Joe Calzaghe vs Bernard Hopkins

[Darth Marty]

Styles make fights Shaggy, doubt theres been more than a hadful of enjoyable Hopkins fights throughout his career, hes the definitive spoiler.

[Shaggy]

Oh aye I know...spoiling cunt. It was never gonna be pretty but I hoped Joe would land some cleaner shots/combinations.

How that judge had him five rounds ahead I'll never know. I had it in Calzone's favour by one or two rounds.

[Taffy]

Well done to Joe in what proved to be a very difficult fight!

I'm made up for Joe having gone out there and got the decision in the way he did - the knockdown caught him off guard and you could tell he learnt from that pretty quick! Hopkins' style makes it almost impossible to have a good, entertaining fight, and with no help from the ref made it even more difficult for Joe. I just can't believe he let Hopkins get away with all the holding on and dirty tactics he used regularly!?

He made the most of the low blow by using the 5 minutes allowed and also tried it on on a smaller scale later in the fight too! How he got away with the dirty tricks, like using his head and holding on every time Joe got involved, I don't know, and Cortez is meant to be one of the best refs out there?! I don't think I want to ever see another Hopkins fight again if he carries on after this - which I doubt though!

Considering he had a disasterous first round I think Joe did very well under the circumstances to turn it around, but even after the final bell I still had my doubts that he'd get the decision, but the judges obviously consider the forward working fighter - being out in the USA I feared the worst if it went the distance, and I didn't think he'd got in until I heard the decision! Saying that, I did feel Joe did enough to win in the end, but with it being in Vegas I wasn't at all convinced!

Fantastic result for Joe - and that's what was important in the end. He deserves a good rest now and needs time to assess what his next move should be. If he wants a big final pay-day then Roy Jones Jnr is the way to go, but we'll have to just wait and see I guess! Well done Joe!

[Howard_lfc]

I wouldn't have complained if the decision had gone the other way.
Calzaghe tried to take the fight to BH but all of the telling punches came back his way. I was a little shocked at the lack of power in JC's punches which will haunt him if he decides to continue his trade at light heavy weight.
I think Roy Jones would KO JC.

Regarding Cortez - yes he was crap again. But how a fighter like JC can go over to America to fight their fella and have an american ref and three american judges is beyond me. Ok he got the decision, which partly vindicates their appointment/impartiality but when there so much money riding on the outcome of the fight surely using neutral officials is the way to go.

[felly]

Calzaghe, Hopkins Verbally Collide at Presse conference

By Mark Vester

The post-fight press conference to Joe Calzaghe's split-decision win over Bernard Hopkins was full of harsh words from both sides. When Hopkins took the podium to speak with the media at the Thomas & Mack Center in Las Vegas, he attacked the decision, the CompuBox punch stats that favored Calzaghe by over 200 landed punches and for good measure he threw a few verbal jabs at Calzaghe.

"Everybody got eyes, I don't have to explain. One thing about life and TV and they can analyze and they can talk about it. Remember I'm 43-years-old. No excuses that I'm 43-years-old. I think I showed something. The only thing I can say is, look at it. I feel good physically and mentally. I think I won the fight. When it’s all said and done, history will reflect Bernard Hopkins (won). I got beat tonight, but it wasn’t by Joe Calzaghe and I can deal with that."

"I came back after the two Jermain Taylor fights to make history and to show that Bernard Hopkins still has a lot left in him and I showed that tonight. Remember I'm 43 and I fought like a young man tonight. After all the years of boxing and all of the achievements, I never got beat up in the ring. I proved tonight that Bernard Hopkins is one of those legendary fighters who will be talked about for a long time. I showed old school thinking tonight."

"I think if the CompuBox count was accurate, I should look like the Elephant man right now. I'm not a cute guy. If a man threw 300 puncehs and he landed 200 my nose should be wear my ears are at. If they say so that he landed 200 (more) punches. The one thing about videotape is that a lot of people can judge. He got a split-decision in the United States after a knockdown. I would have never got that in Wales and ya'll know that. Reverse the whole facts. I would have never got what he got here, in Wales. He was in the hardest fight of his life with a 43-year-old man. I told you I would bust him up. That I would take him back to the amateurs, (he was) throwing punches like my sister."

