Bernard Hopkins Vs.Tarvoris Cloud - On - March

So, Hopkins won't be retiring, he'll be taking on Tarvoris Cloud for his IBF LHW Title in March.

Cloud robbed Campillo and was thoroughly outboxed although he had Campillo down twice in the first.

Hopkins lost very decisively to Dawson last time out, however Cloud is a totally different fighter, far more aggressive, meaning he could get to B-Hop if his age starts to show, or Hopkins could use his aggression against him and use every trick in the book.

I think this will be an interesting fight in truth, I don't think Hopkins has the power to take Cloud out, but has enough guile to outthink, outsmart, out-tact and outbox Cloud for 12 and rebreak his record for the oldest fighter to win a world title. However, Cloud does have the power to take Hopkins out and perhaps the engine to make B-Hop gas and really have to fight hard late.

Thoughts?

Cloud? Hopkins will do anything to duck Cleverly

Steffan wrote:Cloud? Hopkins will do anything to duck Cleverly

Haha. All you have to do to avoid a fight with Clev is demand a full training camp or quit your part time job as a nurse. He'll run a mile.

Re Hopkins and Cloud: this is one of those fights where the outcome will look very obvious after the fact. None of us know what Bhop has left. He was so slow versus Dawson and barely able to get to him at all, but Cloud is no where near as elusive or skilled as Dawson.

Bhop will be able to land on Cloud, but for me it's all about how much gas is left in the tank. If he is the same fighter that fought Pascal, then I give him a good shot.

Yeah, agree Sean. One of those fights that has an unsteady feel to it beforehand but everyone will claim to be obvious after due Hopkins being so old or Cloud clearly being a hype job that robbed Campillo.

I think Cloud gets a hard time for the Campillo fight, to be honest. Not a highway that one, for me. I thought he pulled out enough of the late rounds to make it a close one; Campillo the marginally better man over twelve, perhaps, but I wouldn't call it a robbery. Campillo was harshly treated against Shumenov and I think that maybe that caused a bit of an over the top reaction when he dropped that (albeit mildly controversial) decision to Cloud.

Anyway, I'm not sure what to make of Hopkins-Cloud. It seems sensible to deduce that, on the basis of his last outing against Dawson, Hopkins has little left in the tank. But I think Dawson's style would always have been a problem for Hopkins in any case, and on top of that there have been times in the past where I've thought Hopkins was finished and predicted his downfall - only for him to leave me (and, I suspect, plenty of others) feeling a bit daft after pulling out another meritorios and / or unexpected victory, Pavlik in 2008 and Pascal in 2011 being the top examples.

However, my gut feeling is that, this time, the end really is nigh for Hopkins. Seeing him so decisively and irrefutably beaten by Dawson was a very different experience to his previous few losses, in which the likes of Taylor and Calzaghe could only scrape past him by the skin of their teeth. He still has that ability to be elusive and to make the other man look ordinary, but I don't think he can pull the trigger or press home the advantage these days.

Cloud is no Pascal - he'll not be gassing after four or five rounds, for my money. Cloud to just outwork and outhustle the great Hopkins to a messy decision in an uninspiring fight, very possibly signalling the end of one of the great careers in modern times.

Over to you to make me look like a prat once more, Bernard!

88Chris05 wrote:I think Cloud gets a hard time for the Campillo fight, to be honest. Not a highway that one, for me. I thought he pulled out enough of the late rounds to make it a close one; Campillo the marginally better man over twelve, perhaps, but I wouldn't call it a robbery. Campillo was harshly treated against Shumenov and I think that maybe that caused a bit of an over the top reaction when he dropped that (albeit mildly controversial) decision to Cloud.

Anyway, I'm not sure what to make of Hopkins-Cloud. It seems sensible to deduce that, on the basis of his last outing against Dawson, Hopkins has little left in the tank. But I think Dawson's style would always have been a problem for Hopkins in any case, and on top of that there have been times in the past where I've thought Hopkins was finished and predicted his downfall - only for him to leave me (and, I suspect, plenty of others) feeling a bit daft after pulling out another meritorios and / or unexpected victory, Pavlik in 2008 and Pascal in 2011 being the top examples.

However, my gut feeling is that, this time, the end really is nigh for Hopkins. Seeing him so decisively and irrefutably beaten by Dawson was a very different experience to his previous few losses, in which the likes of Taylor and Calzaghe could only scrape past him by the skin of their teeth. He still has that ability to be elusive and to make the other man look ordinary, but I don't think he can pull the trigger or press home the advantage these days.

Cloud is no Pascal - he'll not be gassing after four or five rounds, for my money. Cloud to just outwork and outhustle the great Hopkins to a messy decision in an uninspiring fight, very possibly signalling the end of one of the great careers in modern times.

Over to you to make me look like a prat once more, Bernard!

Oh how many times before have we all said that?

Hopkins to win by messy decision in a stinker of a fight. I've written him off too many times and been wrong I'm backing the old git this time.

Well the Hopkins who beat Pascal (I or II) schools Cloud and wins an east decision as Cloud is limited.

However, every day takes its toll on the body more than the last and he did look very slow vs Dawson. He is still crafty and hard to look good against but when he gets you fighting his fight he doesn't seem to capitalise on it like he did a year or 2 ago

Cloud is a physically strong man but was very lucky to get the decision agaisnt Campillo who is a world class fighter in his own right. Meet hi Myra din he looks brilliant but make him box as he looks poor. Glen Johnson gave him alot of problems with his ring craft and he isn't as good as Bhop. Cloud doesn't have the best stamina either so I doubt he could outwork him akin the line sod Calzaghe

If Bhop has anything left he beats Cloud in a messy decision but if he looks his age Cloud should win by comfortable but scrappy UD

Even as an old man I think Hopkins beats Cloud by decision. Cloud is very strong and is a hard puncher, but he's so one dimensional and he gets bemused by any fight that doesn't go exactly his way. I always thought Froch should've jumped up a weight class to take Cloud's belt off him and become a two-weight belt holder.

