if BHop beats Pascal will it elevate him to Greatness

[TheGreatA]

He's already great, although I agree that Hopkins's middleweight record is lacking. A win over Pascal would again highlight the terrible state of the current light heavyweight division. It's still a big win for Hopkins of course, as he's struggled with the athletic types in the past (Jones, Taylor), and Pascal despite all his other faults is certainly gifted athletically.

[SNVDoublePunch!]

Hopkins does not make my ATG 160lb Top 10

That's an awfully mavericky stance there, mate.

[sonnyboyx2]

That's an awfully mavericky stance there, mate.

not really unless you are saying all boxing records and fans go by my ATG ratings which they don't.. Hopkins was a very good middleweight champion yet IMO he lacks making the Top 10 due to the men he fought and how i think he would not do well in H2H match-ups against other great 160lbers... Yet should he become the oldest fighter to ever win a world title this weekend then his greatness will be assured as it is a record which will be difficult to break.

[Sugarj]

I think Hopkins is certainly an ATG already and I'll be very impressed if he beats Pascal at the weekend.

I must admit, I see a decision win for Pascal, perhaps 116-112 or a 117-111. Workrate being the main factor.

Hopkins is a crazy guy, to keep coming back for more! He should really have retired after Jones 2. He has a great legacy, his marbles seem intact, he is hand in hand with Golden Boy and has a great future outside the ropes.

All the talk after the Jones 2 fight, of him collapsing and having vision issues after the rabbit punches dont bode well. A 45 year old guy absorbing blows to the head must be worse than a guy in his 20s. I'd hate to see him slurring his words or worse in retirement!

[niallcollins]

bhop is getting ktfo.paschal will be too strong for him

[Wild Blue Yonda]

not really unless you are saying all boxing records and fans go by my ATG ratings which they don't.. Hopkins was a very good middleweight champion yet IMO he lacks making the Top 10 due to the men he fought and how i think he would not do well in H2H match-ups against other great 160lbers... Yet should he become the oldest fighter to ever win a world title this weekend then his greatness will be assured as it is a record which will be difficult to break.

Hopkins makes my list (#9), but a lot of people are intractable about him being a top-10 shoo-in. MW, historically, is a hugely deep division for legends. One of the very best. I can see a legitimate case, for sure, that Hopkins doesn't make the cut.

However, as I say, you hardly see a single top-10 list without him anymore, & I don't think that necessarily should be the case.

[StarshipTrooper]

Hopkins makes my list (#9), but a lot of people are intractable about him being a top-10 shoo-in. MW, historically, is a hugely deep division for legends. One of the very best. I can see a legitimate case, for sure, that Hopkins doesn't make the cut.

However, as I say, you hardly see a single top-10 list without him anymore, & I don't think that necessarily should be the case.

Hey, I personally think Monzon gets grossly overrated. He's an ATG sure, but if there's a more ordinary looking ATG out there I haven't come across him yet. I sure can't figure out why there is (even in the History Section where people are supposed to be above that kind of ****) a cult of Monzon nuthuggers out there :rolleyes9:

Poet

[Scott9945]

Hey, I personally think Monzon gets grossly overrated. He's an ATG sure, but if there's a more ordinary looking ATG out there I haven't come across him yet. I sure can't figure out why there is (even in the History Section where people are supposed to be above that kind of ****) a cult of Monzon nuthuggers out there :rolleyes9:

Poet

Monzon was the epitome of the term methodical. He just steadily wore down his opposition while dictating the pace. Monzon was the ultimate 15 round fighter as he was always stronger than his opponents the later the fight went. But it didn't usually make for thrilling matches.

[BennyST]

Hey, I personally think Monzon gets grossly overrated. He's an ATG sure, but if there's a more ordinary looking ATG out there I haven't come across him yet. I sure can't figure out why there is (even in the History Section where people are supposed to be above that kind of ****) a cult of Monzon nuthuggers out there :rolleyes9:

Poet

Monzon was the epitome of the term methodical. He just steadily wore down his opposition while dictating the pace. Monzon was the ultimate 15 round fighter as he was always stronger than his opponents the later the fight went. But it didn't usually make for thrilling matches.

Yeah, agreed. He didn't make for exciting wars but it's nearly impossible to deny what he did. He dominated a great division, beating everyone for so long, retired on top as Undisputed champ against some of the greatest MW's and fighters full stop.

I can understand how not liking him and his style comes into things but I don't see how you can not call him easily one of the very, very top 160 pounders of all time. He just did too much against great opposition to call him anything other than one of the greatest MWs ever. I think it's easy to make a case for him as the greatest and when you look at his resume in comparison with other ATG MWs it's difficult to argue against him.

Surely you can see that Poet even not liking him? His division was a very deep one for a guy that ruled as he did. It's typical that when someone does rule as he did that the division is not that deep or great, but his really was. Valdez, Benvenuti, Griffith, Moyer, Bogs, Mundine, Briscoe, Bouttier, Napoles, Licata etc. All of that without losing a fight in 14 years as the champ of a top division. Impressive stuff even if boring.

[NChristo]

Hey, I personally think Monzon gets grossly overrated. He's an ATG sure, but if there's a more ordinary looking ATG out there I haven't come across him yet. I sure can't figure out why there is (even in the History Section where people are supposed to be above that kind of ****) a cult of Monzon nuthuggers out there :rolleyes9:

Poet

You are the only person I've seen rate Monzon so lowely and look on him as such a bad fighter, you rank him at 10 or so but you rank Hopkins at 6 ?, I can not see that at all, a cult of Monzon Nut Huggers or a group of people who appreciate / realize what he did / his achievements and one person who doesn't ?.

"That kind of ****" should include looking down on a fighter because you don't like their boxing style or outside life which is the only reason I can see someone ranking Monzon down.

He is without a doubt a top 5 Middleweight, just look at his resume, longevity, reign and skills.