I think Hopkins would win by a decision, but neither man would get knocked out. It would be worthwhile to see whether it was in Yankee Stadium or in Whales. This makes me long for the days of Ali. He would meet Calzaghe in Europe without hesitation. No wonder he is the G.O.A.T.
The only thing that will stop Floyd Jr. is age. He won't lose until he starts to slow down, which is what happened to Roy Jones Jr. Speed kills any day of the week.
Age is what happened. Also, he didn't get hit that hard until he moved to light heavy. Ruiz was an unusually light puncher for a heavyweight, which was why Roy was able to handle him so easily. Roy doesn't have the chin James Toney has in order to take hard shots from light heavyweights, cruisers, and true heavyweights.
If Roy had stayed at Middleweight, he probably would be the one Calzaghe would be eyeing to fight instead of Taylor.
I would say yes, and the proof is that it has been years since boxers have been on the cover of mainstream magazines like Sports Illustrated. I am not sure who was the last boxer to garner such attention?
he called it off because the money offer was low.
This could be a legitimate reason. Tarver did file bankruptcy at one point. He may need the money? But something is always better than a blank. To turn the fight down cold gives the impression he thinks this may be one of his last fights; not exactly the caricature of guy overflowing with confidence. Also, Tarver is getting up there in age. Maybe he knows that he doesn't have too many fights left?
Why do people always want a person to be humble so much?
Because there really is no other reason for them not to like Floyd. We all know he has been the best pound for pound boxer outside of Hopkins for the past 5+ years.
Hatton is a good fighter, but as with Calzaghe has beaten no one. IMO Collazo beat Hatton. As Emanuel Steward pointed out during the fight, a skilled boxer will catch Hatton if he comes forward as he did against Collazo. I would recommend viewing this fight with an impartial eye.
To all die hard Mayweather haters, I say patience. He will lose soon enough. Everyone does if they fight long enough. If the great Ali can lose, anyone can.
Floyd won't be super fast forever.
Father Time does all the humbling in the end.
Most likely it won't stop until the fight is over. But if there is a draw (God I hope not), it will really heat things up.
Nothing will change much until either guy loses. Every year in the NFL, there is talk of the undefeated Dolphins and that no other team has equaled that record.
You heard the same thing about Liddell until he was beaten. Boxing really isn't that much different in those respects.
are you stupid or what?
Lacy has torn his rotator cuff muscle. he will NEVER throw a left hook with conviction again. Mentally he was not just beat by a champ. but for 12 rounds he was PUNISHED by a great boxer.
I agree with you, but Calzaghe is not great. He is good, but not great. He has to beat a few more top notch guys to be great. Wright, Hopkins, etc.
Remember, Hopkins beat Trinidad, De La Hoya, Wright, Tarver..
IMO he beat Taylor because he landed more power punches in both fights, but that is spilt milk. I wish Calzaghe would fight these guys, so supremacy in the middleweights could be established once again.
I know this thread is a little old, but this link shows Tarver explaining his own relevance and reluctance to fight Chad Dawson at this point. What do you guys think?
http://www.veoh.com/videos/v593279wACW3sn2
Tarver has looked disillulsioned since the Hopkins fight. It was a complete role-reversal from the way Roy Jones looked after he fought Tarver. IMO it takes more to regain confidence and swagger after a tough, unexpected lose than from an unexpected win.
If Tarver isn't confident or dedicated as before, he should stay away until he is mentally ready. Physically, he is usually in good shape, but his mind hasn't really been there since the lost.
Vernon Forrest went through simliar ups and downs after winning and losing to Mosley and Mayorga respectively.
Shane never got enough credit for having the guts to go at Forrest or Wright when no one else would and eventually fighting on to further his career.
I don't know why so many people keep predicating every quote or message about Calzaghe with "British" or "Welsh" or wherever he is from. Who cares? Talent is talent and will always win out.
I am "American" and I think Lacy was overrated.
I think Calzaghe hasn't beaten enough name recognition fighters to say he is great.
I think Hopkins or Winky Wright would beat Calzaghe on any given night, which is why he hasn't fought anyone of that caliber, and everyone knows it.
It was mentioned here before that Calzaghe is trying to retire undefeated. He won't pick anyone he can't beat. All this reminds me of Prince Naseem who was unstoppable until he ran into someone who was a skilled boxer.
Calzaghe is good, but great is a stretch at this point.
