If Bernard Hopkins is still defying time and has anything left...

[Sugar Adam Ali]

Campillo doesn't have the footwork of Hopkins but he has more footspeed and is fleet footed.

Kovalev can cut off the ring, it's clear to see.

An example of someone not being able to cut off a ring is watching Cloud fight Yusuf Mack or Campillo.

True, but im still not sold on kovolev being this great technician that can cut off the ring with true movers like a hopkins,, could he cut off the ring on dawson, yes,,,, but hopkins is a tough cookie to catch,,,,,

I just think kovolev ring-cutting skills are still alittle unknown right now since he hasnt faced a true slick mover like hopkins,,,

you may be right about his skills,, i just havent seen enough to declare it as fact, thats all

[ИATAS]

Yes many picked him to win and he was the favourite but who picked him to stop him? Not many and it definitely wasn't the consensus.

You specifically said "not a soul" picked Tarver to win by KO which simply isn't accurate, I never said the majority picked him to win by KO.

If Hopkins looks bad against Murat he should retire. If anyone looks bad against Murat they should retire.

LOL yes indeed. Hopkins should look spectacular anything less and he should hang 'em up. Besides, Its the last record for him to break - oldest person to successfully defend title. After that not sure what moremotivation there is other than becoming the lineal LHW champ (but that wont happen since Stevenson is hbo).

[hectari]

B hop will not fight Kovalev he is shook. please B hop fans don't take this the wrong way, I don't hate him, just call it like I see it, he is a very sneaky fellow and salesman.

B hops is a master mind in cherry picking, he analyzes fights, this is one style he hates, an agressive fighter with power and stamina and fast feet and unorthodox angles and high workrate. This is why B hop was shocked when Pacman picked Rios as a comeback fight, he said Pac was brave, the reason he said that is because B hop would never pick a fighter like Rios who has high workrate, power, and warrior ready to die in the ring mentality.

B hop is just lucky he never had any Mexican pressure fighter warriors in his division, he might have been stopped already if he did.

[torosboxing75]

He'll make easy work out of Kovalev.



Yes, Sergey looked very impressive yesterday....against Cleverly (who?). Hopkins must have been licking his chops watching another come forward ****er have everybody in awe of his immense "power". If grandpa Bernard has anything left, he puts up another schooling for the books.

I'm sorry I like Hopkins but the only way he beats this guy is if the ref lets him hit and hold all nite.

[IronDanHamza]

You specifically said "not a soul" picked Tarver to win by KO which simply isn't accurate, I never said the majority picked him to win by KO.




LOL yes indeed. Hopkins should look spectacular anything less and he should hang 'em up. Besides, Its the last record for him to break - oldest person to successfully defend title. After that not sure what moremotivation there is other than becoming the lineal LHW champ (but that wont happen since Stevenson is hbo).

I didn't mean literally. Of course there's going to be a handful of idiots who pick a KO. But in the grand scheme of things, no one was picking Tarver by KO. I don't recall a list of writers picking the KO like you suggest. Maybe one or two who may have been on drugs. Like the few who actualy thought Cloud got knock out Hopkins. Cloud couldn't knock out any top level fighter let alone Hopkins.

[IronDanHamza]

True, but im still not sold on kovolev being this great technician that can cut off the ring with true movers like a hopkins,, could he cut off the ring on dawson, yes,,,, but hopkins is a tough cookie to catch,,,,,

I just think kovolev ring-cutting skills are still alittle unknown right now since he hasnt faced a true slick mover like hopkins,,,

you may be right about his skills,, i just havent seen enough to declare it as fact, thats all

Do you not consider Campillo to be slick?

[hectari]

I'm sorry I like Hopkins but the only way he beats this guy is if the ref lets him hit and hold all nite.

Also Hopkins is not a warrior, he will fake a twisted ankle or something if he sees the guy is too strong for him. He looks for ways to quit its sad really, the guy is a con man.

I still shake my head at his fake shoulder injury in the Dawson fight pathetic.

He couldn;t even finish a shot Roy Jones jr and was spending most of the night crying on the mat over some illegal blows. yet he loves calling himself a throwback, throwback my azz, more like a guy who wants to fool the ignorant people to believe he is a throwback, you can't fool real boxing fans though.

