If Hopkins Loses - Is It Finally Over?

If he loses do you think the towel should be thrown in on an amazing career? I suppose it depends on the manner of defeat but let's say he's well beaten by Chad Dawson, should he finally retire?

I'd say so, win or lose I think he should call it a day after this one. His legacy would certainly be all the better for it.

Hmm... Not too sure about if he wins, if he wins I'd love to see him take out Tarvoris Cloud. Also to be completely honest I expect B-Hop to win, though I wouldn't stick my house on it.

It depends on how he loses if it's a close one on points then no but if he were to get sparked out then yes.

To much is made of his age imo. What he has achieved at his age is remarkable but he isn't a normal 46 year old. He hasn't took a lot of punishment in his career and is an excellent professional. His dedication is unbelievable. The guy is in better shape than some top fighters half his age.

To be honest, it's over when Hopkins say's it's over. He has earned that much from his career. My hope he quits while he is a force to reckon with, not ala Evander Holyfield

Do you think perhaps Hopkins' continued success is a bad influence over Holyfield? After all, there's only three years difference in their ages and Holyfield could well be seeing Hopkins' success as a sign that old fighters such as himself are still in with a chance.

Don't think so Balti - Hopkins fights because he can - Holyfield fights because he must - he isn't deluded he just doesnt want to go the way of hundreds of other people who did well out of the sport and end up destitute. All this crap about wanting to unify again is all about fluking a belt and taking on the Klitschko's for the massive payday. It may not be much but when you are fighting the sort of people he has even 10% from one of their fights probably dwarfs what he has been earning in recent years.

I suppose that's true. Personally I don't have much sympathy for the man if he's managed to squander the huge sums he must have earnt throughout his career. I do still think though that seeing Hopkins have success must give Holyfield a feeling that he's not quite too old to be fighting. Not that he thinks he could win another title, but maybe just because he feels Hopkins proving the doubters wrong in some way sends a message to those who say Holyfield should hang up his gloves.

Perhaps - agree with you regarding the squandering of the wealth - how hard is it to put a decent sum away in property or assets you can put out for rent so there is steady income as it goes along. I think his problem is that he truly believed at one point that he was destined to be the greatest and didn't think that he would face the inevitable decline.

I've often thought that boxers who spend most of their developing years in the gym end up messing up later in life due to their missing out on other aspects of growing up.

Yeah Tyson is another prime example. There have been too many to mention, and the situation isn't helped by the fact that the promoters are usually eager to wring their charges dry and fill their own pockets. That's one thing I noticed about Froch; even before the Super Six he's mentioned in interviews that he's building up a property portfolio as a nest egg/retirement plan.

Yeh - fairly late starter Froch - was a fully developed man with a decent head on his shoulders when he started. I think he is independently rich through his own hard work and then making money seperately in boxing - probably why he can afford to fight anyone at anytime rather than picking and choosing easy paydays.

Thinking about the number of boxers who made big money yet who Erik experienced financial problems, there's an alarming number. In the UK there's been Naz, Eubank, Bruno in recent years, and stateside there's been people like Tyson who's made what, about $300 million? Yet still declaring bankruptcy I think. Even Mayweather has recurring rumours of financial woes. It's almost beyond belief because you'd think the first thing any responsible manager/promoter would do is arrange for their fighter to have some kind of sound financial advice. I know someone now will say that even the soundest advice is sometimes wrong, but when you're making upward of $10 million per fight, how hard can it be to not go bankrupt?

Naz - both his career and his wealth have been wasted by his family I think - he can pat himself on the back for getting out when he realised his desire wasn't there rather than slaving away surrounded by yes men.

Eubank and Benn have both had mental problems which probably are a contributor.

Managers and promoters are bloody leeches in this sport. I think boxers should put their trust in an established company who manage accounts and investments. Personally the first 10 million i'd have got would straight into property in thriving cities so I can concetrate on the fighting and let the money accumulate nicely for the time i'm done.

The difficulty lies in the other promoter - no matter how honest your promoter is - he has to deal with scum - King, Arum are two examples. To get the big fights you sometime need to concede to demands that you sign over joint-promotion with one of these arses - probably why Mayweather won't fight Pac. Klitschko's have avoided fighting with Valuev unless Don King gave certain concessions- who in turn didn't fight the Klitschko's because they won't sign on with Don King. The two at the top have made it through shrewd investment and decisions so they won't be bankrupt when they are done.

Chasing the bucks opens you up to thieves and leeches, makes it a dangerous inside and outside the ring.

ShahenshahG wrote:Naz - both his career and his wealth have been wasted by his family I think - he can pat himself on the back for getting out when he realised his desire wasn't there rather than slaving away surrounded by yes men.

Eubank and Benn have both had mental problems which probably are a contributor.

Managers and promoters are bloody leeches in this sport. I think boxers should put their trust in an established company who manage accounts and investments. Personally the first 10 million i'd have got would straight into property in thriving cities so I can concetrate on the fighting and let the money accumulate nicely for the time i'm done.

