Bernard Hopkins...

[Truth]

What do you think of his career? Does not fighting the best competition hurt his legacy? I'd say it doesn't because its not his fault the middleweight division was weak when he came there...

I know this has been talked about in the past but I was curious about what the boxing community thinks now...

[-EX-]

Yeah the middleweight divison was weak. I think he's a hall of famer and the best middlweight of his era.

[Shanus]

Yeah the middleweight divison was weak. I think he's a hall of famer and the best middlweight of his era.

..Second to Jones.

[Toddy]

..Second to Jones.

i think Hopkins comes first

[GEOFFHAYES]

At the end of the day the only decent, natural middleweights that Hopkins fought (Jones Jr, Taylor) he lost to.

In the late 80's and early 90's you had Hagler, Leonard, Hearns, Duran, Barkley, Nunn, Benn, Eubank, McCallum, Kalambay, Graham, Toney, Julian Jackson, Lamar Parks, Jones Jr, McClellan, Reggie Johnson et al. The sheer depth of talent was insane, but they all either moved up in weight or retired by the time Hopkins reigned..

I was one of very few people who actually knew who Hopkins was in the late 90's, I remember making threads about him on old boxing internet boards and getting no replies.. Hopkins was at his sharpest and best IMO in the Joe Lipsey and Glen Johnson fights. He's become ridiculously over-rated these last five years though, the mythical lb4lb #1 for beating blown-up welterweights and Robert Allen and he hasn't even been at his best since the mid-90's (when he wasn't even in the top 15 lb4lb)!

[Truth]

At the end of the day the only decent, natural middleweights that Hopkins fought (Jones Jr, Taylor) he lost to.

In the late 80's and early 90's you had Hagler, Leonard, Hearns, Duran, Barkley, Nunn, Benn, Eubank, McCallum, Kalambay, Graham, Julian Jackson, Lamar Parks, Jones Jr, McClellan, Reggie Johnson et al. The sheer depth of talent was insane, but they all either moved up in weight or retired by the time Hopkins reigned..

I was one of very few people who actually knew who Hopkins was in the late 90's, I remember making threads about him on old boxing internet boards and get no replies.. Hopkins was at his sharpest and best IMO in the Joe Lipsey and Glen Johnson fights. He's become ridiculously over-rated these last five years though, the mythical lb4lb #1 for beating blown-up welterweights and Robert Allen and he hasn't even been at his best since the mid-90's (when he wasn't even in the top 15 lb4lb)!

But he did defend his title 20 times, I mean even if the opponents wern't great thats still pretty impressive. And then at 40 he faught a 26 year old and even though he lost he was competitive in both fights. And then at 41 he beat the light heavy weight champion. Thats enough to call him a great fighter I would think...

[GTL]

At the end of the day the only decent, natural middleweights that Hopkins fought (Jones Jr, Taylor) he lost to.

In the late 80's and early 90's you had Hagler, Leonard, Hearns, Duran, Barkley, Nunn, Benn, Eubank, McCallum, Kalambay, Graham, Julian Jackson, Lamar Parks, Jones Jr, McClellan, Reggie Johnson et al. The sheer depth of talent was insane, but they all either moved up in weight or retired by the time Hopkins reigned..

I was one of very few people who actually knew who Hopkins was in the late 90's, I remember making threads about him on old boxing internet boards and getting no replies.. Hopkins was at his sharpest and best IMO in the Joe Lipsey and Glen Johnson fights. He's become ridiculously over-rated these last five years though, the mythical lb4lb #1 for beating blown-up welterweights and Robert Allen and he hasn't even been at his best since the mid-90's (when he wasn't even in the top 15 lb4lb)!

i agree with some of what your saying but u hate way too much on american fighters.. hopkins was a genius in the ring.. not the most exciting later in his career but he was great..

[GEOFFHAYES]

But he did defend his title 20 times, I mean even if the opponents wern't great thats still pretty impressive. And then at 40 he faught a 26 year old and even though he lost he was competitive in both fights. And then at 41 he beat the light heavy weight champion. Thats enough to call him a great fighter I would think...

He's definately a great fighter after the Trinidad debacle, and after all the documentaries on him here in the UK these last few years. But he would not of stood out in the late 80's/early 90's. Lamar Parks was a better fighter than Hopkins IMO, exciting little prospect who caught aids, punch for punch Very heavy-handed, real good fighter.

[GEOFFHAYES]

u hate way too much on american fighters

Absolute rubbish.

[Abe Attell]

At the end of the day the only decent, natural middleweights that Hopkins fought (Jones Jr, Taylor) he lost to.

In the late 80's and early 90's you had Hagler, Leonard, Hearns, Duran, Barkley, Nunn, Benn, Eubank, McCallum, Kalambay, Graham, Julian Jackson, Lamar Parks, Jones Jr, McClellan, Reggie Johnson et al. The sheer depth of talent was insane, but they all either moved up in weight or retired by the time Hopkins reigned..

I was one of very few people who actually knew who Hopkins was in the late 90's, I remember making threads about him on old boxing internet boards and getting no replies.. Hopkins was at his sharpest and best IMO in the Joe Lipsey and Glen Johnson fights. He's become ridiculously over-rated these last five years though, the mythical lb4lb #1 for beating blown-up welterweights and Robert Allen and he hasn't even been at his best since the mid-90's (when he wasn't even in the top 15 lb4lb)!

First time I found out about Hopkins was the Jones fight...I thought he looked just Ok in that fight, but only because it looked like as the fight went on, into the later rounds, he finally started to get the hang of things...
I didn't actually like to watch him after the TITO fight...I thought he had already declined a bit by the time Tito got to him, and started to really dip afterwards...his intelligence helped him out a lot in those later years...Tito was a fighter that came right at his opponent, that worked to Hopkins advantage...I think the fighters that can really move around the ring, and have speed, will bother Hopkins...the guys that came right at him, even the big power punchers you named, he could hold his own...I am not sure he would win, but anybody that didn't have a solid chin, wasn't going to last in Bernard's true prime, and I am not talking about the people that believe it was the Tito fight.