Hopkins vs. Taylor

[snuffbox 0]

Sorry if this a bit long, but I wrote myself, so check it out if your at all interested in this fight.

 

In less than a week, Sat July 16, there will be a very compelling boxing card on ppv. The main event is Bernard Hopkins defending the undisputed world middleweight title against Jermain Taylor.

 

Hopkins (46-2-1, 32 kos) has had a piece of the middleweight title since April 1995 when he kod Segundo Mercado (who was never the same afterwards) for the IBF title. He unified the middleweight division in 2001 with wins over Keith Holmes (WBC) and Felix Trinidad (WBA). The Executioner added the inherantly meaningless WBO belt by knocking out Oscar de la Hoya las September.

 

For 10 years he has reigned as king of the middleweights. He has defeated an incredible list of opponents (de la Hoya, Trinidad, Holmes, William Joppy, Howard Eastman, Robert Allen, Antwun Echols, Glen Johnson, etc etc). He hasnt been defeated since losing a decision to Roy Jones Jr way back in 1993. Most anyone would agree that he is the number one pound-for-pound fighter in the world. His huge test this Saturday will be a fighter who is young, talented, and very hungry.

 

Jermain Taylor (23-0, 17 kos) won a bronze medal at the 2000 Olympics and has been running over his opponents so far as a professional. He stepped up his level of opposition as early as just his seventh pro fight when tkod veteran Undra White in 4 rounds. White had been in 33 fights at the time including 10 round points losses to Otis Grant and Eric Lucas as well as losses to Rocky Gannon and Vinny Pazienza. In 2003 he kod Marcos Primera and Nicolas Cervera in a span of 6 weeks before fighting his first 12 rounder in August of that year (a decision over Alfredo Cuevas for a minor belt). In January '04 he destroyed one-time world title challenger Alex Rios in 1 round. Two months later he kod Alex Bunema (who beat Vince Phillips a few months ago) in seven rounds. The remainder of last year saw Taylor scoring wins over former world champions Raul AMrquez and William Joppy. In his last fight, in February, he kod previously undefeated Daniel Edouard in the third. Jermain Taylor feels that now is his time to be king. "Bernard Hopkins is a great champion and I have a lot of respect for him, but I will not respect him once the bell rings. I have waited for this moment for my entire life, and I won't be denied on July 16. If Bernard won't pass the torch, I'll just take it from him."

 

In my opinon, this fight has alot of similarities to Chavez-Taylor back in the day. A long reigning, highly respected, extremely talented champion meeting a young prospect with star potential at a crossroads. Some people have long complained that Hopkins style is 'boring' but I disagree. He is one of the most intelligent boxers ever and always finds a way to beat any opponent, no matter who. I dont find scientific boxing to be boring..but also, B-Hop has been in many exciting scraps over the years (Echols and Tito come to mind immediately). Taylor is always exciting, has definite ko power, and has proven that he can become champ. Can Taylor put all the pieces together and take the crown from the true reigning king? Will age finally catch up to the Executioner? Will Hopkins long road of greatness continue for another defense?

 

My prediction - This fight really can go either way and thats what makes it so interesting. Hopkins will be tested like he hasnt been in years. He might even get knocked down. This fight will prove itself to be a worthy ppv headliner, I really think it should be a great match. I just dont think Taylor has been tested enough or seen enough challenges in the ring. Taylor will prove his heart but he will not win the world middleweight title. Hopkins by close (but clear) decision or late round stoppage.

 

 

The undercard:

 

-Oscar Larios (53-3, 35 kos) will defend his WBC super-bantamweight title in a rematch against Wayne McCullough (27-5, 18 kos). Their fight in February was a war and I think this fight will be equally entertaining. I think Larios will retain with a stoppage on cuts this time.

 

-Fernando Montiel (30-1-1, 24 kos) defends his wbo super-flyweight belt against late-sub Evert Briceno (21-2, 17 kos). The original opponent was going to be Eric Morel but he has been suspended for being a little piece of shit. Briceno cant do any worse. Im sure Montiel will retain though.