The difficulty lies in the other promoter - no matter how honest your promoter is - he has to deal with scum - King, Arum are two examples. To get the big fights you sometime need to concede to demands that you sign over joint-promotion with one of these arses - probably why Mayweather won't fight Pac. Klitschko's have avoided fighting with Valuev unless Don King gave certain concessions- who in turn didn't fight the Klitschko's because they won't sign on with Don King. The two at the top have made it through shrewd investment and decisions so they won't be bankrupt when they are done.

Chasing the bucks opens you up to thieves and leeches, makes it a dangerous inside and outside the ring.

Totally agree with you, Hatton did the right thing didn't renew his contract with Warren and made his dad manager someone he could trust, these promoters couldn't give a toss about their fighters,lets be fair some boxers aren't the most intelligent and are terribly exploited by these scumbag promoters.

It's absolutely atrocious the way some promoters milk their fighters dry and then move onto the next guy, but even so there are guys-Tyson and Holyfield being probably the two best examples-who have made huge sums of money even with parasitic hangers-on yet have squandered it all. I can't imagine having fifty or a hundred million quid, but I know I'd not pee it up the wall.

Yeah - They got done in by the Flash and night life - Personally , I'd jump on a world cruise every so often and spend the rest of my life trying to do something worthwhile.

Holyfield is especially at fault because all he needed was a few hundred condoms. Tyson - ripped off by wife and promoter and all - bit of a nutter but still wasteful.

I find it incredible that you can blow through £100Million...
What the hell are they buying?!

BALTIMORA wrote:Do you think perhaps Hopkins' continued success is a bad influence over Holyfield? After all, there's only three years difference in their ages and Holyfield could well be seeing Hopkins' success as a sign that old fighters such as himself are still in with a chance.

I blame George Foreman. Once he achieved success in his 40's, other fighters seemed to be hanging around longer.

AlexHuckerby wrote:I find it incredible that you can blow through £100Million...
What the hell are they buying?!

Don't forget that they have 'friends' and family members who will be constantly asking for money, a little here, a little there.....it all adds up. I wouldn't burn through £100 Million but the constant pressure that they are put under by people who know they have this money must be enormous.

Atila wrote:

AlexHuckerby wrote:I find it incredible that you can blow through £100Million...
What the hell are they buying?!

Don't forget that they have 'friends' and family members who will be constantly asking for money, a little here, a little there.....it all adds up. I wouldn't burn through £100 Million but the constant pressure that they are put under by people who know they have this money must be enormous.

I'd tell 'em to feck off and get in the ring themselves...

Really i think he should if he loses, his legacy is stamped, he must have money and he is ancient. But if its close and he can cry robbery,there will be another fight, probably Tarver at crusier

If Hopkins loses he should call it a day the guy is already a leged and has lots of money he aint got nothing left to prove if he wins who knows? Who should he fight after there are notmany names left to fightmaybe he should fight Ward?

He offered Martinez a fight at 170lbs if he beats Dawson. Martinez said he can't make 170lbs so it won't happen but it just shows that he still feels he can take on the best because there are easier fights out there which come with the same cash.

Cloud is an option or someone stepping up from 168lbs like the winner of the super 6, Bute or even Kessler as long an he beats Steiglitz.

Offering Martinez a fight at 170 is pretty shameful to be honest and wouldn't do anything for his legacy except maybe tarnish it. I know I'm perhaps being picky but Hopkins made Pavlik come up in weight, he fought a smaller man in De La Hoya...I know I'm not going into who chased who, but to the casual observer it could look like he's picking on little guys or guys out of their comfort zone.

In the case of Martinez I think he was looking to fight the best. Obviously it's not going to happen but I would expect him to fight one of the top guys from 168lbs or Cloud if he beats Dawson.

Think Cloud would be the best fight available if he wins personally, but I do feel that maybe he should call it a day if he is firmly outpointed, no shame as Dawson is a very good boxer and he's 46!

BALTIMORA wrote:Offering Martinez a fight at 170 is pretty shameful to be honest and wouldn't do anything for his legacy except maybe tarnish it. I know I'm perhaps being picky but Hopkins made Pavlik come up in weight, he fought a smaller man in De La Hoya...I know I'm not going into who chased who, but to the casual observer it could look like he's picking on little guys or guys out of their comfort zone.

He came down to a catchweight to fight De la Hoya it was closer to light middleweight than to middleweight. The guy cleared out his division apart from Taylor not much more he could do there imo. Hopkins started out at middleweight and moved to light heavyweight so Pavlik was not that much different to him i just reckon Hopkins was far too good for him.

Waingro wrote:

BALTIMORA wrote:Offering Martinez a fight at 170 is pretty shameful to be honest and wouldn't do anything for his legacy except maybe tarnish it. I know I'm perhaps being picky but Hopkins made Pavlik come up in weight, he fought a smaller man in De La Hoya...I know I'm not going into who chased who, but to the casual observer it could look like he's picking on little guys or guys out of their comfort zone.

