Bernard Hopkins - time to fight or time to retire?

[Run]

Yeah, but this is what I'm saying. I said right from my very first post that I acknowledge he used to lived up to his Executioner name. But lately he's pretty mediocre.
.

Yes. Lately he has been pretty mediocre. Cheers.



Never pay again for live sex! | Hot girls doing naughty stuff for free! | Chat for free!

[Bombardier]

Yeah, but this is what I'm saying. I said right from my very first post that I acknowledge he used to lived up to his Executioner name. But lately he's pretty mediocre.

I think that's what gets me... all the praise. I don't see talent. Not excessive talent. Roy Jones pre-Tarver could have fought tin cans and I would still have been impressed by the skill.

This is from your first post:

To date his two most notable wins have been over blown-up Welterweights who had no business being in the division in the first place.

Doesn't sound like you're just talking about the present to me.

[Guest]

This is from your first post:

To date his two most notable wins have been over blown-up Welterweights who had no business being in the division in the first place.

Doesn't sound like you're just talking about the present to me.

You kind of got me there, but then we'll just end up quibbling over terms which is really avoiding the issue.

Why I brought those two into it is that they're both part of his last seven fights, and neither go back further than four years. That's recent history, which might sound like I'm trying to get out of it, but if your last seven fights included two little guys, a man you'd already beat and a guy you spent the whole night running from, what does that say about your post-Millennial rep? p4p No.1, I guess...

[neils7147933]

I'm no big fan of Bernard Hopkins. Granted, I'd never seen him in his earlier days when he used to wear a silly mask and apparently lived up to his nom de plume.

But there's nothing worse than seeing a doddering granddad staggering around the ring, avoiding anything approaching a fight and selecting the weakest opponents with which to pump up his "20 defences" workrate. Granted, it's one way to get into the history books, but it saddens me that followers of the sport also buy into his "P4P" joke.

To date his two most notable wins have been over blown-up Welterweights who had no business being in the division in the first place. In order to fight the winner of Dela Hoya/Sturm (yeah... because Sturm was ever likely to win that one in Vegas, right?) he matched up with an opponent he'd already faced twice, and beaten once (one NC). The Hopkins-Allen trilogy may be up there with Barrera-Morales and Ali-Frazier in terms of edge-of-your-seat excitement, but could Hopkins really justify that match?

Most galling of all for me was the showing against Eastman. Granted, Eastman turned in a joyless, soulless and unimaginative performance, but while Hopkins was only too happy to offload on smaller guys, against the Hard Tumping Eastman Hopkins was arrested for hit and run. When you hear his fans describe it, you'd think it was a "hit and not get hit" sweet science masterclass by Ali himself. Instead it was a dismal display by someone desperate to get into the records by any means necessary... as long as those means didn't involve fighting.


But what really galled me is reading in Boxing News his future plans before retiring. After Taylor (admittedly a risk), apparently the Hopkins camp planned for... rematches with Tito Trinidad and Glen Johnson.

Granted, Johnson is a worthwhile opponent, and is currently the man at Light-Heavy. It would mean a step up in weight for Bernard to face a man with every reason to want to beat him: after all, Johnson acknowledges that while one or two of his defeats "could have gone either way", most of them were robberies, and out of his 9 losses/2 draws deficit, he claims that the Hopkins loss was the only one he considers legitimate.

But it's still a man he's defeated. Since the news, Tito has famously retired (which takes away the match, if not the intent), which leaves questions asked.

Okay, every boxer has to make money, but for his final two bow-out fights (after he's ran from Taylor to retain) Hopkins planned... two men he'd already beaten, one a much smaller guy.


Hall of Fame? Hall of Bull****, more like.

Upload: 12mb - Bernard Hopkins vs. Howard Eastman Clips Megamix

The first fight with Allen was a no contest, thus the second fight. The third time around, Allen was Hopkins's mandatory for one of his belts.

[MrCoop]

Are U ****in serious? Hall of Bull****? The guy has not lost in 20 defenses & 12 years. Granted that the division has not been the strongest, over 12 years I'm sure he has ran across pretty good fighters. You are right some of his fights are not the most exciting, but if he fought like Corrales or Castillo do you think he'd be going strong at 40. Hell No! He wouldn't be able to spell forty. He is a WINNER & he does what he needs to win. Isn't that what sports are all about? WINNING. Tom Brady isn't Michael Vick but he is a WINNER. I fell like some people just don't get it. Are you another European mad because he supposedely ducked Calzaghe. Please, Calzaghe doesn't deserve to wipe Hopkins ass. At a time in his career when he is looking for big paydays, Why fight Calzaghe? In the states the name "Calzaghe" excites no one. HOPKINS IS ONE OF THE BEST FIGHTERS OF ALL TIME & THE ONLY THING THAT BELONGS IN THE HALL OF BULL**** IS YOUR THREAD!

[RoyJonesJrp4pno1]

Why do none of the British posters here like Hopkins? Maybe not all of them but most. I mean, you'll hype up Eamon Magee but Hopkins is a fraud

Seriously, did he piss on a Union Jack or something? What gives?

He did school Howard Eastman. Give them a break dawg.

[RoyJonesJrp4pno1]

Yeah, but this is what I'm saying. I said right from my very first post that I acknowledge he used to lived up to his Executioner name. But lately he's pretty mediocre.

I think that's what gets me... all the praise. I don't see talent. Not excessive talent. Roy Jones pre-Tarver could have fought tin cans and I would still have been impressed by the skill.

Lately he might be mediocre but the still dominates his opponents easily.

[m00ks]

Well I guess all Eastman had to do was catch a "running 40 year old" to become undesputed but still couldn't do it. Actually no one's been able to do it for a little over a decade...

[THRILLAinmanila]

Well I guess all Eastman had to do was catch a "running 40 year old" to become undesputed but still couldn't do it. Actually no one's been able to do it for a little over a decade...

'Sup mooks ! In case you didnt notice.
Cong**** on the 4,000 posts dude

[m00ks]

Thanx thrilla lol I didn't even notice. Ah man 4K already wow...