When was Bernard Hopkins prime?

[BUNGALOWS]

I'd go as far back as the second Mercado fight

Yeah, anywhere around that time period, you can make an argument, and you'd probably be right.

I'm lmao @ people that think the Hopkins that fought Calzaghe was prime Hopkins. That's only 3 fights away from his rematch with RJJ.

I don't care how much "smarter" he got. That's in no way, shape or form his prime.

Prime is the perfect storm of physical and mental.

That's like saying post retirement MJ was more "prime" than 92' MJ.

[BUNGALOWS]

People need to stop acting like he learned the secret zen teachings of boxing as he got older.

He just had very good match making to make his veteran skills shine through.

[jasjas]

Yeah, anywhere around that time period, you can make an argument, and you'd probably be right.

I'm lmao @ people that think the Hopkins that fought Calzaghe was prime Hopkins. That's only 3 fights away from his rematch with RJJ.

I don't care how much "smarter" he got. That's in no way, shape or form his prime.

Prime is the perfect storm of physical and mental.

That's like saying post retirement MJ was more "prime" than 92' MJ.

boxing IQ does have a lot to do with prime. comes with experience.

[Derranged]

Yeah, anywhere around that time period, you can make an argument, and you'd probably be right.

I'm lmao @ people that think the Hopkins that fought Calzaghe was prime Hopkins. That's only 3 fights away from his rematch with RJJ.

I don't care how much "smarter" he got. That's in no way, shape or form his prime.

Prime is the perfect storm of physical and mental.

That's like saying post retirement MJ was more "prime" than 92' MJ.

Hopkins looked old in that fight. Nobody but a few Welsh fishermen on this site believe that Hopkins was in his prime.

[BUNGALOWS]

boxing IQ does have a lot to do with prime.

There's a point of diminishing returns. When I look at someone's prime, I try to find that perfect sweet spot where they were physically at their strongest and fastest, AND they had the required amount of fights where I can confidently say that he's learned enough to consider that the best version of said boxer.

I'm not saying prime starts exactly when you hit your physical peak.

[Mister Wolf]

I would say he was prime when he beat down Glen Johnson. Anyone who says he was prime after the age of 35 is just being silly. Just look at the Johnson fight and the intensity he fights at.

[Ray Corso]

...........1912.........!

[jasjas]

There's a point of diminishing returns. When I look at someone's prime, I try to find that perfect sweet spot where they were physically at their strongest and fastest, AND they had the required amount of fights where I can confidently say that he's learned enough to consider that the best version of said boxer.

I'm not saying prime starts exactly when you hit your physical peak.

yea.

experience is a huge factor. its difficult to say what hopkins' physical prime was because hopkins fought differently against tito. used his legs to move around the ring, used defense, feints, other moves that depend more on sharp reflexes. but its hard to say a mans physical prime is at the age of 36.

but for me, hopkins absolute prime factoring in a culmination of facets was shown when he was 36 against trinidad.

everything in the trinidad fight was on point and it required all the experience he acquired that led up to the moment. i am sure that the hopkins of that night would have put any middleweight in history in an hospital, and if that middleweight was someone named marvin hagler, bernard would in the hospital bed next to marvins.

[!! Shawn]

[GhostBlade]

Probably when he beat Trinidad in 2001.