Davie's 85-05 middleweight era thread

[Davie]

Oscar De La Hoya now at middleweight faces new WBO champion Felix Sturm.

Felix Sturm vs. Oscar De La Hoya
(Redirected from Fight:727830)
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Punchstats

Total Punches	Sturm	De La Hoya
Landed	234	188
Thrown	541	792
Pct.	43%	24%

Oscar De La Hoya 160 lbs beat Felix Sturm 160 lbs by UD in round 12 of 12

• Date: 2004-06-05
• Location: MGM Grand, Las Vegas, Nevada, USA
• Referee: Vic Drakulich
• Judge: Mike Glienna 115-113
• Judge: Dave Moretti 115-113
• Judge: Paul Smith 115-113
• World Boxing Organization Middleweight Title (2nd defense of Sturm)
• Aired On: HBO Pay-Per-View

Notes

• Harold Lederman of HBO scored the bout 115-113 for Sturm.
• Sturm's promoter Klaus-Peter Kohl, filed a protest with the Nevada State Athletic Commission regarding the scoring of the fight.
• Marc Ratner, the commission's executive director, turned the protest down – stating there was no basis for such a protest.
• The fight generated 380,000 pay-per-view buys and $19 million in pay-per-view revenue.
• HBO commentators Jim Lampley and Roy Jones, Jr. both felt Sturm had clearly won, while unofficial scorer Harold Lederman also had Sturm the winner with the score of 115–113, scoring six of the last seven rounds for Sturm. Though the winner, De La Hoya expressed disappointment, saying of his performance, "Everything went wrong tonight". Sturm, who felt that De La Hoya had been gifted the decision due to his popularity and to preserve the lucrative De La Hoya–Hopkins fight, said "I know Oscar is a big name here and a great champion, but tonight, I think the whole world saw who was the better fighter

Felix Sturm is a stage name that mean Lucky Storm, didn't know that

1. 9-10 Oscar. Big effort from Oscar, working the body hard, lots of shots, lots of power. He looked tired at the end of that 3 and worryingly for him Felix seemed to take it and landing stiff left hands

2. 9-10 Oscar, probably still deserves it for the output and body work. But Felix is accurate and efficient with that lead hand particularly the jab. And it's amn effective scoring shot

3. 10-9 Sturm. Oscar pecking away with the jab early and working the body, takes the early part of the round but Sturm gets closer, scores the right hook inside and his shots knock Oscar back, even with the jab. More effective punching from Felix to nick this

4. 9-10 Oscar. He just stole that round in the dying seconds. Oscar impressed with his activity through out but a lot of nothing punches around Felix elbows and jabs designed to repel the advances of the bigger man. Felix more accurate and authoratative with his shots. Oscar threw two good flurries late to nick what was a bit of a pick em round up to that point

5. 9-10 Oscar. He is boxing well here, good variety on his shots but it feels as though he's swinging 'bigger' shots, without them being as hard as what comes back. Felix catches him a short left hook that shows he's the naturally heavier handed fighter. 160 looking a step too far for Oscar to carry his power

6. 10-9 Sturm. Oscar concentrating upstairs now and finding the Sturm guard to be a very hard defence to penetrate, especially when he flicks the jab. Sturm looking good when he lets his hands go still, lands that short left hook a few times as well as getting through with the right straight and uppercut. Not emphatic as Sturm could still do more but he won this round

7. 10-9 Sturm. Interesting they are both listed as having a 73" reach, as Sturms jab looks far longer, Oscar doesn't fully extend throwing against Sturms gloves, then Sturm reaches out with a long accurate jab that effortlessly reached him. Sturm with similar handspeed to the aging 160lb Oscar (that wouldn't have been the case earlier in Oscars career)

8. 10-9 Sturm., Quickening up that jab and doubling it. Not a lot thrown by either man with a lot of intent, so a close round.

9. 10-9 Sturm. Tight defence, strong and backing Oscar up, economical but accurate with his work and a lot of Oscars body flurries look for show now as there's very litle on them

10. 10-9 Sturm. Oscar can't score when he leads, as he can't penetrate the Sturm jab. He needs to counter and he scores two good ones in this round but it's not enough. Too many Sturms shots are short and compact or fast and hard to counter. And the jab consistently forces Oscar back pushing him out of position to fire back

11. 10-9 Sturm. Very good round. Fought the full round southpaw and looked comfortable. Oscar tried to really go for it early, firing flurries of shots, Felix soaked them up and fired straight left counters, As Oscar tired, Felix could potshot, mainly with that left. Oscars face is telling a story here.

12. 10-9 Sturm. Oscar did start well here, scoring a few big body shots early and a couple sneaking through the guard. But as his pace slowed Sturm picked those shots well, accurate as ever and landing almost at will

116-112 Sturm.
Bigger, heavier handed and a superb guard and very very accurate punching. Picked his shots expertly throughout even in the early rounds where Oscar was able to take it on sheer output and body punching.
It seemed a very straight forward strategy from Sturm but very effective. High guard, pace yourself, intelligent movement and accurate punching. He just had to hope Oscar couldn't maintain the feirce pace for 7 of the 12 rounds because Felix was absolutely unwilling to go through the gears.
I suspect had Oscar been able to maintain that early pace Sturm would have simply let the fight slip away from him but that was not the case, at least not on my scorecard anyway.

