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ESPN: Bernard Hopkins Beats Manny Pacquiao
Manny Pacquiao versus Bernard Hopkins
Rafael
Rafael: Obviously the size difference between Manny Pacquiao and Bernard Hopkins, a career middleweight and light heavyweigh, is vast. But if you can imagine Hopkins as a welterweight against pound-for-pound king Pacquiao, it's a fascinating fight.
Pacquiao has the speed and power. Hopkins would be the more polished, technical fighter and a guy with perhaps just a tad more ring smarts. Hopkins is at his best when he controls the pace of the fight. For years, Hopkins has fought only in spurts, just long enough to steal rounds away in many cases. His lack of punch output, however, is what cost him the middleweight title against Jermain Taylor and was a big part of his losing the light heavyweight crown to Joe Calzaghe.
Pacquiao, however, is all about pressure, relentlessness and volume punching. If they ever fought, I could see Hopkins boxing and moving and trying to slow down the pace of the fight in the early going and perhaps putting some rounds in the bank. But Pacquiao never slows down. His punch output is ridiculous, as is his speed. I think Pacquiao would simply be busier and flashier with his punches -- and that would resonate with the judges. Hopkins has an all-time great chin, so I don't see Pacquiao taking him out. I'll call it Pacquiao by decision in a fight that Hopkins would try to make tactical while Pacquiao kept the pressure on.
Mulvaney
Mulvaney: Hopkins is tall for a middleweight; Pacquiao is small for a welterweight. Pacquiao loves to fight coming forward; Hopkins loves opponents who fight coming forward. Hopkins also has an uncanny ability to hypnotize opponents, slowing them down to his pace and steering them into positions that suit him. Let's be generous and assume this is the older, slower Hopkins who fights for, at most, one minute of every round; even so, Hopkins is just too big and multi-faceted. After starting slowly while he sizes up his opponent and falling behind to Pacquiao's early energy, the canny veteran draws the sting from the Filipino's tail, smothering and neutralizing him and ultimately beating him up over the final two-thirds of the contest to coast to a unanimous decision.
Tessitore
Tessitore: I agree that PacMan would end up on the canvas at some point against Hopkins. A prime Hopkins is too big and too physical for Manny. Pacquiao wouldn't find Hopkins to be as available as other elite fighters he has been in the ring with. Hopkins would really have a field day muscling Manny on the inside and against the ropes. He would win a comfortable, workmanlike decision and deny Manny's fiery rallies.
Kenny
Kenny: Pacquiao is too small to hurt B-Hop. He loses that fight.
Rafael
Rafael: Obviously the size difference between Manny Pacquiao and Bernard Hopkins, a career middleweight and light heavyweigh, is vast. But if you can imagine Hopkins as a welterweight against pound-for-pound king Pacquiao, it's a fascinating fight.
Pacquiao has the speed and power. Hopkins would be the more polished, technical fighter and a guy with perhaps just a tad more ring smarts. Hopkins is at his best when he controls the pace of the fight. For years, Hopkins has fought only in spurts, just long enough to steal rounds away in many cases. His lack of punch output, however, is what cost him the middleweight title against Jermain Taylor and was a big part of his losing the light heavyweight crown to Joe Calzaghe.
Pacquiao, however, is all about pressure, relentlessness and volume punching. If they ever fought, I could see Hopkins boxing and moving and trying to slow down the pace of the fight in the early going and perhaps putting some rounds in the bank. But Pacquiao never slows down. His punch output is ridiculous, as is his speed. I think Pacquiao would simply be busier and flashier with his punches -- and that would resonate with the judges. Hopkins has an all-time great chin, so I don't see Pacquiao taking him out. I'll call it Pacquiao by decision in a fight that Hopkins would try to make tactical while Pacquiao kept the pressure on.
Mulvaney
Mulvaney: Hopkins is tall for a middleweight; Pacquiao is small for a welterweight. Pacquiao loves to fight coming forward; Hopkins loves opponents who fight coming forward. Hopkins also has an uncanny ability to hypnotize opponents, slowing them down to his pace and steering them into positions that suit him. Let's be generous and assume this is the older, slower Hopkins who fights for, at most, one minute of every round; even so, Hopkins is just too big and multi-faceted. After starting slowly while he sizes up his opponent and falling behind to Pacquiao's early energy, the canny veteran draws the sting from the Filipino's tail, smothering and neutralizing him and ultimately beating him up over the final two-thirds of the contest to coast to a unanimous decision.
Tessitore
Tessitore: I agree that PacMan would end up on the canvas at some point against Hopkins. A prime Hopkins is too big and too physical for Manny. Pacquiao wouldn't find Hopkins to be as available as other elite fighters he has been in the ring with. Hopkins would really have a field day muscling Manny on the inside and against the ropes. He would win a comfortable, workmanlike decision and deny Manny's fiery rallies.
Kenny
Kenny: Pacquiao is too small to hurt B-Hop. He loses that fight.
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