Well, I’m 3 for 3 on my predictions so far (although the first two were no-brainers). Judah stopped Spinks in the ninth last night to become the undisputed champ at 147. Although I still think his chin is questionable, Judah showed that he is tough to beat when he’s not showboating and goofing around.
Yeah, I definitely give Eastman a shot. The only time I’ve ever seen him was against Joppy and I thought he was robbed of the decision. At the time I gave him credit for how good he did against Joppy, but since then Joppy’s looked like crap. Although I do give him a shot, I’m still going with Hopkins. I wouldn’t be surprised if hopkins fights a little dirty along the way.
even though eastman has a legitimate shot, i’m still sticking with B-Hop aswell…by a very close decision.
hopkins beats eastman by a UD this past saturday. i had it 9rounds to 3 for hopkins in a patehtically boring fight.
judges cards were 119-110, 117-111 and 116-112.
i give hopkins all the credit in the world. he is a good fighter. but i hate watching him fight, he takes NO chances and barely puts any work in while he dances and runs…and he dances and runs when matched up against any true middleweight.
Yeah, the opening rounds of the fight were extremely boring. That being said, Hopkins fought a very smart fight. It was clear that Eastman would be dangerous if Hopkins sat there and traded. By the middle rounds Eastman was getting tired and frustrated by Bernard’s running, so that’s when B-Hop started throwing some hard, effective counters. Not the most exciting fight, but it showed me a couple things. First, I think Bernard has maybe lost a step or two, but I make him a favourite against anyone below 175 just due to intelligence and experience. Second, Eastman has a great chin! Hopkins landed a wicked right hand in one of the later rounds that would have knocked most guys out cold. Eastman stopped in his tracks, but shook it off pretty quick.
On a side note, it was cool seeing Tyson getting interviewed while they were waiting for Hopkins to get his hands wrapped. Tyson gets so excited when he talks about boxing history that he’s almost like a little kid.
[quote]SKman wrote:
First, I think Bernard has maybe lost a step or two, but I make him a favourite against anyone below 175 just due to intelligence and experience.[/quote]
he is a smart and cautious fighter with great skills, but i personally think nard wouldn’t stand a chance at light heavy. there is a reason he stayed at middle for his whole career, save his first fight (which he lost as a light heavyweight).
where do you think he stands in an “all time” perspective?
lets go through his notable wins:
allen, vanderpool, echols, eastman, joppy…all solid wins, good but not “great” fighters.
tito was a blown up welter at the time. irregardless, a great win over a future hall of fame fighter.
oscar …lol! what a joke! oscar has/had no business at 160…hence why he is returning to 147, he’s just ineffective at that weight. suspect ending to that fight anyway.
b-hops only notable loss was to roy jones…a fight which he was totally shut out. no shame in that, considering jones is arguably the most talented fighter ever in his prime.
all in all b-hop has beaten a handful of good fighters, and 2 undersized hall of famers. its not his fault the division is weak. still, someone like hagler would beat up hopkins pretty bad in my estimation…nard is top 3-4 MW’s of all time IMO. not the best like the friggin HBO nuthuggers would have you believe.
like to hear other opinions.
Just to be clear, I did not say he could beat the light-heavies. Especially Johnson and Tarver. I said he could beat anyone BELOW 175. That being said, it is not the most talent rich division and I’m sure there are some top 10 guys that Hopkins could beat. At this stage of his career though, there is no reason to change divsion except for a title or for a big money fight. I don’t think Hopkins is could beat Johnson, but I guess I’d have to give him a shot simply because he KO’d Johnson when they fought at middleweight. I think Hopkins could do more for his legacy by sticking around at middle, trying to fend off some of the young lions like Jermain Taylor and maybe trying for the all time record for most title defences.
That “blown up welter” absolutely destroyed Joppy prior to the Hopkins fight. I think Tito was a legit middleweight when he fought Hopkins.
Yeah, I thought DLH could have got up if he wanted. Strange isn’t? Right after giving him the biggest win of his career and dramatically increasing Hopkin’s mainstream appeal, DLH signs with Hopkins to promote his future fight! Hmmmmmm…
Hagler is my favourite middle of all time, maybe my favoutite fighter. I still think he beat Leonard (sorry, I’m still bitter over that one). Yeah, Hagler would’ve killed Hopkins, so would have a lot of other guys from that era. Leonard would beat him, probably Hearns, maybe even a blown up lightweight like Duran. I would probably have to put Hopkins in my all-time top 5, not sure exactly where. But his is there based on consistency and longevity more so than on pure natural ability.
ok, sorry i misread. i agree he could beat a few guys below 175. i think at 175 he loses to johnson, and tarver would be a difficult fight. at 168, jeff lacy and calzhage could probably beat him. against anybody else i’d have b-hop as the favourite.
about trinidad…i see your point, but i don’t agree 100%. tito’s only fight at middle prior to hopkins was joppy…and there was only a span of 4 months between those two fights. prior to that he had 2-3 fights at light middle after moving up from welter, all within a year and a half. compare that to nard who has always been at middle, and i consider tito a undersized middle at best. still a great win for hopkins.
about oscar…de la hoya hasn’t ducked anyone, and has had a great career with tons of big names on his resume. he’s a no-brainer for the hall of fame. but he’ll always be a bitch in my eyes…the whitaker fight was BS, he ran away from tito, got a bullshit gift of a decision against sturm,lost twice to mosely, and showed no courage/heart against hopkins in a self serving publicity stunt/fight.
The past 2 yrs. my family & I have become friends w/ Gatti & his trainer Teddy while they prepare for their fights in Vero Bch, Fl. They rented a house across the street from my parents house, so that’s how we met. Watching him workout & spar @ the gym is a sight to see. They both the coolest guys u could ever meet! They even remember my name when they come back!
