Hopkins is my dude but tactically I always believed he is overrated as a tactician

[DLT]

I disagree with the TS from the standpoint that every single guy you named was when he was past it except for RJ. None of those guys wouldve given a prime Hopkins trouble. He even gave Roy more trouble than anyone not named Montel Griffin and I think he wouldve given RJ even more trouble if they had the rematch after the Tito fight.

The funny thing is before the Tito fight, most thought he wasnt a technician at all. They hated his style and called it ugly

[-EX-]

I will agree that guys like Taylor and Jones may give Bernard problems but Bernard was pacing himself against Taylor IMO...would have been interesting to see how 2001 B-Hop would have fought Jermaine...

Any prime version of RJJ may have gave Bernard problems, every fighter's style has vulnerabilities...

If he wasn't a good technician he wouldn't have boxed circles around Trinidad and Pavlik...and he was outboxing Oscar too although it was competitive, until that bodyshot...

Bernard and Floyd are both great defensive minded fighters, I think they just come from different schools...Floyd's been boxing forever, while Bernard picked it up in jail...Bernard never had the physical gifts that Floyd possesses...

[Biolink]

Not going to say he's overrated as a tactician, but I see what you're getting at. His spoiler tactics are godly.

[cupocity303]

Keeping it close on the score cards isnt what they fight for. Simply put I was stating that Hopkins though reputed for his tactical skills and IQ has trouble dealing with a particular style and overcoming it.

Floyd has dealt with darn near every conceavable style and disadvantage....height, reach, fight night weight, even ring size, Has fought freakishly tall guys for the weights NDO(a swarmer), Corrales(Boxer-puncher with huge power), and Genaro Hernandez( a boxer a fighter)


As far as styles he hasnt had it easy and fought most if not all....Hatton was the best swarmer, body puncher of the era....Jose Luis Castillo was the best pressure fighter and mind you educated pressure, he didnt waste many punches....Judah was a slick southpaw with power, Ortiz was an attacking southpaw with one punch power and a 15 pound size advantage...counterpunchers like Judah, Oscar, Corley....Pressure fighters like Jesus Chavez and Carlos Hernandez...power punchers like Corrales, Corrales, Mosley.


Difference is Mayweather has proven he is a great tactician while having some disadvantages he is smart to change tactics

I disagree with all of this. I don't think that Floyd has fought every style. Zab Judah is his best win Vs a similarly skilled fighter who moves and boxes and even he had defects.

I would've needed to see Floyd up against a prime Joel Casamayor, to see if he can adjust. That would've been a guy the equivalent to Chad Dawson, not Zab Judah.

[-EX-]

Difference is Mayweather has proven he is a great tactician while having some disadvantages he is smart to change tactics

Well when Bernard rose to fame, the middleweight division wasn't deep...otherwise Oscar and Tito probably never would have moved up...Bernard can't create opponents...I think you could argue his ATG place in history but not as a tactician IMO...

[mathed]

Bernard Hopkins is one of the top 5 fighters the past era...the 90's-2000's. He is seen as a master tactician, which he is a highly skilled fighter...not great at everything but good at it all, with a high ring IQ.

For a fighter to be considered a great tactician they have to have shown the ability to adjust to any style. Come Forward aggressive fighters are tailor made for a smart fighter who is a good counterpuncher like Hopkins. What troubles Hopkins is fighters of faster feet, hands, and atleticism with decent technical skills. Fighters who he doesnt hold physical advantages over.

Look at his biggest wins over come forward guys( Cloud, Trinidad, Echols, Pavlik) or physically smaller guys like ( Wright, De La Hoya, Trinidad)

He did defeat Pascal and drew with him, who has exceptional speed and power but is very raw, fights in spurts and didnt have the technique of other fighters of his athleticism that beat Hopkins.

Taylor, Calzaghe, Dawson, and Jones presented him with styles he could no overcome. They were essentially his size and trumped him in speed, activity, and footwork. James Toney is similar not being able to deal with this style even though he has reputed skills and tactics.

BHOP destroyed Jones in the rematch. The difference is that Hopkins is the much better technician and has handled the decline in his physical attributes better than Jones has.

[therealpugilist]

Obviously some of you guys don't know the meaning of tactics, judging by some of the posts. Technique and tactics are not the same. Technique is the proper way to throw punches, positioning, slip slide and parry,etc. Hopkins is a master at this like I said before. Tactics are plans to deal with an opponent and adjust when plan A isn't working. Fighters who had great technique but were not tacticians are guys like Jorge linares, Brian viloria Michael Nunn, Zab Judah, Dawson etc who can execute every move in the ring but tactically were not great

[mathed]

Obviously some of you guys don't know the meaning of tactics, judging by some of the posts. Technique and tactics are not the same. Technique is the proper way to throw punches, positioning, slip slide and parry,etc. Hopkins is a master at this like I said before. Tactics are plans to deal with an opponent and adjust when plan A isn't working. Fighters who had great technique but were not tacticians are guys like Jorge linares, Brian viloria Michael Nunn, Zab Judah, Dawson etc who can execute every move in the ring but tactically were not great

Hopkins tactically takes his opposition out of their game plan and forces them to fight his fight a la his rematch with Roy Jones Junior, hence why he was able to look much better than Jones given their diminished respective natural abilities.

[Tay Roc]

Hopkins is great, but **** philly.

[-EX-]

Tactics are plans to deal with an opponent and adjust when plan A isn't working.

I see what you mean...but very few fighters at least in recent memory I can think of are great at adjusting on the fly, outside of Floyd Mayweather...

Most of Bernard's losses came once his reflexes deteriorated...I don't see any adjustments he could have made to have beaten Calzaghe or Dawson at those points in his career...only a time machine could have helped him