 

[Davie]

On the same card, Bernard Hopkims faced Robert Allen for a second time. Obviously the intent was to set up a complete 4 belt unification with the winner (hopefully money man Oscar De La Hoya)

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1. 10-9 Hopkins. There are few fighters in history as good at making themselves hard to hit on the way in. The way he moves, the way he shapes his body, arms, shoulders. Everything is designed to make himself a hard target. Landing the shot is only half of the consideration, the rest is angling himself to be tough to nail clean, then smother your work once he gets on top of you

2. 10-8 Sends his sprawling across the ring with a nice short counter right hand. Allen later trips Hopkins, threatens to hit him on the deck, then punches him on the break. Ugly stuff and there's so bad blood as Hopkin refuses to touch gloves, as he did after refrerees instructions

3. 10-9 Hopkins. Easy round. Scoring good one twos, starting the jab just outside the lead hand of Allen to open up the target. Later in the round he scores with individual right hands. But again it's what he isn't allowing Allen to do that's impressive, Allen just cannot get anything set let alone thrown

4. 9-9 Hopkins. Hopkins was deducted a point. He hit him a sneaky low blow the ref didn't see, Allen went down like he'd been shot, he got hit another low blow during an exchange. Both were blatant and intentional. Deserved deduction and you can almost forgive the shameful playacting from Allen, without it this shit goes unchecked. Allen hits on the break shortly after, then Hopkins seems to lightly touch him after the bell and Allen drops like he's been KO'd. Another fucking shit show

5. 10-9 Hopkins, both landing back hands from their opposing stances. Allen probably landed his best shot of the fight. But Hopkins not only landed more of them he really rocked Allen with one that was the best shot of the fight so far, very close to being another knockdown. Nice to discuss the boxing again

6. 10-8 Hopkins. Just a demolition job. Busier, far better connect percentage, heavy handed better on the outside and dominant on the inside. Could have been 10-8 without the knockdown. Ahhhhh, got a sneaky suspicion I should have been watching a different fight

7. TKO Hopkins. Ref steps in to confirm I have been viewing the wrong fight, should have been on the 3rd bout.

8.

9.

10.

11.

12.

Dickhead

 

[Davie]

1. 10-9 Hopkins. Both starting fast and throwing solid shots from the outset. Hopkins determined and already setting up the big right hand well

2. 10-8 Hopkins Short chopping right hand counter drops Allen in the first minute. Hopkins really pushing the head in later and a frustreated Allen hits when asked to break and Hopkins makes a song and dance of it. Typical Bernard

3. 10-9 Hopkins choosing not to fight long, always stepping in and shortening his shots and landing very accurate short chopping shots. Allen trying to back up but Hopkins covering the ground so well and very accurate punching, his judgement is brilliant

4. 9-9 Hopkins. Such a sneaky right hand to the balls from Hopkins on the blind side of the referee. Dirty bastard, so blatant and intentional. The commentary trying to play down the effect of a punch straight to the balls. Gets pulled for a second low blow and has a point deducted but it hits Allens thigh. Shame as he showed some good crisp counter punching in that round. Allen then gets warned for punching on the break then on the bell Hopkins appears to rub the head in and Allen goes down like he's shot. One of the most digraceful rounds of boxing I've seen, from blatant fouling to play acting by both men

5. 10-9 Hopkins. From the ridiculous to the sublime, some beautiful punch picking, firing cracking single shots eventually rocking Allen badly and nearly putting him down. We've seen the best and worst of Bernard Hopkins in this one and Robert Allen hasn't presented himself in a good light either

6. 10-8 Hopkins. Great round Hopkins landing some meaty shots but Allen coming back with some good solid counters with the right hook. Commentary very one sided in who they think s landing effective shots here. Hopkins gets the knockdown late on with the body shot

7. TKO Hopkins. The ref steps in after Allen appears to be a bit unsteady from the get go. Maybe a bit early but Hopkins well in control and hurting him and I hadn't given Allen a round, think comms had given him one.

Bernard was very accurate here, finds openings when there is very little to throw at. Brilliant boxing and punching display aside from a mid fight spell where it got very ugly with fouling, hitting on the break, both at the play acting and trying to get the other fighter in trouble. Marred a really good fight with plenty of action and Hopkins in fine form and Allen, in spite of the landslide score and knockdowns, putting up a decent fight

Fucking Pillock. I watched and scored this 5 weeks ago.

So I have a bit of catch up to do.

 

[Davie]

Fucking Pillock. I watched and scored this 5 weeks ago.

So I have a bit of catch up to do.

1. 10-9 Hopkins. Fairly comfortable opener with Bernard trying to set traps and counter-punch and Allen hitting on the break and being warned already. You're doing well to get a name as the more dirty fighter in your rivalry with Bernard Hopkins

2. 10-9 Hopkins. Both guys waiting a bit too long to let their hands go. Hopkins l;ooking for the counter and Allen reluctant to punch because he knows what Hopkins is looking for. A knockdown not scored as Hopkins landed a punch but had been standing on Allens lead foot

3. 10-9 Hopkins, Leading a little more, stealing in with one or two shots and successfully getting back out without getting. Barring one occasion where Allen scored a nice counter right hook as Bernard exited, it was Allens best shot but that's all he's had.
This is easy to score and Lederman has it 3-0. Merchant has it 1-1-1.

4. 10-9 Hopkins. Easy to score but not so easy to watch. Bernard clearly winning but it's through stopping Allen throwing or when he does stopping him landing anything clean or meaninful. Bernard is picking up a few good shots a round and deserves his lead but not dominating by any means

5. 10-8 Hopkins, still picking his shots, his left hook is scoring nicely then spinning off to his left leaving Allen nothing to swing at. And when he fires the right hand he slides round the back of Allens right shoulder where he can't hit him and Bernard clinches and has the free arm to hold and dig shots into Allens mid section. Allen deducted a point for a low blow

6. 10-9 Hopkins. Another fairly straight forward round with Hopkins doing enough but not exciting. They are discussing whether he should be p4p no1 or the exciting and spectacular young Floyd Mayweather Jr. They're maybe right about the ranking but wait till they get a load of welterweight Floyd

7. 10-8 Hopkins. Good sneaky right hand drops Allen while he's turning. Bernard does that thing that Roy seemed to make popular of throwing shoe shine flurries in hope of getting Cortez to step in, rather than actually hurt and stop his opponent

8. 9-10 Allen. What is it about fighters winning the round after getting knocked down. I get that sometimes in an evenly matched fight a guy might be tired trying to stop his opponent and drop a round. But Allen could barely land a shot let alone come close to winning rounds in the first 7. Now he's scoring flush power shots and hitting Bernard with heavy combinations. Where was this before? How is Hopkins suddenly hittable?