An up & coming fighter is Buddy’s son James. The guy is a great athlete. I play b-ball w/ him & he always the best one out there. Has anyone seen him fight? I have yet to see him fight.
I just read a mag yesterday that De LaHoya is moving down a wt. division. Your thoughts on that?
[quote]BRUCELEEWANNABE wrote:
An up & coming fighter is Buddy’s son James. The guy is a great athlete. I play b-ball w/ him & he always the best one out there. Has anyone seen him fight? I have yet to see him fight.[/quote]
Do you mean Buddy McGirt’s son? Yeah, I heard his son was a fighter, but I don’t know much other than that. What weight class is he in etc.? That would be cool to meet Gatti, one of my favourite fighters.
I think that moving back down to 147 is a good move for Oscar (Mosley too, for that matter). Unfortunately I don’t think it will make a difference. I just don’t think his heart is in it anymore.
About what juice20jd said: I totally agree about oscar. He should have lost to Pernell and Sturm, the Quartey fight was close, but I had Ike winning by a round. Although I have to say, maybe Oscar should have won the 2nd Mosley fight. DLH should be commended for the number of quality fighter he has faced, but his team picked his opponents VERY carefully in the early part of his career. Almost every name opponent he faced early on was either a naturally much smaller guy, over the hill or both. Hell, Whitaker was too small, too old and a coke addict and I still think he beat Oscar!! The only reason his people took that fight was because they thought Pernell was washed up, ditto for Chavez.
[quote]SKman wrote:
BRUCELEEWANNABE wrote:
An up & coming fighter is Buddy’s son James. The guy is a great athlete. I play b-ball w/ him & he always the best one out there. Has anyone seen him fight? I have yet to see him fight.
Do you mean Buddy McGirt’s son? Yeah, I heard his son was a fighter, but I don’t know much other than that.
Yeah, Buddy Mcgirt’s son. I think James is in the some wt. class as Gatti. Lat time I heard he was 5-0. All those guys are wonderful to be around & shoot the shit with.
My tells me Buddy was a badass in his days. I don’t ever remember seeing him fight growing up though.
Buddy was a very good fighter in his day. I believe he was a welterweight (147 lbs)and he fought some guys like Pernell Whitaker and Livingston Bramble. I think when he retired he had over 70 wins and only a few losses. I believe two of his losses were decision losses to Whitaker, who is one of the greatest defensive fighters of all time.
[quote]BRUCELEEWANNABE wrote:
I just read a mag yesterday that De LaHoya is moving down a wt. division. Your thoughts on that?[/quote]
Forget it. DLH is finished. he looked like a fatass at the hopkins fight…fighters moving back down the weight classes after being at a heavier one for some time usually end up KTFO. plus oscar hasn’t beat anybody in the last 2 years, looked terrible in his last few fights, plus he has no heart/desire. sugar shane is going back to 147 (and we all know he has oscar’s number)…i think Zab possibly knocks oscar out at 147…i think kostya can move up and KO oscar…hell even pretty boy floyd could move up and take DLH. oscar will have to pick his battles wisely…as he always has done.
[quote]SKman wrote:
Buddy was a very good fighter in his day. I believe he was a welterweight (147 lbs)and he fought some guys like Pernell Whitaker and Livingston Bramble. I think when he retired he had over 70 wins and only a few losses. I believe two of his losses were decision losses to Whitaker, who is one of the greatest defensive fighters of all time.[/quote]
Whitaker use to live a few blocks from our house up in Va, Beach. I was around 14 at the time. He had a nice family but I heard he had some drug poblems.
WOW! Buddy was lite then huh? He’s big now. He’s a cool dude. Would see him often @ this one club in Vero called Cafe Caribe w/ some big women havin’ a great time.
[quote]juice20jd wrote:
BRUCELEEWANNABE wrote:
I just read a mag yesterday that De LaHoya is moving down a wt. division. Your thoughts on that?
Forget it. DLH is finished. he looked like a fatass at the hopkins fight…fighters moving back down the weight classes after being at a heavier one for some time usually end up KTFO. plus oscar hasn’t beat anybody in the last 2 years, looked terrible in his last few fights, plus he has no heart/desire. sugar shane is going back to 147 (and we all know he has oscar’s number)…i think Zab possibly knocks oscar out at 147…i think kostya can move up and KO oscar…hell even pretty boy floyd could move up and take DLH. oscar will have to pick his battles wisely…as he always has done. [/quote]
I agree w/ u. He’s looked very soft in his last few fights. Yeah, the desire is gone.
In his next fight instead of being a fat middle weight, DLH wil be a fat, dehydrated welter.
[quote]SKman wrote:
In his next fight instead of being a fat middle weight, DLH wil be a fat, dehydrated welter.[/quote]
Exactly, he’ll be a pudgy, weight drained speed bag. his name will make him a factor in the division, but his ring performance will not. he better hand pick his opponents or he could be in trouble. but knowing DLH he’ll go down there wanting to fight the best…good luck with that!
Dammit! I missed the Cotto fight last night. I went out ice fishing and forgot all about it. I sat down to watch tv later on and just caught the post fight interviews. From what I could see the stoppage was questionable, what exactly happened?
the stoppage in the cotto vs. corley fight was definately premature…chop chop took a knee and the ref called the fight. corley definately could have continued, but it looked like it was only a matter of time before cotto put him down for good. a really competetive fight in which cotto was ROCKED in the 3rd round. he showed good poise in recovering though. i don’t think cotto is ready for guys like kostya, mayweather or gatti just yet, but he is definately a contender and potentially the future of the division.