Hopkins: greatest ever

[katsidis]

Yes, to be honest he probably is.

[bojangles1987]

I don't think after tonight that it is any longer debatable who the greatest fighter ever is at such an advanced age. I've heard Walcotts name thrown about, but usually it Foreman and even more so Archie Moore. After tonight I believe its it moot argument that can only favor Bernard. I've never really been a fan but credit is due. Would anyone argue someone other than Hopkins as the most competitive fighter at an advanced age?

I'm not arguing about it. The major difference is that Foreman and Moore retained competitiveness due to their power, which kept them relevant. Hopkins is doing it purely off skill and ring smarts. It's mind boggling. He's in the running for smartest fighter ever as well, you would think.

[TheGreatA]

Let's not forget that Archie Moore was robbed of a win against Willie Pastrano, who in all honesty would have clowned the very limited Pascal. Before that he had scored a savage KO win over top ranked heavyweight contender Alejandro Lavorante (6'4, 210+ lbs). All this when he was around 46 or older.

Hopkins is up there with Moore though.

[Obama]

Again, I have to disagree. Should we give Hopkins credit for the Jones win because he had lost to some good fighters, or should we see it for what it really was?

Not remotely comparable, these guys weren't shot.

[Kid McCoy]

I don't think after tonight that it is any longer debatable who the greatest fighter ever is at such an advanced age. I've heard Walcotts name thrown about, but usually it Foreman and even more so Archie Moore. After tonight I believe its it moot argument that can only favor Bernard. I've never really been a fan but credit is due. Would anyone argue someone other than Hopkins as the most competitive fighter at an advanced age?

During the fight I actually thought of Moore's win over Durelle, ironically also a Canadian, where he also recovered from early knockdowns to dominate his opponent. And he was near flawless in the rematch. Hopkins was brilliant last night, but to me it still doesn't compare to what Archie was doing. Hopkins may have beaten the #1 light-heavyweight, but Moore was the #1 light-heavyweight for most of his 40s and was putting away comparable opponents to Pascal.

Depending on who you believe, Archie was something like 40-4-2 past age 40 and still winning most of his fights by KO, compared to Hopkins' 6-3-1. Three of his four losses in his 40s were to Marciano, Patterson and Ali and the other a 10 rounder in Italy which he avenged with a one-sided decision in a title bout. I'd put Hopkins over the other 40-somethings but no one really compares to Moore in that respect.

[JAB5239]

Not remotely comparable, these guys weren't shot.

Ok. What big wins that could have lined them up (had they been allowed) for a title shot did either have after their respective fights with Johnson?

[JAB5239]

Let's not forget that Archie Moore was robbed of a win against Willie Pastrano, who in all honesty would have clowned the very limited Pascal. Before that he had scored a savage KO win over top ranked heavyweight contender Alejandro Lavorante (6'4, 210+ lbs). All this when he was around 46 or older.

Hopkins is up there with Moore though.

During the fight I actually thought of Moore's win over Durelle, ironically also a Canadian, where he also recovered from early knockdowns to dominate his opponent. And he was near flawless in the rematch. Hopkins was brilliant last night, but to me it still doesn't compare to what Archie was doing. Hopkins may have beaten the #1 light-heavyweight, but Moore was the #1 light-heavyweight for most of his 40s and was putting away comparable opponents to Pascal.

Depending on who you believe, Archie was something like 40-4-2 past age 40 and still winning most of his fights by KO, compared to Hopkins' 6-3-1. Three of his four losses in his 40s were to Marciano, Patterson and Ali and the other a 10 rounder in Italy which he avenged with a one-sided decision in a title bout. I'd put Hopkins over the other 40-somethings but no one really compares to Moore in that respect.

Excellent points!