WHICH performance was more impressive: Hopkins or Calzaghe?

After Roy back then, you had Tarver, Johnson, Adamek, Erdei, Dawson, and you might as well throw in Woods.

While most everyone would have had Jones #1, after him there wasn't a consensus.

And there still isn't.

With Calz and Kessler, you have clear #1 and #2 in either order with absolutely no one else legitimately thrown into the mix.

Tarver had shown he could beat Roy, lose to Roy, [lose to] Johnson and beat Johnson. Whatever kind of polish that is, it doesn't make what's under the polish look any better than Kessler did before the Calz fight.

 

Funny some dont see this even close in favor for Calzaghe and I feel it's not even close in favor of Hopkins

Hopkins at 40! jumps up and beats Tarver who knocked Roy the F out!!! Tarver was the man and Hopkins took his old as UP and WHUPPED Tarver

Calzaghe.. everyone knew he'd win.. Kessler is basically a bum.. I don't think anyone was really worried about this fight

the Tarver-Hopkins fight though.. that was IMPRESSIVE that Bernard did that

 

I agree with this post 100%. Once again what did Kessler do for everyone to crown him as the man or the second coming. He defeated cats in a very weak 168lb divison. Not to mention when he stepped up to his biggest challenge he didn't perform. So I would choose B-Hop's victory over Tarver as a greater victory than what Calzaghe did against Kessler.

I also hate the way Calzaghe has talked so much shit about Hopkins not wanting to fight him. I mean damn dawg where was all that shit talk back 5 years ago. Why wait till the dude is damn near 44-45 to talk shit. That is kinda whack if you ask me. I'll Holla 5000

 

Hopkins doesnt beat Kessler period. Not at this point anyway.

 

Considering that Tarver showed serious wear against Roy, and his age, I'd say Calzaghe-Kessler was very impressive BUT it was also a very good fight and it was never not competitive. Hopkins may not have lost a second to a guy everyone else had trouble with and by the end took his heart. Kessler was still firing all night; he never gave up to the inevitable.

 

Well...we are talking about the Hopkins that beat Tarver. And so when you consider that version.....HELL YES he beats Kessler! :nono:

 

Make that lose to Johnson and beat Johnson.

As you point out, Tarver hadn't cleaned out the division...and he wasn't going to try after he Tarver and Johnson chucked the belts.

Tarver didn't have to fight any of the (deserving) challengers...which is why he fought Jones Jr. a third time and Hopkins...both of whom were largely considered to be at the ends of their careers when the fights were made.

Trying to downplay the importance of Calzaghe-Kessler is like trying to downplay the significance of Hopkins-Trinidad...because the fights did the same exact thing.

 

No he doesnt. Kessler isnt a weight drained, slow, one punch at a time zombie like Tarver was that night.

 

What has Tarver ever done?

He landed the shot of his life, after throwing away the first Jones' fight. He is a headcase who is a fringe great fighter at best.

Besides Reggie Johnson, he's lost to every decent fighter he's faced the first time around. Hopkins winning wasn't just easy to call, but many of the people in the know guarenteed he would win with the way Tarver was getting destroyed in sparring.

Ironic that someone who loves RJJ is shitting on this current 168lb division

Kessler was better than Tarver, Tarver showed up to lose, and Hopkins, being an elite fighter dominated him, with 20 punches a round.

Kessler went balls out, even went for broke in the 12th when he needed a KO and Calzaghe beat him handily. Calzaghe's performance was much better, by a mile

 

Eric Harding would've slaughtered that version of Tarver. The magic man looked awful, and didn't even put up an effort.

I think Hopkins would beat Kessler, but it would certainly be competitive, and just because Hopkins took care of the human shit Tarver, doesn't make his beating a young nearly undefeated fighter some sort of certainly

lennox...

::

 

They did?

 

Hopkins beating Tarver.....Hopkins moved from 160 to 175 and won every round + scored a knockdown against the #1 guy in the division...


Kessler was a good opponent for CAlslappy..the best opponent possible..but what had he done before that? Tarver at least had KO Jones and won the trilogy fight...:dunno: Did Kessler accomplish anything close to that>.?

Tarver > Kessler

Hopkins vs. Tarver...easy victory for Hop..against the bigger opponent.

Calslappy vs. Kessler...tough decision victory..

 

Yeah, he didn't have a recent loss to Glen Johnson, more recent than the Jones wins you brag up, too.

 

I never saw Kessler look as poor as Tarver looked against Jones in the 3rd fight. Why is that relevant? Well probably because that was Tarver's fight right before Hopkins and he looked awfull.

 

When was Tarver P4P? Maybe when he KOed the #1 P4P guy in the sport. Stop being a jerk.

 

At this point? Sure. But when Hopkins beat Tarver, he was anything but lightly regarded. There i so much selective (and creative) memory going on here, its almost humorous.

 

:nono:

come on... that is just silly

 

::

 

Doesn't matter. Kessler does not beat Bernard. What could Kessler have done to be the Bernard of the Tarver fight? Knock him out? I don't think so! Outbox him? I don't think so! Outsmart him? I don't think so! Bully him? I don't think so!

Face it, olde Popkins would have beaten Kessler.

 

[your] Confidence =/= accuracy.

 

are you kidding? just about everyone (media-wise) reinserted Hopkins into their P4P lists after the Tarver fight. In fact, he's still in the Top 5 or so on most lists.

And to have anyone other than Roy at #1 heading into either the 1st or 2nd Tarver fight is absurd. But even if he wasn't #1, then he was #2, #3 at the absolute lowest (if you want to say Hopkins and Floyd should've been ahead).

 

168 is no weaker today than when Roy was hailed the greatest fighter ever when he was breezing through the division. And while Kessler's yet to beat anyone great, he's dominated plenty of good fighters, with far greater ease than Hopkins and Tarver have handled similar competition in recent years.

Five years ago, Calzaghe agreed to terms for a Hopkins fight on Showtime - only for Hopkins to back out of the fight and the 3-fight deal he was supposed to sign with the network.

Joe's biggest issue back then, was moving up in weight when it made far more financial sense than waiting around at 168. Then again, not unlike Bernard starving himself to make 160 for well over a decade, when 1 payday for a Roy rematch would've exceeded what he made in his first 10 or so combined defenses.

 

P4P lists for the most part are ridiculous, but there is a general consensus at least among the top.

at the risk of seeming obtuse, I'm not sure what you're trying to say here. When you clear that up, I'll offer an appropriate response. But I do agree that anyone who elevated Pac based on the Barrera rematch should have their lists rendered irrelevant on the spot.