Bernard Hopkins vs. Jermain Taylor, July 16 Exclusively on HBO Pay Per View
Jim Lampley's Breakdown: Hopkins vs. Taylor
Posted: 2005-07-14 19:01:25
He's the legendary voice of HBO sports and a three-time Sports Emmy winner. Since 1988, Jim Lampley has provided the blow-by-blow account of HBO's "World Championship Boxing" as well as "Boxing After Dark" and "HBO Pay Per View." A member of the World Boxing Hall of Fame, Lampley will be on-hand for Saturday night's showdown between Bernard Hopkins and Jermain Taylor. But before he sits ringside, Lampley took a moment to break down this much-anticipated fight.
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| Category | Bernard Hopkins | Jermain Taylor | Edge |
|---|---|---|---|
| Power | Bernard has sneaky power. His power comes from his ability to set his punches up, most especially his straight right counterpunch, that's his most effective weapon. | Jermain is a bigger hitter in every category. He's got a big jab, big right cross. He's a man-sized puncher for this division. | Taylor |
| Speed | Jermain is faster, but Bernard is just as quick on the inside. Speed and quickness go hand in hand. Bernard is a quick counterpuncher inside and he's show the ability to take away an opponent's speed. | Jermain has faster feet and faster hands and at this point is a faster fighter. | Slight Edge to Taylor |
| Physical Attributes | Only a great champ like Hopkins would be willing to take on an opponent who is younger, bigger, faster and hits harder. Bernard is the craftiest, most finished fighter in the sport and the questions is whether Jermain can penetrate. No one has done that in 12 years. | In terms of physical attributes, Jermain is relatively wet behind the ears, but he is younger, bigger, faster and stronger. | Taylor |
| Defense | Definitely Bernard's category. He is one of the two or three great defenders in the sport. He has the ability to stand wherever he wants and command the fight from a distance. | Jermain Taylor hasn't proved his defensive prowess yet like Bernard has. | Big Edge to Hopkins |
| Intangibles | Hopkins guile and will, his skill inside, his ring generalship for lack of a better word squares against a kid who is potentially dominant physically. You don't get a better fight than this. Bernard Hopkins is the No. 1 pound-for-pound fighter because of the intangibles. | Does Jermain really know how to believe in himself and can he master his capabilities? Can he stare Bernard down? No one has done that in 12 years. | Hopkins |
Jim Lampley's Bottom Line: I don't like to predict fights I announce and you don't know who's going to win a boxing match until you meet them the day before and even then you dont' know until you look into their eyes. Leaving aside a flat-out prediction, I predict we will see a fight unlike any other in Bernard Hopkins long career. It will be the first time in his whole career he's had to use all his intangibles to beat a physically superior opponent.
2005-06-03 18:41:15
