How could Jermain Taylor beat Hopkins twice??

[Stromprophet]

It doesn't make any sense when you see how good Hopkins looks nowadays.

Whether you agree with the judges that Taylor won or not. Taylor won and Hopkins failed to impress. Hop looked quite slow and didn't throw all that many punches. But since those losses he has looked spectacular in several fights. My first thought was this version of Hopkins would punish and dominate Taylor....but maybe it was something about Taylor's style of boxing that Hopkins just couldn't figure out.

Taylor was just younger, hungrier. Those fights were close, but objectively Taylor dictated the fights.

What makes it so hard to think about is how badly Pavlik beat Taylor (twice). And how easily Bhop beat Pavlik.

[thebowtod]

pascal has improved greatly since then not to mention the froch fight was pretty close as well

unless bhop took pascal's soul he is still #2 at LHW

no he hasn't gotten better, Dawson was just about to knock him out but then the fight was stopped. Pascal is so easy to figure for the top guys

[thebowtod]

Taylor was just younger, hungrier. Those fights were close, but objectively Taylor dictated the fights.

What makes it so hard to think about is how badly Pavlik beat Taylor (twice). And how easily Bhop beat Pavlik.

Pavlik was drunk that night

[-EX-]

Taylor was hungry and the workrate troubled Bernard...

Some would argue Bernard was struggling to make 160 and had to save his energy down the stretch...

Or he tried to wait til Jermain burned out and finish him late...but that plan failed twice

[Steak]

when are you people going to learn that its STYLE matchups that matter?

Taylor was fast and was able to get off his punches before Hopkins. same with Calzaghe. same reason Hopkins avoided Dawson and jumped on Pascal first chance he got.

guys like Pavlik and Pascal have terrible flaws, and Hopkins automatically recongnises that with his experience. Fighters that can only do one thing(Pavlik=jab jab right, Pascal=flurry and run and gas out late) will be exposed against Hopkins, who is a true master of the basics but not really an ATG in any particular catagory. he picks up on those flaws and ends up confusing inexperienced guys.

hell, even shot ass Roy Jones and Ornelas did better than Pavlik. in Hopkins' old age, style matchups are THE most important thing, not necessarily who is overall the better fighter.

[warp1432]

Hopkins learned from his mistake of starting too slow. Hopkins should have won the second fight for sure. He lost the first fight, but how he didn't get the decision in the second one is beyond me.