Hopkins should move up to heavyweight

[slicksouthpaw16]

On a side note, regardless of opinion, it's good to see someone say Johnson is special. He doesn't get a lot of fanfare around here, but he's a damned good fighter, and his record is no indication of it. Half of his losses were blatant robberies and hometown decisions.

He's like Emmanuel Augustus in that respect, only Emmanuel gets robbed much more frequently.

Agreed, but i think Johnson is miles better than Augustus( accomplishment and consistency wise). Johnson was ring magazine's fighter of he year. He beat Tarver, Jones and Woods in the same year( 2004) and was on the pound for pound list. Hes definitely a beast!

[Derranged]

I could see him beating some ranked fighters but the Klits would kill him.

[ßringer]

Tarver didn't have this kind of reach or size, and Hopkins was actually bigger than Tarver going into the fight( Lampley and Steward also said it). Valuev's reach is too long and hes too big for Bernard to clinch. When Bernard clinches, that's his way of pacing himself and getting a breather. I see Valuev not giving his those opportunities, and pushing off( which is more than strong enough to do) and going back to work. I just can't see how Bernard could keep him at bay.

I have to agree on Valuev being too big for Bernard to clinch, and that being his way of pacing himself. If he tried to clinch with Valuev, he'd be thrown across the ring most likely.

I would think that having the brilliant boxing acumen that Bernard has, would allow him to cleverly concoct a plan that would allow him to pace himself without having to clinch.

Movement would be key.

[ßringer]

Agreed, but i think Johnson is miles better than Augustus( accomplishment and consistency wise). Johnson was ring magazine's fighter of he year. He beat Tarver, Jones and Woods in the same year( 2004) and was on the pound for pound list. Hes definitely a beast!

Agree. I still love Emmanuel though.

[slicksouthpaw16]

Agree. I still love Emmanuel though.

Yeah its a shame he had bad promoters. There is no reason for him to have that many losses. They had him taking fights on short notice so many times he didn't even get time to train properly for his opponents. If he could have given the performance that he gave against Mayweather ALL of the time, then he could have definitely got his hands on a title. He bloodied Floyd's nose( which i never seen done before or since that fight) and was catching him with flush punches. He was tough.

[ßringer]

Yeah its a shame he had bad promoters. There is no reason for him to have that many losses. They had him taking fights on short notice so many times he didn't even get time to train properly for his opponents. If he could have given the performance that he gave against Mayweather ALL of the time, then he could have definitely got his hands on a title. He bloodied Floyd's nose( which i never seen down before or since that fight) and was catching him with flush punches. He was tough.

It's that Drunken Master style, son!

[Wyson]

sorry to disagree with some but i think BHop is going downhill...he's still a tremendous fighter and i give him credit for what he has done, but theres always a time to quit

[slicksouthpaw16]

It's that Drunken Master style, son!

He looked like he was dancing to the song too..lol He was a beast with that style. He would look like he would be fooling around but at the same time he would be setting them up for counters. Ive never seen anything like it!

[MACAQUEINBLACK]

I've always thought of Hopkins as the better man in terms of Legacy and he continues to prove it, yet most people still rank Roy ahead of him because prime for prime, Roy had more skills.

Prime for prime, Roy had gifts that took him to a near untouchable plateau. The edge in skills is, and always was, Hopkins', which is a large factor in how one continues to be competetive with the best in and around his division while the other appears as little but a spent shadow of his former self. As time and ring-wear steadily corroded these two fighters' natural athletic capacities, one had a significant amount more ring-savvy and honed boxing skill with which to compensate and fall back on.

[ßringer]

Prime for prime, Roy had gifts that took him to a near untouchable plateau. The edge in skills is, and always was, Hopkins', which is a large factor in how one continues to be competetive with the best in and around his division while the other appears as little but a spent shadow of his former self. As time and ring-wear steadily corroded these two fighters' natural athletic capacities, one had a significant amount more ring-savvy and honed boxing skill with which to compensate and fall back on.

Gifts is the much more appropriate word. As far as skill goes, Roy has none. At least from a technical standpoint. Like Hopkins himself said, Roy never had to learn the basics because he was such a naturally gifted athlete. And when those gifts subsided thanks to his age, he had nothing to fall back on.

Great post.