Hopkins and Hagler:Grading their wins over smaller opponents

[kadyo's]

True. The question is how do we grade gift decisions, do we ignore them or accept them?

I watched the fight years after it happened, so I can only comment on it from hindsight. One guy looked like a jmw the other guy like a full blown lhw

I think the Joppy win means he could compete at mw, although it should be pointed out that Joppy was nothing special. His best wins are:
Duran (shot)
Eastman(journeyman)

The hopkins devastating win over oscar only showed that the shouldn't happened at all but it was the biggest fight during that time moneywise so it's understandable why it happened, at all.

I watched the fight live on TV, yeah that's true, it was a mismatch althoguh I was rooting for the smaller guy to win hehehe. am a big tito fan

Correct, joppy was nothing special.

[Toney616]

The hopkins devastating win over oscar only showed that the shouldn't happened at all but it was the biggest fight during that time moneywise so it's understandable why it happened, at all.

Oscar himself said he had no business fighting at mw, that he was too small

I watched the fight live on TV, yeah that's true, it was a mismatch althoguh I was rooting for the smaller guy to win hehehe. am a big tito fan

Never really warmed to Tito aka mr low blow, lol

Correct, joppy was nothing special.

It just goes to show how weak the division was, if someone like Joppy could win a belt without going near a fighter above grade C+

[kadyo's]

Oscar himself said he had no business fighting at mw, that he was too small

Never really warmed to Tito aka mr low blow, lol

It just goes to show how weak the division was, if someone like Joppy could win a belt without going near a fighter above grade C+

Yeah so oscar went back to MW to fight pac and proved that he has no business fighting at WW, lol no oscar was a great fighter in my book.

Man, tito was the man during that time, low blow notwithstanding, you won't understand if you did not live during that era.

I tell you what, even Bhop was perceived to be a weak champ during that time until he won against bloated WW champs in oscar and tito. Now I look at bhop as the greatest middleage monster of all time haha.

[Toney616]

Yeah so oscar went back to MW to fight pac and proved that he has no business fighting at WW, lol no oscar was a great fighter in my book.

lol at Oscar for taking that fight. What a disastrous way to end his career

Man, tito was the man during that time, low blow notwithstanding, you won't understand if you did not live during that era.

I was alive, but it was during my hiatus from boxing. I lost the taste for it after watching Benn-McClellan (live), came back around 2005 after watching a Toney vid on youtube

I tell you what, even Bhop was perceived to be a weak champ during that time until he won against bloated WW champs in oscar and tito. Now I look at bhop as the greatest middleage monster of all time haha.

He dominated a weak era. A lot of his fights were painful to watch, as for his fight with Allen I, he could of at least landed on a monitor

[Steak]

Hearns-Hagler: A great win. Hearns not only was established at Middleweight, but would go on to be a top fighter at 168 and 175lbs. hell, the guy was even rated at Cruiserweight for a while.

Hagler-Duran: A good win. Duran was a top Light Middleweight, and would end up winning a title a few years down the road...also beating a top 5 middleweight when he was 46. Not the best, but worthy of attention.

Hopkins-Trinidad: A very good win. Trinidad was established at the division with his KO win over Joppy, which was enough to put him at the top of that weak middleweight division. Trinidad was a legitimate Middleweight, and even highly regarded as well, even though he didnt do well at all after this fight and it was a short run at Middleweight.

Hopkins-DeLaHoya: Not a very big win at all. DeLaHoya was fresh off a robbery win over Sturm, and did not fit the weight at all...DLH had no business at that high a weight.

If I had to rank them...

#1: Hagler-Hearns
#2: Hopkins-Trinidad
#3: (very close to Hopkins-Trinidad) Hagler-Duran
#4: Hopkins-DLH

[Toney616]

#1: Hagler-Hearns
#2: Hopkins-Trinidad
#3: (very close to Hopkins-Trinidad) Hagler-Duran
#4: Hopkins-DLH

thanks for the input

[ИATAS]

I think the Joppy win means he could compete at mw, although it should be pointed out that Joppy was nothing special. His best wins are:
Duran (shot)
Eastman(journeyman)

Eastman was a journeyman now, really? He was 32-0 and after losing to Joppy was 40-1 before losing again finally to Bernard Hopkins. Eastman was a very solid fighter in those days.

Joppy was also a solid fighter. I believe had about 8 or 9 total title defenses of his WBA Title or something like that.

As for Trinidad not being able to compete at MW, ask yourself the question, if Hopkins didn't exist would anyone at that time have beaten Tito? No way, not even close. Tito would have been the undisputed MW champ.

Anyways, I agree with blackirish on the rankings:

#1: Hagler-Hearns
#2: Hopkins-Trinidad
#3: Hagler-Duran
#4: Hopkins-DLH

[Steak]

Eastmen and Joppy were both top dogs at 160lbs when Hopkins beat them. not a good division, but its all Hopkins had to work with at the weight.

Trinidad was more than 'able to compete' at 160, he was a top fighter in it, even though it was a mediocre division.

[ИATAS]

Eastmen and Joppy were both top dogs at 160lbs when Hopkins beat them. not a good division, but its all Hopkins had to work with at the weight.

Trinidad was more than 'able to compete' at 160, he was a top fighter in it, even though it was a mediocre division.

160 has been a mediocre division since the 80's.

[BennyST]

160 has been a mediocre division since the 80's.

80 and early 90's was good. After that not so much.