Final picks: Kovalev - Hopkins

He wasn't wobbled. You can pretend winning every round in a fight you predicted him to lose is NOT an impressive performance.

 

Well obviously...this is a live forum you know.

 

Wait, you picked Hopkins, Silent?

 

But I don't need to.

It wasn't.

Bernard Hopkins is literally 50 years old and can't throw punches anymore.

Only thing Kovalev proved is that he's better than Shumenov.

 

:: @ SilentNight.

 

:FU!:

 

Wouldn't Ward be the lineal champ because he beat Dawson under 175 pounds

 

I don't care about this division or anything this guy does unless he fights Ward.

Back to watching a few fights per year.

 

kovalev wasnt hurt in the last round. Was a push/punch. Liked how he was active andd aggressive in the last round, but he was wayy too passive for the entire fight, considering hopkins looked very old and shaky.

 

He fought safe to protect his awful defense.

Hopkins not only couldn't throw beccause of his age, Kovalev was too long and rangy for Hopkins to reach. Hopkins had to rush in like an MMA fighter to punch him because of his greatly diminished hand and foot speed.

Kovalev fought safety first against a senior citizen he was supposed to brutally stop.


This is the worst fight I've seen probably. Kovalev has garbage technical skills, and so does 99 percent of the division including Stevenson. Unwatchable.

 

But Hopkins himself said that was the key to his success. So asking him to do otherwise is like asking him to have a bad strategy. And it's not like he didn't throw and land a lot of punches.

 

yeah. Never mind hopkins post fight comments that kovalev fought a great technical fight.

 

there's a world of difference between being effective and being impressive. Kovalev was very effective, but i think he could have looked a lot more impressive had he really put pressure on bhop. anyway, im hair splitting a bit, since I would have liked the fight to have been more entertaining

 

Tactics =/= technique

 

Back to the waiting line for Silent and JoM. Kovalev won every round and fought just the way you are supposed to fight Hopkins. Hopkins might still beat Stevenson who doesn't have those ring smarts nor that type of two-handed power. Kovalev vs Ward would be a good one

 

I'm a Kovalev fan. I'm a bigger Stevenson fight , but I'm still a Kovalev fan. I was a bit critical of his opposition before tonight fight, when he was fighting the Agnew and caparello of this world, but I wanted him to win today, even if I'm a big bhops fan.

He fought a good fight tonight, but he was too calm at times, and the fight was a bit tepid for it (mostly because of hopkins though). I think he could have made a bigger staement if he pressed the action a bit more.

 

I agree Kovalev could have pushed it harder, as he would have had a good chance of stopping Hopkins that way. I believe he still didn't trust himself completely since he had never fought past eight rounds and perhaps because that would have given Hopkins the chances to butt or claim fouls. Now that he noticed he could keep it together all the way and he could finish the fight stronger I don't think he'd make the same thing again. The same way with the first Boone fight: Kovalev looked terrible there, but he learned from it and destroyed Boone in the rematch. His ability to learn, to me, is among his better qualities.

 

Hopkins is a better opponent than anybody on GGG's resumé. Even this old ass version.

 

I told some of you goons Kovalev isn't basic. He can box, he's just very offensive minded and aggressive.

And like I said too, he's not slow at all. He has respectable speed for a light heavyweight.

 

You really have no idea what you're talking about do you?

Kovalev is very technically adept. If he wasn't, he wouldn't have won this fight, and every fight he's had so far.

Remember when I told you Kovalev feints and lays traps, and you said "LolZ no he doesnt lay da trapz he so basicz!!!!!"?

Watch the knockdown in round 1, where Kovalev lures him into a false counter, then counters himself with a quick right hand. That's technical ability.

Again, you have no idea what you're talking about when it comes to boxing.

 

w/Out Question...

Kovalev Took SHORT Money to Get a NAME Opponent on his Resume....Could've Easily Priced Himself OUT of the Fight (as Stevenson Did)...Could've Also BALKED @ Fighting in BHop's Home Away from Home, Atlantic City...But he DIDN'T...

Team Golovkin Should Take Notes...


REED:bears:

 

As an olde time Nard fan, it was good to see he at least hung in there and didn't try and bitch out, and I felt sorry for him taking those big meaty shots in round 12.

 

Fucking Manny Steward... ::

 

THIS....

NATHAN Robotic about Kovalev, Whatsoever...While Lacking the FLUIDITY of BHop or Others, it's NOT like Kovalev is Vitali Klitschko or Anything Close to It...

After Dropping him in the 1st, Kovalev's Use of FEINTS Kept Bernard On Edge the ENTIRE Fight...Hopkins has NEVER Been More Cognizant of NOT Getting Hurt, in a Particular Fight...Kovalev Showed UNDERRATED Footwork Too, as he Cut Off the Ring Excellently, and Trapped BHop in Corners & Along the Ropes All Fight Loooooooooooooooong....

Not the Most Impressive Performance Ever, but Considering how NEGATIVE BHop Fought, REED Walked Away Impressed...After the Knockdown, Bernard's Prime Objective was to NOT Get KO'ed...When a Guy w/THAT Level of Schooling & Experience Puts his Mind to NOT Getting KO'ed, it Typically Ain't Gonna Happen...

Nonetheless, Kovalev Put Hands on Hopkins in a Way we've NEVER Seen Before & he Deserves Credit for that...1st Big Fight Win, Against a Recognized Name...1st Time Venturing PAST Round 8...Kovalev will Only Get BETTER from This...


REED:cheer:

 

Nah, I actually said it time and time again, that Kovalev isn't basic or slow.

And that is Floyd, not Steward. "Like I said before" is Floyd's line, Steward's line is "I knew this would happen" without actually divulging anything beforehand.

At least get it right, Sauerkraut :kidcool:

 

I very much agree. We've seen even this version of Hopkins can be highly effective at elite level, and no one has shut Nard down this way. Agreed on the underrated footwork too, and use of range.

BTW regarding the whole "He fought too passive", it looked to me like he wanted to show he could box a bit, and was also showing due respect for Nard, until the 12th round at least ;)

 

Yeah, that 12th Round WASN'T Easy to Watch & REED's Never Been Much of a BHop Fan...Most Punches EVER Landed on him in a Round, in the 41 Hopkins Bouts Compu-Box has Tallied



REED:fightme:

 

If there was one more round left I think Nazeem would have stopped it. I don't think Nard would have argued.

 

HBO's Gonna have to Be CREATIVE, to Bring Kovalev-Ward to Fruition...They'll Probably have to Feed GGG to Ward 1st, on the PROMISE Ward will Move Up to Face Kovalev...

HBO Should Package it as a 2-Fight, All or NATHAN, Take it or Leave it Deal...


REED:kidcool:

 

That was some violent shit from kovalev in the 12th. Just a psychotic onslaught it seemed. And as some have said, borderline disturbing to watch.