Bob Foster vs. Joe Calzaghe @ LHW

But it doesn't mean that Foster destroys Hopkins...you can't just jump to that conclusion based upon the differences between the opponents. That's silly logic.

For example, Ali beat Zora Foley. The jump in class between Foley and Foreman is HUGE. Does this mean that Ali loses to Foreman? How do you tie the quality of an opponent to another fighter to mean that the better fighter will therefore knock your brains out?

 

Hopkins MIGHT be able to ugly his way to lasting the distance, but the fight wouldn't be remotely close on the scorecards.

 

ok..so you're open to the possibility of Hopkins at least going the distance. Good man. There's hope yet.

 

absolutely

If a Guy looks great fighting Ishe "Sugar Shay" Smith, that doesn't mean you say "hey, I bet he takes Sugar Ray Robinson to the wire!" without anything else to go on

I loved Hopkins in the 90s, he was one of my favorites, but The Tarver win had as much to do with Tarver's all around shittiness and his ten-cent brain as it had to do with any incredible gameplan on Bernard's part... Bernard did what he has done in this phase of career (which has caused me to dislike him immensely) - exploit the rules as much as possible, slow the pace to a crawl and take advantage of the inherent stupidity of an opponent... and, like it or not, that LAST PART is of enormous significance when rating this segment of his career... the tactics that flummoxed the likes of Tarver and company are simply useless when attempting to win a fight against a fighter of Foster's ability and intelligence... At best, they may enable him to not get knocked out, AT BEST

 

In fairness to Foley, his skills were considerable, he was a very intelligent, accomplished boxer with fine counterpunching skills... Folley's problem was his durability, his chin and consistency

 

I refer you to my response to the Joe.

 

Whatever...substitute a "bum" on Ali's record with Foley and see my point. Hopkins dominating Tarver..who is far inferior to Foster doesn't = Hopkins gets dominated by Foster. ::

Can't you see how silly that logic is?

 

I never said it wasn't a possibility. If someone is being stubborn here...it's you insisting that a stoppage is out of the question.

 

Nothing is out of the question. I'm saying that it is UNLIKELY.

 

Ugh. Really?? You always do this. You pick one extreme example of something out of all of boxing history and try to make it a standard.

I don't have the time right now, cause i need to run to a doctor's appt, but I know I could list a whole bunch of examples where a fighter got his ass kicked by an opponent who was significantly better than another fighter he had previously faced.

So, playing the Ali card doesn't really work here.

 

Oh, no. Splitting hairs.

 

no. Just clarifying my position. I'm saying that it's unlikely..HIGHLY unlikely even..seeing as we've never seen Hopkins even CLOSE to being stopped before and we know that he's a smart fighter.

I'm not going to dogmatically say that it's impossible.

 

Even if you could...it doesn't make it a cause and effect. There's no correlation between the two. That's the point.

Anyway wish you all the best at your doctor's appointment. Make sure that he wears gloves.

 

I am actually with Sly here.

Hopkins-Tarver example doesn't work either way. You can't say Hops beats Foster based on Tarver fight, because Tarver is clearly inferior to Foster. However you can't say Foster beats Hopkins because he is way better than Tarver either, because you would need to be way better than Tarver to even make a competitive fight. So what we saw from Hops in that fight doesn't prove anything either way

 

Now you're just giving me a headache with this Devil's Advocate double talk. ::

I refuse to grade fighters on a scale. Sorry...but some fighters are just better than other fighters and that needs to be taken into account when analyzing a match up. Foster is a SIGNIFICANTLY better fighter than anyone Hopkins has defeated at 175 and that DOES matter.

 

Just because a fighter hasn't been stopped doesn't mean that no fighter could ever do it...especially in the case of a 40-something fighter who has moved up in weight against one of the greatest fighters (and in the case of Fsoter, one of the best punchers) ever at the weight.

Not one of the fighters Hopkins has faced at 175 is remotely in the same ballpark as Foster as a fighter or a puncher.