9. 10-9 Hopkins. Handful of hooks landed, Allen only scored one of them. Far too relaxed pace, Hopkins is far from his best but he's being allowed to coast and take rounds the easy way so there's little reason for him to take massive risks. Fuck knows what Allen's strategy is here, you'd think he had something in their third fight

10. 10-9. Hopkins some good body shots and work in close early. Allen tries to load up some shots later in the round and telegraphs his work horribly, Hopkins sees it coming and twists and turns, evading everything almost contemptfully. He might be lacking in action and aggression but there's no shortage in ring craft and admirable technique

11. 10-9 Hopkins. Picking shots in the first minute but he bursts into life in the second, firing combinations, advancing aggressively and trying to hurt Allen. He settles down toward the end of the round to close it out.

12. 10-9 Hopkins. In the first second they touch gloves and Allen holds his feet just for Hopkins to crack him with a left hook. That's Hopkins to a tee, singularly focussed on winning, never misses an opportunity to score a punch. For the remaining 2m59s he alternates between dancing and moving and really putting a beating on Allen in a few spells. Fairly easy night

119-107 Hopkins

 

[Davie]

Howard Eastman advanced his claim for another shot at the title, firstly by wiping out former Blackburn centre half Scott Dann (one for @Super Hans here) for the European, commonweatlh and British titles

Before facing everyones favourite bald pony tailed french contender, Hacine Cherifi for the EBU

Before beating Sergey Tatevosyan for the EBU once more

1. 10-9 Eastman. Good opener, coming forward looking for his man early, looks comfortably the more skilled man in there but by all acoounts Dann can bang a bit. Having said that Eastman does puit himself on his ass slipping from getting out of position.

2. 9-10 Dann. Eastman switching from front foot to back foot movement, struggling to establish the range of his jab against this southpaw. Dann lands a handful of shots throughout to win it. With Hopkins coming up, you have to think you never see Bernard let rounds slip needlessly like this.

3. TKO Eastman. To hell with range, Howard stepped straight inside and started trading from the off, good action and eventually he nails him with a right hand that crumples Dann against the ropes. He puts together a couple of sustained assaults that each hurt Dann and he does well to remain on his feet. Dann does look as though holding Eastman is all that's holding him up and the the ref waves it off.

 

[Davie]

Eastman vs Cherifi.
looking forward to this one, eastman is an interesting character and can be good to watch. Cherifi has a habit of putting it on his opponent but I suspect ths might be a case of going to the well one time too many

1. 10-9 Eastman. Close one with Eastman probably doing his best stuff pushing Cherifi back with the double jab. Interesting the see Robert McCracken in the corner already.

2. 10-9 Eastman. Long cotrolling jab, setting a good rhythm, and scores a couple power shots. When Cherifi comes at him with two handed counter-attacks, Eastman dips at the knees, head tilted to his right away from the right hand of Cherifi, forcing the slightly shorter, fighter with the shorter reach to extend more than he'd like. Eastman seems well in control early.

3. 9-10Cherifi. Better round, fought at shorter range and plenty of good exchanges, with either man scoring well. Think this suited Cherifi slightly better but both guys looked comfortable in there rolling and returning fire.

4. 10-9 Eastman, his best round. He hurts him and pushes him back early, scoring with uppercuts. Eastman the technically better and aesthetically more pleasing fighter both offensively and defensively here. Cherifi's stock in trade is toughness and pressure and he can't seem to outwork Eastman here, suspect his best days are behind him to be honest

5. 10-9 Eastman. Good variety and accuracy. Although landing shots isn't hard as Cherifi has opted to defend by bracing himself, biting down on the gumshield and taking them as best he can rather than attempt to stop them or evade them. 5 rounds into a 12 rounder and the commentary reckons Cherifi needs a knock out at this stage

6. 10-9 Eastman. Cherifi was starting to take a bit of a beating and it looked like his race was run but he rallied in the second half for a bit and Eastman coasted a bit making it look like Hacine was still in it but Howard cracks him with a beautiful right hand that almost topples him. Not much left in the Frenchman

7. 10-9. Another Eastman round but "you have to take your berret off to Cherifi, for staying in there"

8. 10-9 Eastman. Cherifi is looking wobbly after throwing his own shots. He's exhausted and he's taken plenty of damage here. Eastman not working excessively hard, just steady picking him apart and landing a variety of nice shots, often at will. Eastman put the head in quite hard there shown by the replay

That's enough for Cherifi who doesn't come out for the 9th
Good showing from Eastman against a tough but ultimately past his best fighter who was never truly world class

 

[Davie]

To round off 2004, William Joppy went in with yet another top class opponent in Jermain Taylor

1. 10-9 Taylor. They're talking about the Taylor jab but Joppy is using his more. Taylor very much the counter puncher, having good success with the ight uppercut and left hook. Threw a good few right hands but never landed many until the late flurry

2. 10-9 Taylor. Begins letting Joppy back him up but seems to catch him with something he fels hurts Joppy as he goes after him with big shots, he's really loading up and forces Joppy up for the remainder of the round. Joppy's eye giving him trouble

3. 10-9 Taylor. Joppy struggling to put a dent in Taylor. Taylor the bigger strogner man, he looks the more skilled and composed of the two. And the one area Joppy often beat his opponent, his speed, seems to be lacking as well. Taylor looks the quicker puncher so I don't see where Joppy gets the win here.

4. 10-9 Taylor. On more than one occasion Taylor is able to slip shots and come back with 3 punch counters. Who needs a jab? Taylor is just too much for Joppy who looks a bit of a shadow of his former self. That maybe isn't doing Taylor justice but Joppy is toiling here.

5. 10-8 Taylor. This is already becoming painful viewing. Joppy has been taking the punches up till now and the spring is still in his step but that's about all you can say. Taylor establishes that jab early, starts to tee off with power shots and counters, he scores a stunning uppercut on the advancing Joppy. And the knockdown is hard and Joppy walks right into it. This could be turning into a bit of a beating and I don't think William can even hope for the younger man tiring here.

6. 10.9 Taylor. Joppy opting to try and be cute, going for little walks and strutting around, trying little surprise attacks and sneaky counter shots but none of it is working, Taylor just looks beter and can just rely on his physicality now and force hard one twos through the guard of Joppy.

