How big is Bernard Hopkins seen with the 'eyes' of boxing history?

[Abstraction]

You can't really have a top 5 in order.

Imo. Hopkins top in top 2 along with Hagler and Monzon, any order.

I'm not sure, but someone said he was the only boxer to hold all championship belts, The Ring belt and another belt at the same time

[mspiegelo]

...the best middleweight of all-time. yeah i said it. its true. deal with it haters...

[mike ruler]

He's definitely one of the best of all time.

[JAB5239]

harry greb was ****, those old school guys just brawled

Gene Tunney, one of the most technical boxers of any era was beaten by Greb. In fact Greb was the only man to ever beat him. Lmao, yeah he must have been ****. One only has to have a slight grasp of boxing history to recognize all the great fighters Greb fought in his career, and how great he was. Obviously you don't have that grasp and are reaching with that ridiculous and unfounded insinuation.

[Brother Naazim]

Hopkins gets a bad rap for his run of defenses at Middleweight, but you shouldn't slight the man because his era wasn't as great as some of the other's. You have to take into consideration the way in which Hopkins dispatched them all, and he did that quite handily.

At Middleweight:

He set the record for Middleweight titles defenses.

He unified his division, something that had not been done since Hagler in 1987.

After Middleweight:

He shocked everybody by jumping up 2 weightclasses to school Tarver and become the undisputed Light Heavyweight Champion of the World.

He went on a Tarver/Wright/Calzaghe/Pavlik string after the age of 41, winning 3 out of 4 of those fights.

Not to mention that nearly every one of his losses came by way of a narrow, razor thin, disputed split decision. He's never been beaten convincingly.

He's a top 5 Middleweight ATG for sure, and a top 50 ATG for sure in my book.

[Brother Naazim]

Maybe I'm a bit bias, because he's my hometown guy and all. But I honestly feel blessed to have been watching him fight since '96. I feel like I've witnessed history.

[warp1432]

I think his Middleweight run is pretty good. He beat solid guys, some regraded prospects who he ruined, and also had key defining wins there. It's certainly respectable and not weak at all.

[El Niņo.]

He exposed Pavlik and the bum CALSLAPPY and is a legend simply for what he is doing at his age!

[Brother Naazim]

I think his Middleweight run is pretty good. He beat solid guys, some regraded prospects who he ruined, and also had key defining wins there. It's certainly respectable and not weak at all.

I don't think his division was "weak" either, but for some reason, this seems to be the general consensus among Hopkins' detractors. Though they have lightened up on the man since the Pavlik fight, but we'll see how long that lasts.

I remember everybody here showing him tremendous respect post-Tarver as well. That lasted about 6 months.

[Abstraction]

I don't think i have heard anyone say the MW division was "Weak".

He beat some of the best boxers there are