 

- Former world welterweight champion Vernon Forrest (35-2, 26 kos) returns to the ring for the first time in almost two years against the very inexperienced Segio Rios (6-1). This is scheduled for 10 but I dont think Rios is going to even get to the 5th.

 

A free preview (I have no idea what the channel is for what cable/dish/digital systems) will feature live fights of 2004 Olympians Abner Mares and Vicente Escobedo.

 

Anyone here going to watch this? Predictions? The main event is really good and the undercard should be pretty fun.

[Zetterberg is God 0]

I'm looking forward to this one as Taylor will be hungry and Hopkins wants to show he can still battle top opponents. I think that Hopkins will win by a close decision.

[Lei Tong 0]

Hopkins via a wide decision. Taylor has all the physical tools needed, but he's been fed some very weak competition up until this point, and at times looked pretty dissapointing against said competition (vs. Joppy being a good example). Bernard's going to make it a rough & tumble fight Taylor just isn't ready for.

[Guest Agent of Oblivion]

^Yeah, only I think Hopkins stops him in the late rounds. Guy's walking on water right now. He's physically and mentally just there.

[Lei Tong 0]

I don't know about physically. Hopkins isn't the same guy who put the whooping on Tito years ago. He's a step slower nowadays, but he's still an extremely intellient & savvy fighter.

[snuffbox 0]

Any thoughts on how Vernon Foresst will look in his return fight? He's in there with a pretty soft touch but it will be interesting to see how he looks after being gone for so long.

[Guest Agent of Oblivion]

I don't know anything about Rios.

 

Last time I watched Forrest, he got his ass handed to him by Ricardo Mayorga. If Rios is aggressive and powerful, I'll give him a solid chance.

[snuffbox 0]

Rios has only had 7 pro fights since debuting last May. I don think anyone really knows who he is. he has fought a few guys with at least some experience so far though, so he might have some chance.

 

Remember, those Mayorga fights were the only losses in Forrests career. He was the first guy to beat Mosely, and he did it twice.

 

Im predicting Forrest by stoppage within 5, but it should be interesting on a few levels.

[Guest Agent of Oblivion]

He's got another victory against Moseley in their amateur careers as well. Guy's got his number, but Forrest completely crumbled when dragged into a brawl.

[snuffbox 0]

Rios has 4 kos in his 6 wins, so maybe he has a little power...but I have no clue as to his style.

 

Also, I thought Forrest's rematch with Mayorga could have gone the other way or been a draw...it wasnt nearly as decisive as the first fight, the stoppage.

 

This should be a good look at whether Forrest can still compete at a world-class level. The fight will be at 154 as well, Vernon's first at that weight.

[NoCalMike 0]

Hopkins is a master at only having to fight one minute of a round, while just avoiding his opponent and blocking his punches for the first two minutes. The key for Taylor is to make Hopkins fight the entire rounds which can take a toll on his body due to his age.

 

I think Taylor will come out early and look impressive, throwing flurries and combos, but I think Hopkins still has a big trick left in the bag for this fight and will come away with the Decision.

[Crimson Platypus 0]

I'm going to try to watch this fight Saturday as I am a big Hopkins fan. I have not seen Taylor fight so I have no idea how the bout is going to go, could anyone in the know (that is willing) maybe do a short write up on Taylor? Is he a legit challenge for Hopkins?

[Guest Agent of Oblivion]

Oh yeah, he's game. Confident, skilled, strong..he had a great amateur career and is on a hot streak. This will be Hopkins' toughest fight in a while.

[snuffbox 0]

I'm going to try to watch this fight Saturday as I am a big Hopkins fan. I have not seen Taylor fight so I have no idea how the bout is going to go, could anyone in the know (that is willing) maybe do a short write up on Taylor? Is he a legit challenge for Hopkins?

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

 

There actually is a short writeup on Taylor in this very thread, in the first post.

 

He is definitly a legit challenge...to summarize my preview earlier - He is young, talented, and hungry...he had a great amateur career and has beaten an impressive lists of opponents already as a pro.