7. 10-9 Tay;lor, possibly a better round for Joppy but thee just seems very little he can do to get on top of him. It's hard to tell how much this is down the Taylor being a class act and how much is Joppy being spent (or arguably just never that good.)

8. 10-9 Taylor. Jermain going back to jabbing, controlling Joppy and counter punching very nicely. He's done a bit of everything here. The only thing he hasn't really done is go through the gears because he really doesn't need to.

9. 10-9 Taylor. Joppy clowning and dancing and just fucking around trying to run down the clock. Was just thinking I'd like to see Taylor try to do something to hurt Joppy, then Joppy lifts him clean off the deck and refuses to break a clinch. As the ref tries to split them Taylor loses his rag and starts lashing out and hitting on the break. The ref doesn't reprimand him too greatly as he recognises Joppy caused this with his bullshit. Taylor does figh angry for a brief spell after

10. 10-9 Taylor. Joppy should give up here, he might not be hurt but he is offering nothing in this fight and isn't even making an effort to do anything. Taylor lets him clown for a spell then puts his foot down a few times to throw barrages of shots before Joppy lets him recharge for the next assault.

11. 10-9 Taylor. Joppy making a decent effort here coming forward and throwing with a lot less clownign but he is outgunned in almost every way

12. 10-9 Taylor. Nice control with the jab early on here then Joppy danced his way to a comfortable 120-107 defeat even getting a warning from the ref for not fighting. Would have liked to have seen Taylor make a concerted effort to stop him in the last couple but I'd probably have to ask why bother. He'd never really hurt Joppy even at the knockdown and was a mile ahead

This did not look like Taylor was in with an experienced former 3 time middleweight champion and veteren of 12 world title fights. Yes Joppy was older and ringworn but he was technically outclassed and was clean out of ideas, no ring nous or even signs of experience and old man tricks in there.
He tried to press early and got outboxed, tried to box mid rounds and got outfought. In the end he resorted to clowning. I was critical of him in his early title reign for this behavior but this was in fights where he was well ahead and wanted to coast through 3 or 4 rounds without being hit. Here he was just intent on seeing the final bell in a fight he was never in.

Taylor was brilliant but very much one of those performances that is hard to guage due to lack of resistance.
Remarkable to think Joppy challenges for a 168lb title 4 years after this and a 175lb title another 3 years after that. Needless to say they don't end well for him

 

[Davie]

18.09.2004. Bernard Hopkins vs Oscar De La Hoya for the full undisputed world middleweight crown
WBC, WBA Super, IBF & WBO.

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[Davie]

Bonus footage (Just because I don't remember if I've seen this one.)
On the Hopkins vs De La Hoya undercard we had Juan Manuel Marquez vs Orlando Salido

 

[Davie]

19.02.2005. Bernard Hopkins vs Howard Eastman. This is the very first Hopkins fight I remember watching live at the time.
First defence of the undisputed middleweight title.

 

[Davie]

Maselino Masoe vs Evans Ashira faced in 2004 for the WBA ordinary title
This would eventually end up in the hands of Flelix Sturm who would eventually bvecome the full super champion, which lays dormant for 5 years after Jermain Taylor seemingly vacated afetr the second Hopkins fight so he could face Winky Wright.

 

[Vlad]

1. 10-9 Hopkins. There are few fighters in history as good at making themselves hard to hit on the way in. The way he moves, the way he shapes his body, arms, shoulders. Everything is designed to make himself a hard target. Landing the shot is only half of the consideration, the rest is angling himself to be tough to nail clean, then smother your work once he gets on top of you

2. 10-8 Sends his sprawling across the ring with a nice short counter right hand. Allen later trips Hopkins, threatens to hit him on the deck, then punches him on the break. Ugly stuff and there's so bad blood as Hopkin refuses to touch gloves, as he did after refrerees instructions

3. 10-9 Hopkins. Easy round. Scoring good one twos, starting the jab just outside the lead hand of Allen to open up the target. Later in the round he scores with individual right hands. But again it's what he isn't allowing Allen to do that's impressive, Allen just cannot get anything set let alone thrown

4. 9-9 Hopkins. Hopkins was deducted a point. He hit him a sneaky low blow the ref didn't see, Allen went down like he'd been shot, he got hit another low blow during an exchange. Both were blatant and intentional. Deserved deduction and you can almost forgive the shameful playacting from Allen, without it this shit goes unchecked. Allen hits on the break shortly after, then Hopkins seems to lightly touch him after the bell and Allen drops like he's been KO'd. Another fucking shit show

5. 10-9 Hopkins, both landing back hands from their opposing stances. Allen probably landed his best shot of the fight. But Hopkins not only landed more of them he really rocked Allen with one that was the best shot of the fight so far, very close to being another knockdown. Nice to discuss the boxing again

6. 10-8 Hopkins. Just a demolition job. Busier, far better connect percentage, heavy handed better on the outside and dominant on the inside. Could have been 10-8 without the knockdown. Ahhhhh, got a sneaky suspicion I should have been watching a different fight

7. TKO Hopkins. Ref steps in to confirm I have been viewing the wrong fight, should have been on the 3rd bout.

8.

9.

10.

11.

12.

Dickhead

Thanks ! Haven’t seen this before. Sharp eyes !
In the interview Hopkins is really upset .

 

[Davie]

18.09.2004. Bernard Hopkins vs Oscar De La Hoya for the full undisputed world middleweight crown
WBC, WBA Super, IBF & WBO.

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View attachment 33831

1. 10-9 Hopkins. Commentary overplaying Oscars contirbution already. Not a lot in it and a slow tactical round but Hopkins landed the more telling punches while Lampley reported oin Oscars shots. Volume going off

2. 9-10 Oscar. Oscar has a nack in the back end of his career at higher weights, of taking the sting out of a fight, limiting an opponents opportunities. Hopkins like a few before him have notably lower output against De La Hoya. The feints, footwork and head movement not only making Hopkins miss but reluctant to throw and Oscar adds snappy counters into the mix.

3. 10-9 Hopkins. Scored 4 or 5 nice crisp single shots. Oscar tried to flurry a couple times but hard to tell what landed and anything that did did no damage

4. 10-9 Hopkins. Both ptting some decent body work in in this round. Hopkins able to smother Oscars shots better as he has to get closer to throw them. Hopkins scored a few nice left hooks to the head, competitive but clear Hopkins round for me.

