1) The first true undisputed champ. No one else in history has held the WBA, WBC, IBF, WBO, and Ring Mag. belt all at the same time.
2) He's defended his World middleweight title over a record 20 fights.
3) The Oldest man to win a legitimate World title at the age of 46.
4) Besides a prime roy and being too old for Dawson, he has never truly convincingly lost a fight.
5) He has upsetted numerous PRIME top fighters while being a past primed underdog.
6) King of Controversy: burns a PR flag IN PR! makes openly racist comments on NATIONAL TV!
Bow Down b1tches.
http://blog.cleveland.com/sports/2008/07/medium_bernardhopkins.jpg
http://cdn.bleacherreport.net/images_root/slides/photos/001/325/530/72457017_crop_650x440.jpg?1316506249
Bhop is not top ten, not even close, he has accomplished a lot in his career, will make the HOF, but there is easily 10 fighters greater him all time. Even at middleweight, he has a lot of fighters to compete with for top ten. He's an ATG, but don't get carried away thinking he is greater than he is.
A top 10 or 5 middle weight. His achievements were great and legacy is sealed. Dirty or not a great boxer!
Damn, you beat me to it. I was gonna say surely Larry means top 10 ATG MW.
Good Lord....
Out of all the names on that list you chose Ezzard Charles too try and say BHop is greater than ?, he's probably the greatest boxer on it.
:lol1: :lol1:
Of all the people he chose possibly the greatest fighter on there, a Top 5 ATG.
Skill wise you could say they are very close, im just saying B Hop has done more. Not taking anything away from Charles he was a great heavyweight.
Charles was a great light heavyweight too.
Ezzard Charles is the consensus GOAT at Light-Heavyweight. Everything he did at Heavyweight is just a bonus.
Archie Moore 3-0
Charley Burley 2-0
Joey Maxim 2-0 (beat him 3 times at Heavyweight too)
Jimmy Bivins 3-1 (beat him at Heavyweight as well)
Lloyd Marshall 2-1
Teddy Yarosz 1-0
That just his Light-Heavyweight notables. That's 13-2 against ATG or near-ATG fighters.
Poet
exactly, how could i forget to add charles to my list...
B-hop to me is one of the top 5-6 middleweights of all time. What that translates to in all weight divisions in any era I am not so sure.
Definitely 50, probably top 40, for me top 30 because I think he was just so smart, incredible defence, and physically he was a freak at middleweight. Huge man, physically strong, B-hop only weakness was speed at the very, very highest level. His wins in his 40's have certainly put his up a notch or 2.
Yes he was, and I'm someone who catches some heat for ranking Jones top-15 p4p. As great as Jones was, I can honestly say Charles was better.
Poet
Ill have to watch some more of Ezzard, ive mostly just watched his fights at heavyweight.
1) The first true undisputed champ. No one else in history has held the WBA, WBC, IBF, WBO, and Ring Mag. belt all at the same time.
2) He's defended his World middleweight title over a record 20 fights.
3) The Oldest man to win a legitimate World title at the age of 46.
4) Besides a prime roy and being too old for Dawson, he has never truly convincingly lost a fight.
5) He has upsetted numerous PRIME top fighters while being a past primed underdog.
6) King of Controversy: burns a PR flag IN PR! makes openly racist comments on NATIONAL TV!
Bow Down b1tches.
http://blog.cleveland.com/sports/2008/07/medium_bernardhopkins.jpg
http://cdn.bleacherreport.net/images_root/slides/photos/001/325/530/72457017_crop_650x440.jpg?1316506249
100% Agreed. Best middleweight of all time!
I've been fortunate enough to see a decent amount of footage of Charles and I can honestly say he's one of the finest fighters I've ever laid eyes on. How good was he? H2H I wouldn't even pick Roy Jones over him at Light-Heavy.
Poet
That's bold, a prime Roy is a freak of nature.
Ezzard Charles is the consensus GOAT at Light-Heavyweight. Everything he did at Heavyweight is just a bonus.
Archie Moore 3-0
Charley Burley 2-0
Joey Maxim 2-0 (beat him 3 times at Heavyweight too)
Jimmy Bivins 3-1 (beat him at Heavyweight as well)
Lloyd Marshall 2-1
Teddy Yarosz 1-0
That just his Light-Heavyweight notables. That's 13-2 against ATG or near-ATG fighters.
Poet
I wont argue with that.
Good Lord....
Out of all the names on that list you chose Ezzard Charles too try and say BHop is greater than ?, he's probably the greatest boxer on it.
Skill wise you could say they are very close, im just saying B Hop has done more. Not taking anything away from Charles he was a great heavyweight.