Bernard Hopkins the legendary midget basher

[Blue Heffner]

It's dump to not give him credit when he was the underdog going into alot of his big fights. It's so called, "smaller opponents" were suppose to beat him. So this thread is bull****. Bernard all of his underdog fights except, Calzaghe and Jones.

[Pugilistic™]

dude just admit that he's a legit lightheavy who made a career out of beating middles and fighters who were moving up to middle...had he won that first fight at 175 and got a title shot there, he never moves down....

I'm not admitting anything because it is all bull****.

Hopkins started at 175, just out of prison. Lost the fight

He took a 16 month layoff, in that time i assume he trained his ass off and improved his craft.

Hopkins became a legit middleweight and fought there until he was 41 years old, For a guy that was a natural light heavyweight, he sure as hell was able to drain himself for a long time.

[ShatteredGlass]

I like how people criticise Jones for fighting the plumber and the fisherman, but never hopkins for fighting that prizer bum hakkar, in the worst fight of the decade.

[Pugilistic™]

I like how people criticise Jones for fighting the plumber and the fisherman, but never hopkins for fighting that prizer bum hakkar, in the worst fight of the decade.

Hakkar was his mandatory.

If he didn't fight him, he would of lost his titles.

[ShatteredGlass]

And Hopkins still hasn't avenged his loss to Clinton Mitchell ATG

[Pugilistic™]

And Hopkins still hasn't avenged his loss to Clinton Mitchell ATG

[Adamantium]

calling him a cheater and using that claim to try explaining why his pound resume is so weak after he got caught "cheating" is ******ed

your "side issue" takes away all the credit of one of the best WW fighters of our generation. if you plan to do that, you better bring a better source than the one you're bringing. nazim richardson, hopkins's trainer, than who discovered the wrappings, said that it wasn't illegal. who are you to question him?

Okay Tito's wraps were not a side issue they are a topic worthy of its own thread. In the dressing room was Bouie, Naz and later on Hopkins. I will now address why I side with Bouie events over Naz's. I will be quoting from the Steve Kim's article that he released 4+ years back.

When Vargas was in PR for his Tito fight promo tour, a boxing insider warned him to make sure that he checked Titos wraps.

Joppy admits then when he was in his dressing room preparing for his fight with Tito, Hasim Rahman came into the dressing room and warned him to make sure he checked Titos wraps.

When Tyson was preparing for his fight with Spinks, a guy from Spinks's camp walked into Tyson's room and demanded that Tyson have his hands rewrapped three times. Neither Tyson nor his camp threatened to call of the fight. When Naz and Bouie walked into Tito's dressing room the hand was already wrapped and gloved up. When asked to rewrap all hell broke loose, and the threatened to cancel the fight, it took about an hour before they could get Tito to rewrap his hands. Bouie actually felt his left hand and said it felt heavy like a camera.

If it was just a case of his wraps, being a little different to how they should be then none of the above makes any sense but if there was much more to it then that then all of the above makes sense. Which is why I side with Bouie's account of the story. If there was some kind of independent witness like HBO's commentators or a neutral boxer saying otherwise that says different than fair enough, but there isn't to my knowledge.

It seems we are just going to have to disagree on this topic.

[Adamantium]

This thread has been and interesting experience and during my time away I have realised the places I have slipped up. I shouldnt have brought up Titos wraps here thats a topic worthy of its own thread. I also should not of got involved in all the strawman arguments that posters brought up it doesnt matter if dlh and tito got bellts at mw, Hopkins was already calling them out when they were still in the jmw division. Nor does it have anything to do with pwill, floyd, calzaghe or any other boxer.
So I will now say peace to this thread, its been fun.

Chad Dawson says Hopkins is ducking him:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DzVfLjIG-7c


Both links touch on the Hopkins Vs Toney match up it was going to be a catch weight at cw I believe, the ring magazine did a story on it also. It was going to take place just after the Jirov fight.


"Then, following James Toney's impressive victory over Vassili Jirov, Hopkins shifts focus again, and decides that Toney could be an impressive cash cow. Amazingly, Hopkins was offered the better split of the two, as Toney capitulated to his demands, and Hopkins was to be the recipient of a $3M deal."


(remove spaces)
http://www.east side boxing.com/boxing-news/james-toney-interview.php

http://www.east side boxing.com/boxing-news/mcdonnell1706.php

[Pugilistic™]

This thread has been and interesting experience and during my time away I have realised the places I have slipped up. I shouldnt have brought up Titos wraps here thats a topic worthy of its own thread. I also should not of got involved in all the strawman arguments that posters brought up it doesnt matter if dlh and tito got bellts at mw, Hopkins was already calling them out when they were still in the jmw division. Nor does it have anything to do with pwill, floyd, calzaghe or any other boxer.
So I will now say peace to this thread, its been fun.

Chad Dawson says Hopkins is ducking him:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DzVfLjIG-7c


Both links touch on the Hopkins Vs Toney match up it was going to be a catch weight at cw I believe, the ring magazine did a story on it also. It was going to take place just after the Jirov fight.


"Then, following James Toney's impressive victory over Vassili Jirov, Hopkins shifts focus again, and decides that Toney could be an impressive cash cow. Amazingly, Hopkins was offered the better split of the two, as Toney capitulated to his demands, and Hopkins was to be the recipient of a $3M deal."


(remove spaces)
http://www.east side boxing.com/boxing-news/james-toney-interview.php

http://www.east side boxing.com/boxing-news/mcdonnell1706.php

I see what you mean and all.

But don't you think it's expecting abit much of Hopkins who in 2003 was a middleweight to move up to cruiserweight to fight the best cruiser in the world.

[Adamantium]

It was Hopkins who called out Toney and Toney agreed, it was going to be at a catchweight of 190 lbs. Hopkins would of had to move up 20 lbs, he would eventually move up 15 lbs to fight Tarver three years later.