Moments later, Calzaghe would fire back and respond to the comments Hopkins made to him last December, when he told Joe that he would "never lose to a white boy."

"You lost man. Everybody knows you lost. You lost to a white boy. A white boy kicked your ass. A white boy kicked your ass baby. A white boy kicked your ass," Calzaghe said.

Enzo Calzaghe, father and trainer of Joe, also had some choice words for Hopkins.

"Bottom line, the referee is from his own country. This is not something stolen out of Britain. It's in his own country, his own turf, his own land - (that) gave him a huge defeat. That speaks for itself. Joe won quite satisfactory. It was a battle. He showed the heart of a champion. He went down in the first round and weathered the storm," Enzo said.

[Joe King]

The fight of two different styles proved to be one of the most disappointing fights of the year so far. Much was said about Hopkins' counter punching style and Calzaghe's combination punching yet both found it very difficult to break each other down and dominate rounds.

Calzaghe's knockdown in the first round didn't prove to have had any part of the result but it showed that Calzaghe has an extremely strong chin. Hopkins throughout the fight looked like he could win on points with that on the judges minds which you can understand but it doesn't give the most startling experience for the viewer.

Much has been said about Cortes's performance and again, he failed to give a good account of himself. You know he read the papers the day after his atrocious performance in the Mayweather-Hatton fight. 'Firm but fair' was his introduction which seems rather cheesy and stupid as referees should have no part in this fight in terms of being part of the spectacle. Lets leave the nicknames to the boxers.

CompuBox, the HBO statistics database (think Opta Stats for the Premiership) said Calzaghe landed more than a 100 more punches than Hopkins yet that stat is very deceiving. It certainly didn't look like Hopkins was hurt by Calzaghe's jabs (besides the 'low blow') Proves how much the Americans love their stats. http://www.compuboxonline.com/stat_f...e-hopkins.html

The points decision startles me still even when looking back at the fight. I didn't feel there wasn't much between the boxers in the rounds 7-11. One judge gave it 116-111 which gives the indication that Calzaghe dominated the fight. Bizarre.

It will be interesting to see who Calzaghe decides to go for next. I still feel he can be one of the pound for pound boxers in the world if he takes on the undefeated undisputed middleweight champion Kelly Pavlik whose orthodox style might prove to be a match for all boxing fanatics. Pavlik, meanwhile, is currently preparing for fellow Welshman Gary Lockett for the WBC, WBO, and Ring magazine belts on July 7th, 2008 in New Jersey.

[felly]

So, who do want to see Calzaghe fight next.

RJJ?
Pavlik?

[Joe King]

I want him to fight Pavlik. Bigger fight in terms of credibility.

[Warren]

Calzaghe would destroy Pavlik
Pavlik wouldn't be able to cope with a southpaw that throws as many good
punches as JC

[Joe King]

Calzaghe would destroy Pavlik
Pavlik wouldn't be able to cope with a southpaw that throws as many good
punches as JC

Although Pavlik's double jab is very lethal.

[Chris]

Calzaghe would destroy Pavlik

Agreed, Pavlik doesn't need him anyway, he's got the likes of Abraham to take care of at 160 first before making the move up.

Him moving up, getting schooled, losing his 0 is just an utterly pointless fight at this stage. Shame Joe isn't a few years younger as it could be a cracker in 2 or 3 years but not now.

[Joe King]

Roy Jones would be a fight which would have been a spectacle a few years ago but needless to say, if Calzaghe wants one more fight in the US, this might the one although I would like him to fight Pavlik. I just want to see if Pavlik can push as one of the best in boxing today.

[felly]

Not sure who id like to see him fight the most. Id like to see him fight Pavlik, but id also like to see him fight Jones as he is a legend. Its a shame the Jones fight didnt get the go-ahead a few years ago.

[Joe King]

I'd like Calzaghe to fight Pavlik as well however it might be difficult for Pavlik to make the step up to super middleweight. Roy Jones Jnr was the man in the 90s. Unbeaten and beating the likes of Hopkins, Mosley, world champion at four different weight classes.

[Hollowman]

Joe won't fight at 168 again, so the Pavlik fight isn't going to happen.

A fight with Jones would be a better spectacle than the Hopkins fight. And Tarver would be easy money too.