From: http://www. east side boxing. com/news.php?p=211&more=1
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People want to me to go up to 190 pounds to fight "superman" and be basically a sacrificial lamb but these same people will do their best to keep Oscar De La Hoya, Shane Mosley, and Ricardo Mayorga among a few, away from me. Why don't these people want those guys to fight me?
Case in point... I'm going to quote Larry Merchant, who's part of the system and he's nothing more than a puppet on a string, here's what he said... "Why are you calling out the little guys, I never heard of a middleweight calling out the little guys."
Here Hopkins is basically saying, why should I have to fight the bigger guys when I can fight the smaller guys instead. Notice how he uses the number 190 lbs when talking about lhw, the amount that lhw's will rehydrate up to come fight night.
Well Merchant, why would they want me to fight a heavyweight? What is the problem with me calling out a fighter who's at 154 pounds? What is worse? Me fighting a guy that is 6 pounds away from me or me moving up to fight someone who is 30 pounds heavier than me.
Notice here how Hopkins says the jmw only have to move up 6 lbs, when according to his earlier logic, they would have to move up to 170 lbs, which is the weight Hopkins will be come fight night.
Everytime Hopkins was offered a fight with a bigger guy he always prices himself out, whether it was with Jones, Toney or Calzage
When Hopkins was forced to move up after back to back losses to Jermain Taylor he chose Tarver, a fighter who had to move down 45 lbs to make weight. After beating Tarver Hopkins has refused to fight another lhw. Instead he has fought the following opponents:
Winky:Who had to move up two divisions, Calzaghe: who had to move up one division, Pavlik: who had to move up two divisions and now Ornelis who has to move up one division.
The fights Hopkins tried to make Pwill(smaller), Froch (smaller) and Tito rematch (smaller).
When fights are offered, with guys more his own size like Dawson and Ademek he prices himself out.
Hopkins critising Floyd for fighting a smaller opponent, notice he says that Marquez was at a disadvantage because Floyd was bigger than him
I rest my case