[Lei Tong 0]

I'm going to try to watch this fight Saturday as I am a big Hopkins fan. I have not seen Taylor fight so I have no idea how the bout is going to go, could anyone in the know (that is willing) maybe do a short write up on Taylor? Is he a legit challenge for Hopkins?

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

 

There actually is a short writeup on Taylor in this very thread, in the first post.

 

He is definitly a legit challenge...to summarize my preview earlier - He is young, talented, and hungry...he had a great amateur career and has beaten an impressive lists of opponents already as a pro.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

 

Hardly an impressive list. The former World champions on his resume were either retired and/or Jr. Middleweights.

[snuffbox 0]

KOing a veteran like Undra White in his seventh fight was very impressive...

 

Raul Marquez was still a formidable opponent for a young fighter, William Joppy had only been beaten by Trinidad and Hopkins in the last few years and was the first to beat Howard Eastman 3 years before B-Hop got him.

 

Edouard was undefeated, a legit prospect, and had fought some quality opposition himself in good fights.

 

Marquez, Joppy, Edourad > Morrade Haakar, Robert Allen again, Daniels

[Lei Tong 0]

KOing a veteran like Undra White in his seventh fight was very impressive...

 

Raul Marquez was still a formidable opponent for a young fighter, William Joppy had only been beaten by Trinidad and Hopkins in the last few years and was the first to beat Howard Eastman 3 years before B-Hop got him.

 

Edouard was undefeated, a legit prospect, and had fought some quality opposition himself in good fights.

 

Marquez, Joppy, Edourad > Morrade Haakar, Robert Allen again, Daniels

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

 

- "Very impressive" is taking it a bit far. White was a decent journeyman, nothing more.

 

- Marquez was an outsized former Jr.MW who was 7 years past his prime and has skin like tissue paper.

 

- Joppy came out of retirement for a payday, plain and simple He looked totally out of it, and yet even on a few occasions when Jermain had him dead to rights, he couldn't pull the trigger.

 

- But for as overrated as though two wins are, they're btter than Daniel Edouard, who was a prospect in no one's mind. The win over Gibbs made him a slight name, but nothing more. The other guy to blemish his record, Beaupierre, is nothing special himself and recently got blasted in 2 by true prospect Kelly Pavlik. He's simply a decent brawler who's clueless about how to deal with a jab in his face.

 

Also, I never claimed Hopkins recent resume has been great as of late, but if you really think a past-his-prime former Jr.MW, a shot, formerly retired champion and a one-hit wonder of a "prospect" are all that better than Hopkins' recent opponents... then there's nothing I can really say in response to that.

[Lei Tong 0]

BTW- There have also been plenty of other fighters with better opponents on their ledgers at the point of their careers that Taylor is now at.

[EVIL~! alkeiper 0]

LAS VEGAS (AP) -- Jermain Taylor stepped into the ring with the master and taught Bernard Hopkins a lesson.

 

Hopkins' experience, ring savvy and tricks were supposed to make the difference in Saturday night's undisputed middleweight title bout. Instead, Taylor showed Hopkins that getting started too late can be decisive.

 

``I learned so much this fight. It takes patience to win,'' Taylor said after earning a split decision. ``I knew he was going to come out to a slow start. Bernard Hopkins took his time. I feel I did enough in the early rounds to win the fight.''

 

Hopkins had won a record 20 consecutive defenses, but he started slowly and only got to Taylor late in the fight. By then, the undefeated challenger had built up a big enough lead on two judges' scorecards to take the crown.

 

Taylor, 26, has won all 24 of his pro fights. There was concern, though, that he couldn't handle the seasoned Hopkins, considered as good as any boxer in the sport today.

 

Early on, though, Taylor dominated. By the time Hopkins took charge, it was too late.

 

``He never hurt me,'' Taylor said. ``He got some good punches in, but he never hurt me.''

 

It was the first loss for the 40-year-old Hopkins since Roy Jones defeated him 12 years ago.

 

``This is a situation where I won and they gave it to the other guy,'' Hopkins said.