Froch, despite being reasonably tall (6'1) is a small super middleweight and doesn't walk around too much heavier than 168 hence why he has never hinted at a move up to LHW as he loses a bit of the natural strength and toughness that makes him such a handful at 168

I have always thought Froch should probably have gone to LH also once he lost to Ward. He might lose a bit of size at the weight but it’s a fairly weak division that he could definitely become the man there and is more than good enough to pick up a title. Maybe there just isn’t the money available up there to tempt him up. But a Kessler rematch could have taken place there with winnable fights against Hopkins/Dawson/Pascal II or even Cleverly/Cloud. He got a top win over Bute by remaining at SMW but I still think he is destined to be in Wards shadow there whereas LH would have given him the opportunity to achieve more and become number 1 at the weight, assuming he could get the fights made.

I'm brave enough to say it: Cloud by brutal stoppage!!

He's gone to the well one too many times now and father time has a way of kicking you in the a$$ when you push him.

I was a huge Hopkins fan, but he has been a parody of himself for quite some time now.

I think Bartley has it about right and this may be the last we see of Bernard

Is it fair to call this a 50/50 fight based on where these two are in there careers?

I cant help but feel Cloud will be doing him a big favour long term healthwise if he blasts Hopkins out in convincing style.

not happy about this really- i only see a loss for bhop, he cant keep avoiding father time forever, i think he gets knocked out inside 6, and the fight with cleverly never happens, which id much rather see.

Loving this one.


Still taking on the top guys at 48 years old, you've got to hand it to Hopkins, even if he is ducking Andre Ward!


While Dawson was a bad matchup for Hopkins and made him look ordinary, this one should be a lot more competitive.

Don't really know too much about Cloud, but he's quite a good infighter by all accounts, so that's an interesting aspect to the fight right there. Hopkins will have looked at him and not been intimidated by his strength or power, but that could all change once they step into the ring. Cloud has a good workrate and stamina is not a problem. Also intriguing is the chemistry between the two fighters and how that pans out.

Ol' Popkins is going to lose dramatically in this one. I just have this feeling.

Which generally means that he'll school Cloud and make him look silly. The ancient old executioner has proved me wrong on SO many occasions. The only one I got right is when he fought Calzaghe...

I reckon you still got that one wrong Bounce! Felt as though old Super Joe was mighty lucky to walk away with his 0 intact on that occassion.

Re: Eddy, on the contrary, if Hopkins is decisively beaten or pancaked then Warren will be braying Hopkins' door down for Cleverly to feed up on the scraps of the clearly finished Hopkins if he does indeed look his 48 years. Selling it as unfinished business between the Welsh and B-Hop, or some form of nonsense, the great fighter who will go down in the Hall of Fame.

manos de piedra wrote:I have always thought Froch should probably have gone to LH also once he lost to Ward. He might lose a bit of size at the weight but it’s a fairly weak division that he could definitely become the man there and is more than good enough to pick up a title. Maybe there just isn’t the money available up there to tempt him up. But a Kessler rematch could have taken place there with winnable fights against Hopkins/Dawson/Pascal II or even Cleverly/Cloud. He got a top win over Bute by remaining at SMW but I still think he is destined to be in Wards shadow there whereas LH would have given him the opportunity to achieve more and become number 1 at the weight, assuming he could get the fights made.

The weird thing about Froch has been his perceived fear of the light heavyweights. I've never really understood why. Even when Calzaghe moved up to beat Hopkins, Froch (before the S6) was trying to get Calzaghe back down again or at least to a catchweight claiming he didn;t want to give a "silly" weight adavantage to Calzaghe.

Froch has also wanted Hopkins but again, strangely at a catchweight. A bad move for legacy if you consder Calzaghe went the full maximum against BHop and won.

Super D Boon wrote:

manos de piedra wrote:I have always thought Froch should probably have gone to LH also once he lost to Ward. He might lose a bit of size at the weight but it’s a fairly weak division that he could definitely become the man there and is more than good enough to pick up a title. Maybe there just isn’t the money available up there to tempt him up. But a Kessler rematch could have taken place there with winnable fights against Hopkins/Dawson/Pascal II or even Cleverly/Cloud. He got a top win over Bute by remaining at SMW but I still think he is destined to be in Wards shadow there whereas LH would have given him the opportunity to achieve more and become number 1 at the weight, assuming he could get the fights made.

The weird thing about Froch has been his perceived fear of the light heavyweights. I've never really understood why. Even when Calzaghe moved up to beat Hopkins, Froch (before the S6) was trying to get Calzaghe back down again or at least to a catchweight claiming he didn;t want to give a "silly" weight adavantage to Calzaghe.

Froch has also wanted Hopkins but again, strangely at a catchweight. A bad move for legacy if you consder Calzaghe went the full maximum against BHop and won.

Froch would be giving away a silly talent advantage to Calzaghe. Hes lucky Clazaghe never fought him or he would have got embarrased. He is jealous and bitter of Calzaghe.

You've escaped your psychiatric ward yet again, why not do us all a favour and bugger off you incessantly boring twit.

My God your a boring miseable sod, why dont you log off instead of boring us all with your negativity and Froch man crush!

I for one will be routing for B-Hop in this one, not everybody will be a fan of his style but to be 47 and still at the top is some feat. I hope he keeps going for as long as possible and gets the W here and another deserved title.