With his speed, a prime R Jones Jr would be a relevant fighter in any age. He would face stiffer competition, but would still be a great fighter. Roy doesn't get enough credit for his natural gifts. He is not as fast he used to be. Age catches everyone in the long run, but in his prime, he would be tough to beat.
To compare boxing to other sports outside of MMA is more a matter of convenience than disrespect, sort of like a segway. In reality, boxing and mma are a lot tougher than football, basketball, and baseball, etc. Just ask Johnny Morton. He didn't last one minute in his first mma fight after a solid NFL career. It is not that easy to jump in the ring just because you are an athlete from another sport. The same could be said for boxers trying to hit home runs.
In my humble opinion, ESPN is not the definitive sports network. I think Fox has more balanced coverage of all the sports. On Fox, you will see everything. Just go to http://msn.foxsports.com/bestdamn Think back how many times boxers have been on there on sitting down giving commentary on live fights? Espn really has just started doing this, when Fox has been at it a lot longer.
I don't think Jones should fight anymore Light Heavyweights that can punch requisite to their size. There is a big difference between Ruiz and Tarver, and Johnson. I think Jones would still be undefeated if he had not gone into the light heavyweight division. The entire scenario reminds me of the great light heavyweight, Bob Foster, who could punch better than any light heavyweight of all time and was a knock out artist in his division, but couldn't beat any of the top punching heavyweights. Jones is a great fighter, but he is biting off more than he can chew.
He would have a better chance trying to make Tarver go down in weight than keep fighting these bigger guys.
I watched that fight on Fox, and Jirov looked out of shape and like he didn't care. I think Toney said it best, "uninspired."
If he doesn't put up a better effort, it won't make a difference what weight class he is in, his career will tumble.
I am really not a fan of any of the heavyweights today except maybe Rahman because he has remained busy. The thing that makes the heavyweight division unimpressive is that there is not one champion or fighter that we can seriously compare to champs of previous years. In the lower divisions, you can compare many fighters to legendary fighters from the past, but the current heavyweights just don't possess standout skills or talent. They are some good heavyweights, but no real great heavyweights.
Oritz makes some good points, and he is right about the experience factor when it comes to scorecards. Bernard has his fair share of enemies in boxing, and the decision was just the excuse some needed to go against him. It isn't the first time a bad decision has come down, but the powers of boxing act like they see nothing wrong with the way things are going.
I really wish Roy Jones wouldn't take this fight. He barely made it through the first fight, and lost the second fight badly. I mean Roy was really knocked out. He has made enough money and fame. I don't know why he is letting his pride and what others think draw him out for another needless fight.
To me, even if Roy wins, he won't gain enough in boxing to warrant the risk. I really think this is more ego than anything. Roy should just retire and move on. He is a young man that ruled his weight class for years and made a ton of money doing it. What point is he trying to prove?
I would have to say that it is the Meldrick Taylor vs. Julio Chavez fight. I still can't believe Richard Steele stopped the fight with 2 seconds to go. It took some time for Steele to live that down, and Taylor never was the same fighter after that.
I can still hear Larry Merchant beside himself saying,"What is Richard Steele doing?" I still think that should have been Taylor's victory, and his last fight. I don't think he had anything left after that. Who could blame him?
Since you think you deserve blue text, I gotta ask ya- who are your top 3 all time Heavies?
...and all fighters are contenders...
I'll have to go with Ali, Louis, and Marciano. The reason I say Ali, is that he lost years to legal troubles and still dominated a talent rich division.
I never said they weren't any contenders, just no real great heavyweights. I mean name one current heavyweight, that isn't retired or should be that can rank amongst the greats? You can't blame guys for fighting who is in front of them, but the glory days of the division spoiled most people.
For me, the guys with the best chins are Oliver McCall, Tua, and Toney. A lot of the smaller fighters have good chins, like Mayorga, but they don't get hit nearly as hard as the heavyweights. Still, there are a bunch of guys boxing that can take a hell of a shot.
I think Hopkins had a good run, but it was amazing to me that he lasted this long in boxing. I think a truer test will be if Taylor can match those 20 title defenses, which is quite an accomplishment no matter how you feel about Hopkins as a fighter.
If I was in Hopkins shoes, I would have no shame despite the DiBella mess and move on with life.
Take care and GOD bless.
Zab has been reeling since he lost to Floyd. That is why he acted so foolish in the fight itself. It cost him his license and was a bad way to end the fight. His recent lost has only exacerbated the problem. From the way his career has gone, and the way he is acting, I don't think his handlers are advising him well. He needs time to get his head right and use his talents before the tank is all the way empty.