Classic Quote: Bernard Hopkins On Floyd in 2007
“What Mayweather
Mayweahter doesn’t understand is whether you got a good offense that makes a good defense.. The bottom line is who use their offense and defense first becomes the victorious. When it’s all said and done, offense don’t mean nothing if the defense is not there to offset what he does to you. Or what he tries to do to you. So it’s hand in hand. It’s who execute their ability first. What Floyd should have said – even though he can say what he wanna say because he’s grown and he’s rich – is that he’s gonna be the better man with the better defense and with the better offense. But to say a good offense beats a good defense or a good defense beats a better offense – and you’re lacking the other. Well, De La Hoya has both. You’re putting all your eggs on one thing. De La Hoya brings both things to the table.”
“A good bigger man always beats a good little man. Name one fight that Floyd – fortunately or unfortunately – where he’s had adversity. When did Floyd, with your knowledge, been backed up against the wall. Have had an eye swollen. Sitting in the corner and he’s looking and saying, man. I don’t remember Floyd being in that position.”
“We all know that Floyd is not a puncher. Has never been a puncher. I respect a puncher who has a chance any second of a fight. Than a flashy, quick handed fighter that has 40 plus minutes to survive. And a puncher has one crack.”
“Floyd’s never been in a position to say I’m losing this fight. I gotta win it. That’s the element of surprise. It’s a helluva thing to learn on the job training. Helluva thing to realize, I never been here before! That’s what makes great fighters. Let’s see if he’s great (on May 5). Let’s see if he’s great.”
“When the bigger man is bigger, taller, has longer arms, you take three BB shots to fit one bazooka in there. If Floyd doesn’t get the bigger man to respect him – that means he has to hurt the bigger man. Early. If that will work. But he has to at least hurt him early to understand, Hey, you comin’ in here recklessly, this is gonna happen. I don’t care who it is, if you know a guy can crack, I don’t care who it is, even me, you gonna think a split second, a quarter of a second, okay. When I go in there I have to go with my head tilted a little bit more. I gotta make sure he miss – and then hit. But you’re still thinking, right? It’s all you need to make a guy reset his mind and then he’ll reset his body. And then he resets what he’s gonna do. And with that much time you can do what you want to do. And just play that fiddle all the way till the fight is over.”
