Marcel Cerdan vs. Bernard Hopkins

Watched a Cerdan compilation last night. He was one impressive fighter indeed. Relentless, great punch volume, above average hand speed and power, and good overall fundamentals. How do you think he'd do against a guy with Hop's craftiness and physical equipment?

Well as people have said Hopkins with a few exceptions has made a career of beating up on former 'welterweights' and whose overall opponent list has not been in the same calibre as Cerdan's period... and last but certainly not least Hopkins is a much bigger man and in my books he is a light-heavy who cheated boxing and took an easier route to "stardom".
Proof of this will eventually be seen when half a dozen years fron now the young Jermain Taylor "moves" up in weight and people will question why Hopkins NEVER did!!!

Anyway in fairness to Bernard the way he contolled and handled the young Taylor (who is also a very big middle), wins him back for me... but as for Cerdan well!

That "former" welter wouldn't give him a moments respite and Hopkins wouldn't be allowed to stay away or box cautious, he'd have to "mix-it" and Cerdan hit harder, plane and simple and Hopkins wouldn't escape that... Cerdan wears him down early through middle rounds and I regret to say "wipes him out" KO mid to late round if not earlier!!!

Hopkins to prove his "true" greatness I think he has to take back the title and finish with impressive defeats against the BIGGER boys where he truely belongs - Jones, Tarver or Johnson!

That's my feeling on Bernard and with respect to past greats who HAD to compete like this. Yours, Jim.

Man; this is another tough one.
You guys don't throw any softballs, that's for sure.
As much as I respect Bernard-Cerdan wins it here, IMO.
I'll take Cerdan pulling it out late as I think he would have been too strong for the ultra lean Hopkins.
Cerdan was a better fighter than Bernard-but Bernard had the physical advantages in height and reach.
But; I don't think it's enough to hold Cerdan off the entire way as he would put in his shots over and under Bernard's and win a 15 round decision.
Karl

No way is Hopkins going to take this guy. Cerdan was one formidable fighter. Strong as an ox, fast and hard hitting. There would be no easy rounds for Hopkins in this fight. I have the frenchman among my top ten all time MWs.

Bernard won many fights to be sure, but I always looked at how he won and against who he won them against.

When he chose to campaign as a middleweight and avoid filling out his frame of 6'1" to a 175lbs, he was a 6'1" man who weighed between 157-160lbs. Then by fighttime God knows what he weighed at 6'1" to dominate much shorter fighters who were still at 160.

If the same day weigh in rule was enforced with a restriction of gaining no more than 6 pounds a lot of these guys would end up where they belong, which is to say, in the next division or two divisions up.

Marcel Cerdan beats Bernard Hopkins the middleweight at middleweight, wears him down, beats him up and tko's him in a go, go go, make him fight beating. If Hopkins was restricted to a "Fight's off" not even an ounce permitted over same day weigh in 160 and another weigh in that night not an ounce permitted over 166 then Cerdan wins.

If it is this bullshit today that lets them come in at 173 v a 60 pounder then who knows.

I see all of the older great Middles beating Hopkins. Hopkins was a very good champ, but not in the Robinson, Monzon, Cerdan, Lamotta, Hagler league