5. 10-9 Hopkins. Heating up he last couple of rounds where we've seen more exchanges and action in close. Hopkins making Oscar miss a fiar bit with his head movement, some impressive reflexes for a man his age and picks the shots well with hand speed that apears to match Oscars, although his timing give the impression of beating his man to the punch too.

6. 9-10 Oscar. Realy limited Bernard here and you could tell who the fighters thought was ahead by the fact it was Hopkins looking for the eye catching combinations after the 10 second clapper.

7. 10-9 Hopkins. Felt Oscar started well and took the first minute but Hopkins picked away with straight shots from there on in, comfortably wining in the end

8. 10-9 Hopkins. Accurate with most of his shots, the jab is keeping Oscar when he needs him and the left hook and right hnad landing too. But they are thrown with the intent of landing not hurting IMO, landing clean but not heavy. You wouldn't imagine at this point that there is a stoppage in the offing.

9. KO Hopkins. Left hook to the body. I said you wouldn't think a KO was coming, certainly wouldn't see it coming in that manner, Hopkins always digs away at the body, little short shots as you get in close but not a devastating left hook to the ribs like that

78-74 Hopkins at the stoppage.
A tactical affair but you have to credit Oscar. Hopkins had been walking through world champion middleweights, great welterweights and barely losing a round. Oscar won a couple rounds, really limited Bernards output and gave him something to think about.

As for the cards. Keith McDonald obviously being paid by the same people paying Larry Merchant to assess the rounds

 

[Davie]

19.02.2005. Bernard Hopkins vs Howard Eastman. This is the very first Hopkins fight I remember watching live at the time.
First defence of the undisputed middleweight title.

1. 10-9 Hopkins, conservative start with a good jab and doing enough to just hit and not get hit. The counter left hook scored the one occasion Eastman showed a little ambition.

2. 9-10 Eastman. Thought he did enmough there. Solid jab, slipped a few of Hopkins shots and let 2 or 3 of his own go to end each exchange. Maybe not the best connect percentage but he's doing most of the owrk in a relatively quiet round

3. 10-9 Hopkins, a lot cuter this round the way he nips in scores a single shots and exits at an angle to limit the follow up from Eastman. Also ties up a bit and scores those cheeky little low blows although he accidentally did one on the same side as the ref, who didn't pick up on it. Couple big exagerate feints from Bernard that Howard bites on

4. 9-10 Eastman. Razor thin margins, very tentative round. Felt Eastman landed just the slightly better shots although not a lot landing clean from either man. Both very good at taking the sting off the other mans shots

5. 9-10 Eastman. Front foot aggression and combination punching from Eastman in the first minute and the last, trying to rush Hopkins at times albeit the accuracy still isn't great. Hopkins being cuter and potshotting in the middle of the round and scored a couple good clean hooks late on that might have swung the round to Bernard on some cards

6. 10-9 Hopkins. Bernard just edging back just dropping out of punching range forcing Eastman to follow, fall short with the jab and over reach at times, Eastman clearly not comfortable here, Hopkins jumps in with stiff jabs and solid one twos.

7. 10-9 Hopkins. Far from being a classic here but Hopkins is landing the slightly better work but it's more about not getting hit than hitting. He really limited Eastman to very few clean shots if any. Anything Howard did land would have been partially blocked or Hopkins rolls with it. His positioning inside range is masterful.

8. 10-9 Hopkins. That round was certainly more about hitting. Plenty of action, exchanges and hard shots landed by both. Think Benard got slightly the better of those exchanges as he moves his head better while punching but Eastman probably landed the best 2 shots of the round. Could have gone either way

9. 10-9 Hopkins another round where he gets the slight advantage in accuracy, he scored a couple of very cleverly picked shots here. The last couple are the kind of rounds where you feel wrong continuing to give one man the rounds in close action. Howard Eastman is pressing, he's working hard and he's having some success but just not enough truly flush and Hopkins is giving a masterclass in fight management

10. 10-9 Hopkins. Good round for Bernard, looked more in control there and finished the round with a good right hand. The left hook looked good for Bernard too.

11. 10-9 Hopkins. Stepping up through the gears here, remarkable that as his 34 year old opponent fades, this 40 year old is finding more in the tank. Good punch technique and timing followed by some flashy head movement, he's enjoying himself in there now,

12. 10-9 Hopkins. Eastmna threw some heavy leather but landed very little. It just gave Hopkins the opportunity to tee up and pick him off as there was a little more desperation in his work. Hopkins working inside very well rolling and countering up close with great accuracy. He did do a bit of holding to run the clockdown but was still the far superior fighter in those final few rounds.

117-111 Hopkins. That card feels right but Eastman gave a solid performance. Just slightly behind Hopkins in most departments for the first 9 rounds but Hopkins miraculously gets better in the last 3 rounds where he should be toiling.
He was brilliant in spell, at other points he was doing just enough.

 

[Davie]

Maselino Masoe vs Evans Ashira faced in 2004 for the WBA ordinary title
This would eventually end up in the hands of Flelix Sturm who would eventually bvecome the full super champion, which lays dormant for 5 years after Jermain Taylor seemingly vacated afetr the second Hopkins fight so he could face Winky Wright.