 

Judge Jerry Roth scored the fight 116-112 for Hopkins, but judges Duane Ford and Paul Smith both had it 115-113 for Taylor. Ford gave the final round to Taylor, and if that round had gone to Hopkins, it would have been a draw.

 

``It felt great, I felt like crying,'' Taylor said of the decision.

 

The AP scored it 114-113 for Hopkins.

 

``I can hold my head up high,'' Hopkins said. ``I know I lost to Roy Jones in that fight, and I prepared myself to never feel that way again. I believe I put on a great performance.''

 

When told about Ford's awarding the 12th round to Taylor, Hopkins said: ``He did what? That's a shock to me.''

 

Hopkins, now 46-3-1, will get a rematch, which was in the contract for this bout.

 

Hopkins did almost nothing in the first two rounds, and the pro-Taylor crowd ate it up. With many in the crowd of 11,992 at the MGM Grand making the trip from Arkansas -- Taylor wore Razorbacks red trunks with Arkansas written across the back -- the fans had lots to cheer about.

 

But the chants of ``JT, JT'' stopped in the fourth when the action slowed, and in the fifth Taylor was cut on the top left side of his head by an accidental BUTT. It bled for much of the remaining rounds and seemed to slow Taylor for a while.

 

``I was wasting a lot of energy chasing him around when I should have cut off the ring,'' Taylor admitted.

 

Hopkins, who like Taylor weighed the division limit of 160 pounds, never really opened up until the 10th, when he followed a series of exchanges with a pair of huge rights. Taylor stumbled into the ropes and held on, and Hopkins looked ready to end it.

 

He couldn't, even though he was on the attack in the last two rounds. Hopkins even clowned at times, then went back to punishing the challenger.

 

``From the fifth or sixth round, I just dominated the fight,'' Hopkins said. ``Maybe the only thing I didn't do was knock him out.''

 

At the end, Hopkins saluted the crowd by standing on top of the ropes as Detroit Pistons forward Rasheed Wallace joined him in his corner.

 

But, like Wallace's Pistons last month, Hopkins lost his title moments later.

 

That shocked Hopkins, who claimed the body language in Taylor's corner made it appear the challenger and his backers thought they'd lost.

 

It was a sweet victory for Taylor.

 

``He's an awesome fighter and I will always respect him,'' Taylor said. ``I learned so much in the fight that I can't wait for a rematch.''

 

It also was sweet for his promoter, Lou DiBella, who guided Hopkins to the top of the game, then was fired in 2001. DiBella later won a libel suit against Hopkins, who claimed he had to pay DiBella to secure fights for him when DiBella was with HBO.

 

``I didn't need vindication,'' DiBella said. ``I beat him in court and Jermain beat him in the ring. It closes an ugly chapter in my life.''

 

http://sports.yahoo.com/box/news?slug=ap-h...ov=ap&type=lgns

 

So Hopkins lost. For some reason, that sounds strange.

[TheOriginalOrangeGoblin 0]

Hopkins won, just hte judges got momentarily blinded. In the rematch Taylor is KO'ed in 6.

[Rendclaw 0]

This hopefully will teach Hopkins that he cannot wait until several rounds into the fight to get going.

[snuffbox 0]

I predicted every fight right...except the main event, which *almost* ended like Chavez-Taylor.

 

Jermain Taylor proved he belonged in the championship ring, and showed the experience gained in his young career by fighting a wide range of experienced opponents. Hopkins showed that he truly still is a top-shelf boxer, but not really the number one p4p in the world anymore. Taylor proved both savvy and courage by challenging Hopkins slow starting...Hopkins one key fault as a boxer was exposed by not coming on strong until the middle of the contest.

 

All in all though...Duane Ford should have given B-Hop the twelfth round, and it should have therefore been a draw.

 

Rematch looks like it might land Oct 1...just one week before possibly the most attractive ppv card ever.

[Zetterberg is God 0]

If Hopkins fought the whole fight like he did the last four rounds, he would have won. The rematch should be an excellent bout.

[NoCalMike 0]

Since both fighters are already talking about looking foward to the rematch I will assume it is a forgone conclusion.

