Fantasy Fight Series

Dean Berks has brought two more editions of our fantasy fight series.

Marciano vs Liston: http://tinyurl.com/n97hwdh

Haggler vs Hopkins: http://tinyurl.com/obow7tn

I don't think seeing Marciano being made mincemeat of is anyone's idea of a fantasy fight, he's outgunned in every single department.

Also Hagler isn't drawing Hopkins into doing anything he doesn't want to do, a bit of lateral movement is going to do for him, Hagler would need to keep the pace high, throwing in combinations to win. If it becomes a boxing match then Hopkins is too cute.

Word of advice would be to turn off the facebook plug in, it right royally gets in the way.

Hagler-Hopkins always an interesting one. Despite both being greats they have a tendency to divide opinion in different ways.

I make Hagler the superior talent and better overall Middleweight, but have felt for a while that Hopkins might jus have had the style to beat him via a close decision - gave my reasons for that in an article on here a couple of years bacjk and naturally got told I was talking a load of cobblers and that Hopkins wasn't even in Hagler's league! Hopkins had problems with really big-time speed (Jones, Taylor, Calzaghe) which wasn't Hagler's biggest asset, albeit he was anything but slow, whereas Marvin struggled with good inside fighters and tacticians, which you'd more closely associate with Hopkins.

You can quibble the decisions, some more than others, but the Watts (I), Antuofermo (I) and Leonard fights all highlighted weaknesses in Hagler's tactical make up and inside fighting. I think a peak Hopkins might be too smart to get caught up in that mid-range area and I feel that as well as being the better inside fighter his superior defence and footwork gives him an advantage on the outside, too. Hagler's power could force Bernard in to his shell, but Hopkins always had a tight defence and has shown that he can take a shot as well as anyone when he's needed to so I think Marvin has his work cut out if he's going to stop Hopkins.

Very interesting styles match up. On that basis I'd take Hopkins, just about - the lesser fighter just having the superior one's number in this case to a degree. Suspect I'm in a small minority, though.

As for Liston-Marciano.....I'd love to be able to make a compelling case for Rocky backed up with some evidence, but the best I can come up with is that he was perhaps more suited to lasting the fifteen round course and he couldn't be deterred, whereas Liston could be. Just not sure how Marciano would be evasive enough with his style to make those things a telling factor in the late rounds, really.

Liston was a bit one-paced and metronomic in his stalking, but that pace was still just as fast if not faster than Rocky's. Neither could fight off the back foot but Liston had the reach on his side along with at least some concept of defence (see the Eddie Machen fight where he does some decent work slipping Machen's jab) and while Marciano usually shoved everyone back who he fought, Liston is heavier and more of a brute than the Walcotts, Moores and Charles' of this world. Liston had a wicked right uppercut which Marciano would be open for, given his crouching stance and constant forward-march.

Machen did show that Liston was pretty hittable with left hooks and that his relative lack of speed meant he was never going to be much of a counter puncher, but Marciano's lack of speed means that countering is less of an issue and rather than the left hook, it tended to be Marciano's right that got him out of jail (Walcott I, Charles II) rather than the left....Although as he showed setting up the Louis knockout, his left was still a pretty decent shot.

Suspect Marciano finally finds an opponent he can't put on the back foot here and I don't think he'd be well-equipped to deal with it. Liston's not the worst styles match up for Rocky by any means but even so, I can't see Marciano winning that one. Liston by late-rounds stoppage, Marciano's durability and heart keeping him in it for a long time despite him taking a bit of a slow, methodical beat down.

I'd see Liston taking a dive in that fight.

Too many Italian connections involved all round.

Liston too good in every department.

Hard to call Hagler vs Hopkins. I am definitely on the fence with this one. Jones Jr would have too much for Hagler but not too sure if Hopkins has. I imagine Hopkins could steal rounds and do just enough spoiling to win a close/controversial decision. Difficult fight to call.