actively pursuing a fight with Calzaghe right before he retired.
Wtf? Are you serious? Chad Dawson was "actively pursuing" a fight for the past year, before he signed to fight Johnson. Adamek wanted to fight Hopkins too before any talk of the Roy fight came up. Bernard even talked about how he had so many other options instead of Roy on that radio interview.
Bernard doesnt have any options? LOL
Hopkins doesnt have options? Wtf?
Chad Dawson is fighting Glen Johnson and Hopkins doesn't want to wait for HBO to let Dawson take another 9 month layoff like they did after he fought Tarver. Adamek just moved up to Heavyweight. Kelly Pavlik and Chad Dawson were both actively pursuing a fight with Calzaghe right before he retired.
No, because Calzaghe had options, and this is a 15 year-old rivalry. So your train of thought fails buddy. Of course, I don't want to see this fight either. But I'm just pointing out why Calzaghe gets more shit for what he pulled.
Hopkins doesnt have options? Wtf?
Wonder if Hopkins will encounter the same level of criticism that Calzaghe got for making similar statements in his book and then fighting Jones.
Somehow I doubt it.
No, because Calzaghe had options, and this is a 15 year-old rivalry. So your train of thought fails buddy. Of course, I don't want to see this fight either. But I'm just pointing out why Calzaghe gets more shit for what he pulled.
The obvious difference is Hopkins will be 45 when they fight, not in his prime or close to it coming off the biggest wins of his career. They are both old as dirt. If hopkins wins he's not going to get much credit, even if he wins by spectacular fashion he wont get much.
I dont care if hes 85. Hes still one of the best fighters in the world.
Wonder if Hopkins will encounter the same level of criticism that Calzaghe got for making similar statements in his book and then fighting Jones.
Somehow I doubt it.
First of all, every name on this list should come off with the exception of James Toney. History shows that Hopkins had already fought Roy regardless of what each guy demanded to make a potential rematch happen. I know that Hopkins did turn down Calzaghe. But Calzaghe was very little known at that time who had defended his title against mediocre opposition in Whales with the best opponent on his resume as Robin Reid who he barely scraped by. I don't think Calzaghe would have won this fight at the time frame that it was being proposed regardless of who turned what offer down. Also Calzaghe can be accused of ducking a rematch with Hopkins because he barely beat him, and Bernard would've been more than happy to go to Wales to fight him. He said that in the post fight interview of his victory over Pavlik and Joe still would not fight him.
And maybe Hopkins did call out Toney. So what? The fight was not realistic because of the weight disparity no matter what you say. But at least you mentioned one name that is missing from Bernard's resume that would've boosted his legacy. But is it Bernard's fault that Toney ate himself out of all these divisions. At least Hopkins never took steroids that we know of like Toney and Roy did.
You made a couple of points in your post and ill try to address all of them.
Maybe Hopkins would of won, but if Hopkins was as confident as you of his ability to win, why didn't he take the fight? Hopkins had said himself that he was getting 'peanuts' for most of his title defences, he gets offered 3M and turns it down. Notice what happened when he called Calzaghe out he tried to have as many things in his favour as possible: Calzaghe must fight at a weight he has never fought before, in America with a biased referee.
Calzaghe agrees to all this, turns up to fight, gets headbutted and clinched for 12 rounds and wins a SD. Are you really going to tell me that Hopkins deserved a rematch after that performance?
As for James Toney, Hopkins could of called him out during Toney's entire supermiddleweight reign and he never did. He never wanted to fight Toney he was just bluffing and Toney called his bluff. You say the weight disparity was to much but notice after Taylor II, Hopkins had no problem bulking up to 185 lbs. If he was willing to do it to fight Tarver why not Toney?
As for the steroids thing I agree both Toney and Jones did cheat at some points in their careers, but Hopkins is far from clean with his headbutting and other dirty tricks.