Who else is gonna watch this fight tomorrow? I think there is a real good chance that Hopkins will end his career with three straight losses, which is hard to believe considering how dominant he was for such an extended period. Given the styles of these two it probably wont be a very exciting fight to watch, but I'm going to order it anways. What I'm really looking forward to though is the Jermaine Taylor vs Winky Wright fight next weekend....that one should be a beauty.
PPV? for Tarver-Hopkins, 2006? No thanks, I'll happily watch the replay on HBO next week, and then be bored by what promises to be a tentative struggle between two aging, defensive counterpunchers who don't like to trade or get hurt.
Really, I thought Tarver was still pretty much in his prime? Granted he's getting older [37], but he has been a force over the last few years and only has 27 fights -- wear and tear on his body is minimal. At any rate though - I would never pay for this fight and I fully expect Tarver to dominate.
i cant wait for this fight. i want bhop to go out on top....that being said im not gonna order the fight. i'll just download it 5 mins after its over for free...
I never found Tarver to be a particularly exciting fighter. Sure he hasn't take a lot of shots, that's because he doesn't take a lot of chances (and had the late start after a lengthy amateur career), which is why you, (nor I) will pay 50$ to watch him fight another defensive fighter who does the same thing. That said, I guess he should dominate given that he's the bigger man, but I see Hopkins going into a shell and not giving him much to dominate, and it's not as if he's going to force the action. Also I've heard that as Tarver (and all of us) gets older it's gotten really difficult for him to make weight, so that might be a factor.
i think that fight will be great for boxing fans. a lot of people want to see brawls (paquiuao and morales type fights), but this one will be interesting. if i remember correctly hopkins landed more punches than taylor in his 2 fights with him, but taylor was the more active fighter so he got the victory....(i think bhop won the first fight).... i dont think hopkins is gonna change his approach, but if tarver is stupid enough to look for that early knockout (cuz he promises bhop wont go 5 rounds, but its just trash talk)....but if he's stupid enough, hopkins might have a chance to take it in the later rounds...
I guess when I think of Tarver I picture that crushing KO of Jones Jr ~ which of course skews my opinion of him toward the exciting side. You're right this could be a very boring fight unless Tarver's power rocks Hopkins early. Hopkins has never fought anyone quite as large as Tarver before, but Tarver reportedly has dropped 40+ pounds in the last few months to get down to weight [equalizer?].
With the exception of maybe 1 round, Hopkins thoroughly dominated the whole entire fight. Tarver looked like an amateur against him.
Round by Round A sample: Round 11 The round starts slowly, playing to Hopkins' advantage. Hopkins has Tarver where he wants him, firing combinations. Tarver's eyes are swollen. It's a masterful performance by Hopkins, attacking and then backing off. Hopkins switches to southpaw style and back as the bell sounds. _______ Total and utter domination of Tarver by Hopkins. Unreal.
I watched the fight, it was a total massacre. I really don't know which rounds Tarver won. Hopkins completely dominated.
The Cotto/Malignaggi fight was spectacular, an all out war. If Paulie could hit a little harder it would've been easier for him but they both fought their hearts out.
Well a huge fight to look forward to next weekend Middleweight Championship of the world Ronald "Winky" Wright (50-3, 25 KO) vs. Jermain "Bad Intentions" Taylor (25-0, 17 KO)
...agreed,I'll be watching for sure.Should be a war.I think the longer the fight the more to the advantage of Winky.Either Taylor knocks him out in 6-8 rounds or Winky wins the decision.