1. 10-8 Masoe. Good round. No idea how far this is from world class but Masoe with a good solid busy jab and some nicely picked counters. Ashira rolling in with compact hooks on the inside. Masoe tags him a nice short right as the exit a clinch in the last second to level the African contender

2. TKO Masoe. A chopping right hand early drops Ashira to a knee before a left hook bowls him over and the ref decides he's seen enough to decide this guy doesn't need to be fighting any longer for a world title

I learned nothing from that and probably won't learn a great deal more when Masoe loses it to Sturm later

 

[Davie]

I think this makes a good place to round off this thread, in 2005 with Hopkins losing to Taylor. Once I watch this, I will have viewed every available morsel of footage of Marvin Hagler, Carlos Monzon and Bernard Hopkins at the middle weight limit. As well as the majority of events and fights surrounding them for context.
No mean feat even if I do say so myself.
I'll get this wrapped up now with the Taylor fights

 

[Davie]

USATODAY.com - Taylor stuns Hopkins to take middleweight crown

usatoday30.usatoday.com

​ Taylor stuns Hopkins to take middleweight crown By Chuck Johnson, USA TODAY LAS VEGAS — Boxing's longest active title reign came to a controversial end Saturday night with Jermain Taylor dethroning Bernard Hopkins on a split decision to become the new undisputed middleweight champion of the world. Jermain Taylor, right, had Bernard Hopkins on his heels in the early rounds. By Chris Carlson, AP​ Hopkins, who was attempting a record-extending 21st defense, raised his arms in a victory pose after the 12-round fight, while Taylor's body language as he headed to his corner seemed to indicate he thought he had lost. But then the judges' scorecards were read in favor of Taylor, eliciting a mixture of cheers and boos from the crowd of 11,992 that filled the MGM Grand Garden Arena close to capacity. (Related item: Larios, Forrest win on undercard) Taylor, the 2000 Olympic bronze medalist and the pride of Little Rock, dominated the early rounds and withstood Hopkins' strong finish to gain the decision, with judge Jerry Roth scoring the fight 116-112 for Hopkins (46-3-1) and both Duane Ford and Paul Smith scoring it 115-113 for the unbeaten Taylor (24-0). "It was an unbelievable fight," said Taylor, 26, who became the first opponent to defeat Hopkins in 12 years. "I have never experienced anything like this. I learned so much in this fight. Bernard Hopkins is a great champion and I will respect this man until the day I die. He came out and took his time. He came on late, but I feel like I won." Hopkins, 40, who last lost in 1993 against Roy Jones Jr., was accepting but adamant that he won the fight and immediately informed Taylor's camp that he's exercising a clause for a rematch, likely to be held Oct. 1. "I hope that I showed 40 doesn't fit for Bernard Hopkins," he said. "I can hold my head up high. When I fought Roy Jones in 1993, I knew I lost and I prepared myself to never experience that feeling again. I believe I put on a great performance. If you saw Jermain Taylor and his people right after the fight, body language sometimes speaks a lot when you win and you lose. And they obviously thought they lost." In ending Hopkins' 10-year reign atop the 160-pound division, Taylor started fast to quickly gain some respect from the man who came into the fight regarded as boxing's top pound-for-pound champion. Taylor doubled up with a stiff left jab and followed with a solid right hand to send Hopkins staggering backward in the second round. However, the young challenger started waiting too much and went away from his jab as Hopkins took control in the fourth, going to the body and scoring in the clinches. In the fifth round, with swelling already starting to show under his left eye, Taylor was the victim of an accidental head butt, which sent blood streaming down his face from a gash on top of his head. Taylor said his cut man, Ray Rogers, did a great job controlling the wound. Hopkins, as wily as they come, continued to build momentum by scoring in spurts, while Taylor admitted he spent too much time waiting instead of launching an aggressive assault. "He never hurt me," said Taylor, "but I was wasting a lot of energy chasing him around. I should have cut off the ring." In the 12th and final round, Hopkins appeared to have a decisive edge as aggressor, outlanding Taylor 12-5 in punches, but Ford gave that round to Taylor. If he had ruled the round like the other two judges in favor of Hopkins, the fight would have been a draw. "I won't say the decision was good for boxing," Hopkins said. "But rivalries are. Jermain Taylor won this fight, but he knows he didn't win it like the public wants to see. That's why we'll have a rematch and I'll come back like champions do." Lou DiBella, Taylor's promoter and Hopkins' former adviser, was one of the happiest observers of the outcome. He won a $610,000 judgment from a defamation suit he filed against Hopkins, who had vowed to get his payback by beating Taylor. "Bernard Hopkins is a great champion and he had his moments late in the fight, but he was way, way behind," Di Bella said. "But there's a new sheriff in town, and that man is Jermain Taylor. We haven't even scratched the surface yet of where this young man is going to be." Taylor, who said his whole life had prepared him for this moment, lauded Hopkins' ring savvy. "He's a smart, dirty fighter," said the new champ, who earned $1.4 million to Hopkins' $4 million. "He was actually holding and I got called for the holding. I learned something. You'll see me do that next fight." Replay of the Hopkins-Taylor fight will be aired next Saturday on HBO. Earlier in the evening, former welterweight champion Vernon Forrest (36-2, 27 KOs), on the comeback trail after a two-year layoff, used a right hand to knock out Sergio Rios (17-2 at 2:43 of the second round. Rios (17-2) was dropped earlier in the round by Forrest, who dictated the action from the start. "It felt good to finally be in there and I'm happy I finally got this one out of the way," said Forrest, still not 100% after surgeries to his left shoulder and elbow. "My left arm was still hurting a little bit. I wanted to throw my jab harder, but because of my left arm I wasn't able to. I didn't feel rusty, but I didn't want to rush it because I know how when guys make comebacks they can tend to rush things in the ring. WBC super bantamweight champion Oscar Larios (55-3, 35 KOs) of Guadalajara, Mexico, defended his title by stopping Wayne McCullough of Belfast, Northern Ireland, on a TKO at the end of the 10th round. Referee Richard Steele, on the advice of ringside physician Dr. Margaret Goodman, stopped the bout after Larios outpunched McCullough (27-5, 18 KOs) by a 208-77 margin over the last four rounds. Larios dominated the fight, winning every round on one judge's card and all but one round on the other two judges' cards. He scored freely with pinpoint punches despite suffering cuts over both eyes. McCullough was willing to exchange but paid the steeper price. "It was a fair call," McCullough said of the stoppage. "I felt a bit sluggish. I slowed down in the fourth and fifth round. I'm disappointed but the doctor made the right call." Dr. Goodman said McCullough would be put on indefinite suspension and undergo a CAT scan. Blood spilled from Larios' right eye after an accidental head butt in the third round. In the first round, he sustained a cut over his left eye from what was ruled a punch although TV replays showed that one also was a result of an inadvertent head butt. In another title bout, WBO junior bantamweight champion Fernando Montiel (31-1-1) took a unanimous decision over Everth Briceno (21-3).

