Jermain Taylor over B-Hop both times. It was the only fight that was personal for me, having hung out with Taylor a few times before and put on shows with his Uncle/Trainer Ozell Nelson.
I was also NOT a Hopkins fan at the time. I thought he got way too much credit for his reign at MW. Sure he held it down for a decade, but he fought manditories and refused to move to a higher/lower weightclass to take on other nearby elite fighters. (Now, I've learned to be a huge B-Hop fan).
I don't know why, but I was also almost offended by Bernard's 20 punches a round, throw-with-your-head technique. At the end of the first fight I remember thinking, Jermain didn't win... but Bernard definitely lost. While Jermain didn't "beat" Bernard... He at least showed up to fight. Bernard thought he could clinch to a victory. While clinching is a good tactic, it doesn't actually score any points. That first fight made me question just how much Hopkins knew about the sport he'd made his career. Clinching doesn't score points, and if you do too much of it, you can find yourself loosing points.
Anyway, second fight, Jermain clearly beat him.
I was also NOT a Hopkins fan at the time. I thought he got way too much credit for his reign at MW. Sure he held it down for a decade, but he fought manditories and refused to move to a higher/lower weightclass to take on other nearby elite fighters. (Now, I've learned to be a huge B-Hop fan).
I don't know why, but I was also almost offended by Bernard's 20 punches a round, throw-with-your-head technique. At the end of the first fight I remember thinking, Jermain didn't win... but Bernard definitely lost. While Jermain didn't "beat" Bernard... He at least showed up to fight. Bernard thought he could clinch to a victory. While clinching is a good tactic, it doesn't actually score any points. That first fight made me question just how much Hopkins knew about the sport he'd made his career. Clinching doesn't score points, and if you do too much of it, you can find yourself loosing points.
Anyway, second fight, Jermain clearly beat him.
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