 

It will be interesting next time around because Hopkins had Taylor hurt a couple of times late in the fight, so I wonder if Hopkins might alter his usual strategy of "stand around for the first five rounds and then turn it on" and try to attack Taylor from the get-go.

[snuffbox 0]

Supposedly Hopkins made this classy remark to Taylor at the weighin before the fight...."I will make Taylor commit suicide like his brother." I wasnt there and didnt see it so Im not guranteed that this quote is legitimate, but if it is, Hopkins whole mindgames plan didnt work this time.

[snuffbox 0]

This from fightnews.com -

 

It took 15 stitches to close a gash on newly crowned undisputed middleweight champion Jermain Taylor's head, which was caused by an accidental headbutt in his bout with Bernard Hopkins. Taylor also reportedly suffered a concussion, so it is unlikely he will be ready to defend his title by the October 1 date that has been initially mentioned for the contract-mandated rematch.

[NoCalMike 0]

Hopkins called into Jim Rome today because he wanted to vent about the decision. Basically said he controlled the fight from round 5-12 and that Jermaine was given the belt, and did not earn it.....so Taylor's camp is listening and call Jim Rome wanting equal time so Jermain Taylor comes on, Rome plays for him what Hopkins said and Taylor basically said, "I fought all 12 rounds and the judges saw that" He was humble and admitted that Hopkins came on strong in the later rounds, but he reiterated that the fact that he at least fought in every round is what gave him the fight. He also said Hopkins is a dirty fighter and knows all the tricks when clinched.

[snuffbox 0]

Ill say it -

 

Bernard Hopkins should retire now. Dont fight Taylor again.

[Guest Brian]

Ill say it -

 

Bernard Hopkins should retire now. Dont fight Taylor again.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

 

Why? If one judge wouldn't have given Taylor the 12th, it would have been a draw.

[snuffbox 0]

Ill say it -

 

Bernard Hopkins should retire now. Dont fight Taylor again.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

 

Why? If one judge wouldn't have given Taylor the 12th, it would have been a draw.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

 

But, another judge (Jerry Roth) somehow gave Hopkins 3 of the first 4 rounds. That was just as bad as Duane Ford giving Taylor the twelfth. It was not a bad decision.

 

Hopkins has been making so many excuses this week about how it was a robbery decision. He didnt deserve to win. Taylor did. Thats what happened.

 

Hopkins didnt land double digit punches in a round until the 9th. Taylor wasnt landing much more, but he was considerably more aggressive and busy in the ring. Taylor got winded down the stretch but Hopkins only came on late because he didnt start boxing until the 9th round. Hopkins says he'll ko Taylor next time...but he couldnt do it here despite the fact that JT was wobbled several times, was cut, had a possible concussion, and was totally gassed. I dont see what Hopkins can do to ko him next time that he couldnt on Saturday night.

 

Hopkins is really showing his age and one more fight against the likes of Taylor could be a potential embarrassment for him. Hopkins really hasnt fought all-out for 12 rounds since the Trinidad fight, and that was 4 years ago. Hes been rather inactive and fought some rather sad opposition. He only boxed one minute per round against Howard Eastman but he got by with it...it didnt work against a young strong guy like Taylor.

 

Hopkins has been showing his age by not boxing enough during fights for several years and it was exploited by Taylor. Hes not getting any younger and Taylor aint getting any weaker or slower for awhile. Hopkins biggest asset in the ring was always his intelligence and savvy and that failed him finally...his strategy of lstarting late didnt work. I dont think Hopkins has the energy or ability anymore to go twelve full rounds...Taylor did it in the biggest fight of his career, with injuries and taking big shots down the stretch. I dont think its even possible for Hopkins to ko Taylor. So, I dont see any way for Hopkins to win the rematch.

 

And, to Lei Tong - Taylor was brought along against a progressively stronger level of opposition that gained him vast experience. He fought a wide range of foes..he saw sluggers, boxers, veterans, young prospects, southpaws, former champs and contenders. He was at the perfect time in his life and career to meet a great champion and he proved my point on Saturday night.