Bernard Hopkins vs. Michael Watson @ MW

How competitive would this match be?

 

Very

MTF

 

It'd be competitive but in the late rounds Hopkins begins to dominate

 

Not convinced by that, personally, Watson had excellent stamina and only ever faded late in his fight with McCallum - a fight he took after a year off through injury and without a single tune-up fight. McCallum probably always wins that fight but there were mitigating circumstances for Watson's performance in that one.

I reckon Nard probably wins but his classic, cute, sneaky style isn't going to bamboozle someone as well schooled and skilled as Watson in the same way it has done with lesser fighters over the years. Looking back to the fights against Eubanks, I don't see the younger, more active version of Hopkins outworking Watson either. And I'll say this - Bernard Hopkins never won a middleweight fight against any middleweight as good as Watson was. If he did win, it would be his best middleweight win by a fair bit.

MTF

 

You mean true middleweights?

I'd say even if he beats Taylor that statement would hold true.

 

I mean the truest of true middleweight.

MTF ::

 

Who did Watson beat exactly?

 

Benn decisively by KO and Eubanks I clearly to anyone with eyes. Those two were better middleweights than any of those Bernard beat. Much better IMO. At middleweight, who did Nard beat exactly?

MTF :dunno:

 

You don't think Benn was a touch green?

 

Who gives a shit, and if he only fought 12 year olds, feebs still thinks he's better than Bernards opponents.

 

A little, perhaps, but so was Watson - I think he'd had about four more fights (top of my head) - and four fights later Benn was beating De Witt in the US to win his first version of the world title. At the time Benn lost to Watson he was 22-0 (22KO). He was hardly a ten fight novice.

There is not a single fighter in Hopkins middleweight reign I would pick to beat even that youngish version of Benn. Hopkins' MW reign is really, really shit.

MTF

 

Do you disagree?

MTF :fightme:

 

already posted, I don't! I think that middleweight reign of Hopkins needs more adressing!

 

Watson is Feebs' favorite fighter

I don't disagree that he was better than the guys Hopkins defended against, I just don't think it really matters that much, he's not winning

 

He isn't, actually. Benn is :: I am strongly of the view that Watson is pretty heavily underrated generally and around these parts. Nard might well beat him but I don't see him dominating him at any stage - I don't really see any scenario where that is feasible. I rate Hopkins highly and respect his overall body of work and ridiculous longevity but he still gets a massive pass for his reign at 160. He beat a string of no-marks, weak contenders and undersized, overrated guys. He lost to the only two really decent middles he fought.

Watson, despite a much shorter career, fought better middles and beat them pretty handily. Picking Nard to win against him is harder to justify IMO because there isn't really anyone you can point to and say 'that win is how this would pan out'.

MTF