He came down to a catchweight to fight De la Hoya it was closer to light middleweight than to middleweight. The guy cleared out his division apart from Taylor not much more he could do there imo. Hopkins started out at middleweight and moved to light heavyweight so Pavlik was not that much different to him i just reckon Hopkins was far too good for him.

Unfortunately I think Waingro is correct, (Don't say that often) I don't think it would have mattered much as to what weight it was, the schooling that B-Hop gave him could have been at any weight.

All my point is is that I don't think it looks particularly good if he's seen to be fighting smaller guys and suchlike. I know Pavlik is a big guy but as long as there's any kind of reason or excuse that can be used to undermine a win, people will use it. If Hopkins were to beat Martinez his detractors would have an excuse. If he beats Dawson then maybe Cloud, there'd be no excuses for the naysayers.

Of course Hopkin should retire if he lost to Dawson,, he should have retired when the "white boy" sorry "welsh" boy beat him up.. but he will not retire
just like Jones Jnr, and Holyfield.. he cannot retire.. he like the others are a sad indictment of the great sport of boxing.. and in my opionion a true reason why the young black sportsmen of America do not look to boxing as their 1st choice. These sad old men should be forced to retire for the sake of the sport.

No, I don't believe he will.

Joshsmith wrote:Of course Hopkin should retire if he lost to Dawson,, he should have retired when the "white boy" sorry "welsh" boy beat him up.. but he will not retire
just like Jones Jnr, and Holyfield.. he cannot retire.. he like the others are a sad indictment of the great sport of boxing.. and in my opionion a true reason why the young black sportsmen of America do not look to boxing as their 1st choice. These sad old men should be forced to retire for the sake of the sport.

Why should Hopkins have retired after losing to Calzaghe via a split decision in a bout where some feel he should have got the nod? Since that night he has remained unbeaten and won a version of the light heavyweight world title against the (at the time) divisions top rated champion. Comparing Hopkins to Holyfield and Jones Jr is unjustifiable in my opinion-Hopkins is still a world level competitor who would give any of the "champions"/top contenders in his (or his surrounding) weight class a tough nights work. Holyfields skills have been diminishing at an alarming rate for the past decade and Roy Jones JR a fighter who relied heavily on his lightening reflexes finds himself perilously hittable and his punch resistance is shot. Just can't see the comparison between B-hop's current career and these other two fighters..

The only reason Hopkins should retire is because losing to Chad Dawson would suggest he's grown old overnight. Dawson is dire and for him and Cloud to be considered the cream of the division says plenty.

There doe seem to be a bit of a Hopkins love-in at the moment so I can't see him quitting even if he WAS to lose. If he was unpopular and they tried to shaft him on the judges scorecards, Hoppo should take the hint and walk away from the sport, however, I can't see it happening. I think Dawson will be overawed by the task ahead of him as he's shown nothing to suggest he's remotely capable of beating someone as craftly as Hopkins.

Joshsmith wrote:Of course Hopkin should retire if he lost to Dawson,, he should have retired when the "white boy" sorry "welsh" boy beat him up.. but he will not retire
just like Jones Jnr, and Holyfield.. he cannot retire.. he like the others are a sad indictment of the great sport of boxing.. and in my opionion a true reason why the young black sportsmen of America do not look to boxing as their 1st choice. These sad old men should be forced to retire for the sake of the sport.

Beaten up by Calzaghe,must have been a rematch I missed,because the first one was too close to call and Hopkins didn't have a mark on him
in losing a debated S/D. Winning another world title proved he still had a bit left in the locker.

I dont think Hopkins will get old over night I think he has been getting old for a while. He deserved to beat Pascal both times but they were far from shut out wins - which I think he would have scored easily at his best over a guy like Pascal.

He is visibly on the decline and definately way past his best.

I agree Hopkins is well past his best if he was in his prime I reckon he would beat Calzaghe

Although not by any means a hater, always enjoy his interviews, would love to see someone give Hopkins a slap, but can't seeing it be Dawson. I think Hopkins beats him easily. Hopkins v the Six winner is a fight that surely has to happen.

I've got a feeling it's gonna be bye-bye-Bhop Saturday night. Hopkins has looked passed his best since Roy Jones II, and Dawson's style is all wrong for him. Hope I'm wrong, but I see a Dawson UD.

I've a sneaky feeling there'll be some controversy about the result this weekend.

Of course a prime Hopkins beats Calzaghe and beat him easy.. however Hopkins since 2003 has only stopped a poor Oscar De La Hoya within 12 rounds. Hopkins still fighting shows why boxing is on the decline. My guess is he will win in 12 rounds against Dawson and i agree with baltimore with his comment.
Bernard Hopkins is becoming the Chris Tavare of boxing.. can you imagine if Hopkins first 8 fights as a pro fighter were like the last 8 fights of his career?
Would you pay money to watch... nor would i