When you break down Bernard Hopkins middleweight reign its not as impressive as it might seem on paper.
Of the big names on Hopkins record at middleweight,
Trinidad is obviously the stand out name on his record. He was one of the best in the world at the time and Hopkins beat him in his back yard.
Glen Johnson was terrible before he got to light heavyweight. He had fought nobody before he fought Hopkins and went on to loose a string of fights to journey men.
Segundo Mercado was an extremely average boxer who managed to put Hopkins down twice on his way to a draw in their first fight.
Will Joppy had already been destroyed by Trinidad and just scraped by Howard Eastman before he faced Hopkins, although Joppy is a good solid boxer.
Oscar De La Hoya was way past his best and coming off the back of two defeats (Got beat by Sturm but got a gift decision) when he fought Hopkins.
Keith Holmes was a decent enough boxer but apart from Hopkins he never really fought any world class opponents.
Then of course he got beat by Roy Jones Jr, and Jermain Taylor twice.
Apart from these boxers, there aren't really any good names on his record at middleweight, which can be expected when a boxer holds on to the belts for so long.
Hopkins record at 175 is more impressive in my opinion. Apart from being at an age when most boxers would have called it quits, and fighting younger opponents, he has consistently fought good solid opposition. He beat Tarver, who was the man at the weight, lost a close fight to Calzaghe, beat Pavlik, beat Pascal twice, lost a pretty close fight to Dawson and soundly beat Cloud. All this in 7 years at the weight.
I agree that both careers are HOF-worthy although I would say that his stint at 175 lbs. is worthier given his age ( the oldest to win a world title ever ) and the fighters he faced and mostly beat, many of whom he was not expected to beat ( Tarver, Pascal, Cloud, even Pavlik )
Certainly, Oscar de la Hoya, Tito Trinidad, Michael Moorer, Evander Holyfield, Roy Jones, Jr., James Toney, Floyd Mayweather, Manny Pacquiao,, Erik Morales, Marco Antonio Barrera, Juan Manuel Marquez, even Zab Judah, Jorge Arce, and Fernando Montiel I think. Still has as a shot---Nonito Donaire, Abner Mares
Great question, man!
His middleweight career was highly impressive but his light heavyweight career to me took the cake. He has beaten everyone.
Wow, you know when you make his list of accomplishments all out like that...I forget how really impressive he is.
If I was going to pick, if I had a gun to my head and it meant my life, I would have to say it would have to be the middleweight reign. Although everything he has done past the age of forty is impressive in and of itself, it becomes MORE impressive because he was the lord high executioner of the middleweights for TEN YEARS.
If he wasnt an active boxer and then had a "post prime run" at age post 40...it would be impressive. But the reason WHY his post 40 run is so much more impressive than George Foreman's, is George was not active. His body did not suffer the wear and tear of training and fighting, much less as a champion and fighting nothing but highest calibur fighters.
I think his post 40 run is hall of fame NOTEWORTHY, but his ten year reign DEMANDS hall of fame and the post 40 run with it makes his presence a LOCK in the hall of fame. Likely to be considered a GOAT.
Definitely 160, EWWD II, was more at his prime there.
Great question. What Bernard Hopkins has done throughout his whole career is simply amazing. It is sort of like he had two great careers combined in one at Middleweight and Light Heavyweight.
It's very hard to compare which weight class he did better in, because both of these feats were amazing. Bernard Hopkins is a sure fire hall of famer already, an all time great Middleweight, and a very good Light Heavyweight at old age.
At Middleweight, he beat the likes of Glen Johnson, Segundo Mercado, Felix Trinidad, Oscar De La Hoya, Keith Holmes, William Joppy, among others. Like you said, 10 years, 20 defenses, unified and undisputed Middleweight champion.
At Light Heavyweight, he beat the likes of Antonio Tarver, Winky Wright, Kelly Pavlik, (counting it even though it wasn't at 175), Roy Jones Jr., Jean Pascal, Tavoris Cloud, and more. He lost a split decision to Joe Calzaghe, in which I thought he won. He did lose to Chad Dawson, but he was one of the top Light Heavyweights, and you gotta let Hopkins off the hook cause he is almost 50. As you said, oldest champion in history of boxing twice, first surpassing George Foreman, then surpassing himself! Two time Light Heavyweight champion.
If I got to pick between the two, I think his feats at Middleweight. Although what he did at Light Heavyweight was certainly great as well, what he did at Middleweight made him a Top 5 Middleweight. He isn't quite a Top 5 Light Heavyweight yet, but he could get there.
Just like some have said, like fine wine he gets better with age! This fighter could probably still be champion at 50, who knows? He's been fighting as if he was 20 something or so. What a legendary career from Bernard Hopkins, and win or lose his legacy is already sealed.
-10 years as Middleweight Champion
-20 Defenses
-Unified and became Undisputed Middleweight Champion
or.....
-coming back after the age of 40 to move up in weight and and win THE Light Heavyweight Championship of the World
-Becoming a 2X Light Heavyweight Champion
-TWICE Breaking the record for Oldest Fighter To Ever Win A Championship
imagine for a second these two careers were never connected....
which is more impressive?
are either careers HOF worthy on their own?
in my opinion BOTH careers are Hall Of Fame worthy.
if you agree with that statement, what other fighters can you think of that produced HOF worthy careers in more than one weight classes, or through more than one era/decade?
For the record, B-Hop has fought 11 times over 7 years at 175 pounds, with a fight scheduled for later this year
to compare that with other top fighters Manny Packeow has had 15 in that same amount of time, and Floyd has had 9