[torosboxing75]

Also Hopkins is not a warrior, he will fake a twisted ankle or something if he sees the guy is too strong for him. He looks for ways to quit its sad really, the guy is a con man.

I still shake my head at his fake shoulder injury in the Dawson fight pathetic.

He couldn;t even finish a shot Roy Jones jr and was spending most of the night crying on the mat over some illegal blows. yet he loves calling himself a throwback, throwback my azz, more like a guy who wants to fool the ignorant people to believe he is a throwback, you can't fool real boxing fans though.

I have to agree with the bold.

[ИATAS]

I didn't mean literally. Of course there's going to be a handful of idiots who pick a KO. But in the grand scheme of things, no one was picking Tarver by KO. I don't recall a list of writers picking the KO like you suggest. Maybe one or two who may have been on drugs. Like the few who actualy thought Cloud got knock out Hopkins. Cloud couldn't knock out any top level fighter let alone Hopkins.

Here's a few:

Javier Molina -
(Tarver will dominate this bout from round one. I dont see Hopkins hurting
Tarver or even making it a close fight. I see a mid round stoppage, Tarver
way too much for Hopkins. This fight should have happened at least 4 years
ago.)
Don Colgan - Tarver, although not particularly young in his own right, is still near his prime. Hopkins is riding a permanent decline. Tarver to dominate after the first three rounds, drop Hopkins several times en route to a 10th round TKO. Tarver by TKO

Tom Donelson - If this was the 2001 version of Hopkins fighting, I will give Hopkins a chance. Hopkins is 41 years old, he is the smaller fighter and he is not necessarily the faster fighter. On paper, this is a mismatch. Hopkins' chances exist of slowing the fight down and minimizing the punches, while hoping for a Tarver mistake. I suspect that Tarver will press the action and fulfill his predictions of stopping Hopkins. Tarver has his own legacy to deal with and Hopkins' place in boxing history is secure. So the major incentative is with Tarver. Beating Hopkins will go a long way to establish Tarver as a great fighter in his own right. Tarver by KO.
Paul Gallegos - I guess that it is all about the money these days. How Hopkins can land a title fight when his last two jaunts in the squared circle credited him with defeats. It just doesn't make sense. That said, age, an aggressive Tarver, and a really decent boxer will overwhelm the aged Hopkins with a barrage of punches in the second round. Hopkins will taste the canvass in the second, fourth, and finally get KO'd in the 9th. I don't really see this one being close. Tarver by KO

Eric Rineer - Bernard Hopkins has already cemented his place in boxing history. He is one of the greatest middleweight fighters of all-time. The 20 consecutive title defenses is amazing. He's a very game and terrifically skilled boxer. But to jump up two weight classes appears to be too challenging. If you're going to do it, you especially don't want your first fight to be against the light heavyweight champion. Bernard Hopkins yields youth and power to Mason Dixon, eh hem, Antonio Tarver. I've never seen a fighter more focused than Antonio. That was the case just a couple of weeks ago in Vero Beach. He was too focused to even engage in small talk with anyone at his training site. This man is serious business and he's got a serious business trainer in Buddy McGirt. He's too strong, too focused and too good to be dethroned against a blown-up middleweight. I'm picking the "Magic Man" Tarver by 8th-round TKO

I think Tarver badly wants to win. I don't thinkl Hopkins really cares as long as he's paid. Tarver by stoppage. - Ant Evans, Editor

Hopkins will use his skills to remain out of trouble for a few rounds but eventually Tarver will stop him." - John Conrad, Feature Writer


- David Surgick, North American Correspondent
Bernard simply cannot let his hands go anymore to be able to duplicate that feat. Tarver by late tko."

[Sugar Adam Ali]

Do you not consider Campillo to be slick?

No i dont,,, Campillo is a great combination puncher,, if you stand with him he will unload beautiful 3,4,6,7 punch combinations....

I dont consider him a real slick defender,,, he gets stopped in nearly all his losses,,,,, so obvious you can hit him if you have skills,,, cloud is a terrible boxer skill-wise,,

hopkins is a slick fighter, campillo not so much,, good combination punching but not what i consider slick