• Hopkins made $4 million and Taylor made $1.4 million.
• The fight generated 370,000 pay-per-view buys and $17.5 million in PPV revenue.
• Results of HBO's unofficial "Fight Night" scale: Hopkins 168 lbs, Taylor 171 lbs.
• Taylor wins The Ring Magazine's World Middleweight Title.
• The Associated Press reported: "Hopkins had won a record 20 consecutive defenses, but he started slowly and only got to Taylor late in the fight. By then, the undefeated challenger had built up a big enough lead on two judges' scorecards to take the crown."

Unofficial Scorecards​

• Jerry Magee, San Diego Union-Tribune: 114-114 Draw
• Dan Rafael, ESPN: 114-114 Draw
• TheSweetScience.com: 117-111 Taylor
• Harold Lederman, HBO: 115-113 Taylor
• Kevin Iole, Las Vegas Review-Journal: 115-113 Hopkins
• Max Kellerman, HBO: 115-113 Hopkins
• Michael Katz, Reuters: 115-113 Hopkins
• Paul Upham, SecondsOut.com: 115-113 Hopkins
• Associated Press: 114-113 Hopkins
• Ramiro Gonzalez, La Opinion: 116-112 Hopkins
• Doug Fischer, MaxBoxing.com: 116-112 Hopkins
• David Mayo, Grand Rapids Press: 116-112 Hopkins
• Keith Idec, New Jersey Herald-News: 116-112 Hopkins
• David Avila, Riverside Press Enterprise: 116-112 Hopkins
• Tim Smith, New York Daily News: 116-112 Hopkins
• Ron Borges,Boston Globe: 116-112 Hopkins
• Joe Santoloquito, The Ring Magazine: 116-113 Hopkins
• Robert Morales, Los Angeles Daily News: 117-111 Hopkins
• Franklin McNeil, Newark Star-Ledger: 117-111 Hopkins
• Steve Kim, MaxBoxing.com: 117-111 Hopkins
• Ivan Goldman, The Ring Magazine: 117-111 Hopkins

 

[Davie]

Bernard Hopkins vs Jermain Taylor. 16/07/2005.
WBC, WBA super, IBF, WBO & Ring middleweight titles.

 

[Davie]

Jermain Taylor vs Bernard Hopkins 2. 03/12/2005.
WBC, WBA super, IBF, WBO & Ring middleweight titles.

Jermain Taylor 159 lbs beat Bernard Hopkins 160 lbs by UD in round 12 of 12​

• Date: 2005-12-03
• Location: Mandalay Bay Resort & Casino, Las Vegas, Nevada, USA
• Referee: Jay Nady
• Judge: Chuck Giampa 115-113
• Judge: Patricia Morse Jarman 115-113
• Judge: Dave Moretti 115-113
• World Boxing Council Middleweight Title (1st defense by Taylor)
• World Boxing Association Middleweight Title (1st defense by Taylor)
• World Boxing Organization Middleweight Title (1st defense by Taylor)
• Promoters: Lou DiBella (DiBella Entertainment), Richard Schaefer (Golden Boy Promotions)
• Ring Announcer: Michael Buffer
• Aired on: HBO Pay-Per-View (Main Event)
• Results of HBO's unofficial "Fight Night" scale: Taylor 169 lbs, Hopkins 169 lbs
• Taylor defends The Ring Magazine's World Middleweight Title.
• Unofficial AP Scorecard: 115-114 Taylor
• The fight generated 410,000 (245,000 cable, 165,000 satellite) pay-per-view buys.

Bout Summary​

"Taylor had vowed not to chase Hopkins (46-4-1) around the ring in the early rounds like he did in the first fight, when he ran out of gas late and barely held on for the win. He kept to his word, much to the displeasure of the crowd at the Mandalay Bay hotel-casino that booed the lack of action in the first few rounds. Hopkins did even less in the early rounds, and it cost him the fight. One judge gave Taylor the first six rounds and the other two gave him five of the first six, putting Hopkins in a hole he could never recover from." (The Associated Press)

Taylor wins Hopkins rematch by unanimous decision

Jermain Taylor beat Bernard Hopkins by decision, retaining his middleweight titles in a fight that was strikingly similar to the first fight between the two in July.

www.espn.com

Taylor wins Hopkins rematch by unanimous decision​

Dec 4, 2005

• Associated Press

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LAS VEGAS -- Bernard Hopkins felt great for a fighter about to turn 41. Jermain Taylor felt even better because he left the ring with the middleweight title belts around his waist.
Taylor won the rematch Saturday night much the same way he won the first bout between the two fighters, landing just enough clear punches on the outside to pull out another narrow win against a fighter who continued to fool Father Time.
Once again Hopkins was the better fighter in the late rounds, but once again it wasn't enough to make up an early deficit and it allowed Taylor to win a decision that was as contested as it was unanimous.
"I've still got a lot to learn but I did win it," Taylor said. "The man is a clever fighter. It's hard to hit him. You've got to pull all the tricks out just to hit him."
Taylor won the first fight in July by split decision, and the rematch was almost as close. The three ringside judges all favored Taylor by a 115-113 margin, while The Associated Press had Taylor winning 115-114.
"I didn't run, I countered, pummeled him and worked very hard," Hopkins said. "Every time he got tired in an exchange he was holding and biding time. I feel fresh as a daisy."
Like the first fight, Hopkins started slowly and tried to make up points as the rounds went on. He began pressuring Taylor in the later rounds and, when the fight ended, raised his hands in victory in belief that he had done enough to win.

The judges thought otherwise, giving Taylor (25-0) the decision and keeping him unbeaten in 25 fights in a pro career that began after he won the bronze medal in the 2000 Olympics.

"I got stronger as the fight went on. I think I did enough to win it," Hopkins said.

Taylor had vowed not to chase Hopkins (46-4-1) around the ring in the early rounds like he did in the first fight, when he ran out of gas late and barely held on for the win. He kept to his word, much to the displeasure of the crowd at the Mandalay Bay hotel-casino that booed the lack of action in the first few rounds.

