If I were forced to pick I think I would go with Nard, even though he's not a fan favorite these days. Nard was crafty and quite good at 160. I still don't think he lost those fights to Taylor regardless of the BS decisions.
I like Monzon in this... I think his jab would give Bernard a lot of problems and Bernard would have to respect his sharp right hand... I do think Bernard can get some work done to the body and definitely make it close/interesting and awkward for Monzon, but I like Monzon's ability to dictate pace and his generally unflappable demeanor. He wouldn't be rattled by some of the rough-housing and dirty stuff and would reply with plenty of his own. He was no shrinking violet. Bernard gets in some digs downstairs and he occasionally flashes an educated right hand, but Monzon works his jab, mixes in the straight right and an uppercut to keep Hopkins honest, controls the pace and walks away with a close, competitive, but ultimately unanimous decision.
I WOULD NEVER LOSE TO AN INDIAN!!! I WOULD NEVER LET AN APACHE BEAT ME!!! Monzon would send Bernard back to Gratersford.
There isn't a single middleweight in history that would give a prime Hopkins a beating. To me, this is virtually a pick em. If I absolutely HAD to pick, I'd pick Monzon, but there's a legit chance that he'd be too robotic for a guy like Hopkins.
So you need more affletisism like Taylor? Just fucking with you. Agreed, nobody is dominating in this one. I think i'd pick Monzon as well but it's a very stinky fight that the judges decide and message boarders argue about afterward. It's Pacquiao-Marquez in terms of close, but without a quarter of the entertainment.
Well for one, Taylor would have gotten thrashed and stopped by a younger/prime Hopkins. And yes, Taylor's size, athleticism, and energy gave faded Hopkins trouble. The more and more I consider the matchup, the more I could see Hopkins beating Monzon. ANOTHER thing to consider, the usually height advantage Monzon had goes out the window against Hop. Though granted, Monzon did have freakishly long arms. His reach would be problematic for Hop. There's 4 things for CERTAIN about a Hopkins-Monzon matchup: 1. It's obviously going the distance. 2. It'd be close either way. 3. It'd likely be a tactical, at times boring fight. 4. It'd be an incredibly DIRTY fight.