Hopkins did even less in the early rounds, and it cost him the fight. One judge gave Taylor the first six rounds and the other two gave him five of the first six, putting Hopkins in a hole he could never recover from.

"I thought the kid fought the early rounds smarter because he didn't waste as much energy," Taylor's promoter, Lou DiBella, said.

The fight didn't begin to heat up until the fourth round, and even then there was more clinching and posing than actual fighting.

Hopkins had an excuse for starting slow -- he's a month away from turning 41 -- but as the rounds went on his corner began urging him to get closer to Taylor and turn the fight into a brawl.

"Step up in the pocket and fire like a quarterback, baby, and fire," trainer Nazim Richardson said after the seventh round.
When Hopkins did get inside he fought better, but neither fighter managed to land any combinations of consequence. Neither ever seemed hurt at any time in the fight, and neither was ever in any danger of going down.

Ringside punching stats showed the fight to be as close as the judges saw it. Taylor was credited with landing 124 of 391 punches, while Hopkins landed 130 of 371.

"Even Ray Robinson won fights he didn't get," Hopkins said.

Taylor upset Hopkins on July 16, winning a split decision so close that if would have been a draw if judge Duane Ford had agreed with the other two judges and almost everyone at ringside that Hopkins won the final round.

The fight got personal in the days before the two actually climbed into the ring. Hopkins mocked Taylor's speech impediment and called him a phony champion, while Taylor brought a doll with Hopkins' name on it to the final prefight press conference to say he was a crybaby.

Hopkins even resurrected his "Executioner" persona for the fight, coming into the ring wearing a leather hood that he didn't take off until after the prefight introductions in the center of the ring.

Taylor's win in the first fight ended a remarkable streak of 20 straight title defenses for Hopkins, who hadn't lost since 1993. But it also set up a rematch that paid both fighters several million dollars and gave Hopkins one more big fight just a month before he turns 41.

 

[Davie]

Bernard Hopkins vs Jermain Taylor. 16/07/2005.
WBC, WBA super, IBF, WBO & Ring middleweight titles.

Hopkins vs Taylor 1

1. 9-10 Taylor. Fully commiting to his big shots and not falling into the trap of many Hopkins opponents of being coy about letting them go. He counters a Hopkins double jab with a hard left hook/right hook combination, then really puts his weight behind 3 big overhand rights, two of which partially connect. Nothing of note lands for Hopkins other than one hard left on the side of Taylors gloves

2. 9-10. Taylor Scores a couple nice counter combinations, answering almost everything Hopkins throws often with more than one shot. But it's the commitment to the big right hands I like, really throwing them, sometimes almost over-commiting to ensure he reaches the retreating Hopkins. Real danger of being countered but as it stands he's pushing Bernard back and off balance at times

3. 9-10 Taylor. closer round, with the jab being that bit busier and more accurate. Both scored with their left hook and I think both struggled to land the right hand

4. 9-10 Taylor. An exchange early gets messy with missed shots and they get tangled and off balance, Taylor doesn't miss the opportunity to score a sneak left hook on the exit, that's a trademark of Hopkins, never letting those chances pass him by. The double jab from Taylor is good and he gets an uppercut in. They mentioned his youth and physicality numerous times but this is smart boxing here

5. 10-9 Hopkins. Big round for Bernard, not much lands early but a clash of head causes a cut on Taylors head. Hopkins then starts really working the feints and seeing what's in front of him, then he'll just pounce with a hard single shot, that hand speed still impressive. Think he lands maybe 5 clean shots that Taylor can't get out of the way of. Then it ends in a brief exciting exchange before the bell.

6. 9-10 Taylor. Hopkins pretty much takes the round off and Taylor establishes his jab again, pushing it in Hopkins face. Nothing else of note, a couple of brief skirmishes where little gets through from either man, but the crisp jab a good weapon for Taylor when Hopkins is intent of staying out of bother

7. 10-9 Hopkins. Scores with that one two where he intentionally misfires the jab to open the target for a big raking right hand, lands flush and his best shot of the fight. Taylor tries a couple combinations but only scores partial connects before some rough stuff in the corner, where Bernard really uses his strength to wrestle Taylor in to a position where he can't throw but Bernard can land. just within the bounds of what's legal so you have to score those landed shots

8. 10-9 Hopkins. Taylor a lot busier but he's missing a lot and what does land never catches the target fully. Hopkins on the other hand very low output but much more accurate and felt he landed the more telling punches of the round. Lederman gave both the last two rounds to Taylor and they were close but I feel Hopkins is scoring the more telling blows, albeit there will be very little between them in the punches landed stats, he might be appreciating Taylor's activity and aggression

9. 10-9 Hopkins. cleaner punching, clever stuff in there from Hopkins, just making Taylor miss and again it's those sneaky little shots inside where others sometimes stop punching. If Bernard has a hand free he's using it. Sure Ledermans card had Hopkins 5 behind last round then still 5 behind this round after giving him the 9th

10. 10-9 scored a couple cracking shots from out in the open but it's his work in close I really liked here. His upper body movement but more importantly body position, How he uses arms, shoulders, how he leans in, how he turns Taylor and ties him up so Taylor can't hit back but Bernard is able to swing round and catch him with (barely) legal shots

11. 10-9 Clear Hopkins round. Rolling with Taylors best shots and countering, sneaking in single leading shots with speed and evasive movement on the way out. Even when Taylor tries to spring into range with a fats shot, Bernard still has the reflexes to take the sting off it and score little short punches.

12. 10-9 Hopkins. Good round and his right hand is laser guided and his ability to land it flush from distance is frightening.

115-113 Hopkins on my card. 7 and 8 were very close, if you could give both I can understand someone finding a Taylor win and the consensus certainly seems to be the 8th was Taylors round. If I got that wrong I could see it a draw.

Very close fight where Taylor had a very strong opening half of the fight and bernard again, defying his years and finshing strong, in terms of gas in the tank, in terms of speed of hand and mental reflexes. It probably had the feel of an even fight and the draw does feel about right, but I'll not grumble at the Taylor win. Not sure I could say the same of Bernard, his face is a picture when Buffer calls "...and the new..."

Tough way to lose the first title fight in 21 defences.