Calzaghe-Hopkins is now official

[mrjohnnynofear]

http://www.secondsout.com/USA/news.cfm?ccs=229&cs=23687

Its Official-Joe Calzaghe will face American Bernard Hopkins in his light-heavyweight debut at the Thomas And Mack Center in Las Vegas on April 19.

Promoter Frank Warren made the announcement at a press conference in London and confirmed the bout will a non title 12 rounder.

The 35 year-old undisputed super-middleweight champion is undefeated in 44 fights,over 15 years as a professional and hopes a win over Hopkins will lead him to a clash with either the winner of the upcoming Jermain Taylor and Kelly Pavlik or with former pound for pound king Roy Jones Jnr,before finally hanging up his gloves.


http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/boxing/7172156.stm

Calzaghe seals Hopkins showdown

Bernard Hopkins taunted Joe Calzaghe in Las Vegas last month
Joe Calzaghe's super-fight with Bernard Hopkins will take place in Las Vegas on 19 April, it has been confirmed.
The non-title bout will see undisputed super-middleweight champion Calzaghe, 35, step up to light-heavyweight and fight in America for the first time.

Hopkins, 43, is widely regarded as the best in the world at the 175lb limit.

"This is a dream come true. People always ask me 'when are you going to America?' and now they've got their answer," said Calzaghe.


Interview: Joe Calzaghe

"I won't be taking Hopkins lightly, but I believe I have the tools to beat him."

The fighters, who will meet at the Thomas and Mack Centre, squared up in Vegas last month at the weigh-in for the Ricky Hatton versus Floyd Mayweather contest.

Pound-for-pound great Hopkins said he "would never let a white boy beat me" as he tried to taunt 10-year champion Calzaghe, who laughed off his boasts.

606: DEBATE
Hopkins is going to look a proper fool when Calzaghe beats him

celtic_craig123

Calzaghe said the atmosphere generated by the many thousands of Hatton fans in Las Vegas persuaded him to seek a debut fight on American soil.

"I owe to the fans and myself to have at least one fight in America before I retire," Calzaghe told BBC Sport.

"That's the only thing missing from my record. I've been wondering for years if it would happen and finally it is going to happen.

"I've taken a big leap and I'm looking forward to going there. I wouldn't take this big leap if I didn't think 100% in my heart I would win the fight."

Calzaghe's promoter Frank Warren last week confirmed the deal had been done to bring his man and Hopkins together.

"It's taken a lot of hard work but I'm delighted that we have a deal," said Warren at a media conference to announce the date and venue for the fight on Wednesday.

"I've always wanted Joe to fight Hopkins, because I believe he has the beating of him.

"We've seen in the past how many British fight fans have gone to America to see fights involving our guys, and I'm sure people will go in their thousands again."

BOXING'S 10-YEAR CHAMPIONS
Joe Louis, 1937-49
Archie Moore, 1952-62
Julio Cesar Chavez, 1984-94
Azumah Nelson, 1984-94
Ricardo Lopez, 1990-2001
Bernard Hopkins, 1995-2005
Joe Calzaghe, 1997-

New York had been suggested as a host city, with Yankee Stadium and Madison Square Garden mooted as venues.

But the extra glitz and capacity offered by the super-hotels and casinos of Las Vegas has won the day.

Newbridge-born Calzaghe has long been after a super-fight against former middleweight king Hopkins.

The Welshman has won all of his 44 fights, with 32 knockouts, and in his last outing he beat Mikkel Kessler to add the WBC and WBA titles to his WBO belt.

Hopkins, known as 'The Executioner', has a record of 48 wins, four defeats and one draw, and is one of only seven men (including Calzaghe) to have held world titles for 10 years.

The American's last two fights have been at light-heavyweight, where he secured unanimous points victories over Ronald Wright (July 2007) and Antonio Tarver (June 2006).

All of Calzaghe's fights have been at super-middleweight, but he believes the extra weight will benefit rather than hinder him.

"My biggest strength is my speed and I don't believe that will be blunted," said the 2007 BBC Sports Personality of the Year.

"Even at 12st 7lb (light-heavyweight limit) I'll be struggling to get down to that weight - 12st (super-middleweight limit) only takes away my strength and punching power.

"So I believe the extra seven pounds will add to my strength and punching power. It's not a case of building up to light-heavyweight, it's just a case of not killing myself so much."




Nice to see that Calzaghe will get to silence critics by coming to America to fight. Calzaghe and Hopkins are 2 of the toughest boxers to gameplan for. Should be a good one. Go Joe!

 

[Charles Martel]

Go Joe!

I want to see Bernard eat his words about never letting a "white boy" beat him.


. Edited by: JD1986

 

[Angelcynn]

Calzaghe has the chance to humiliate Hopkins! I'm going to have to put at least £25 on Calzaghe to win this.

 

[pt.guard2]

This will be a more difficult fight than Lacy and maybe even Kessler. Hopkins is a skilled fighter and extremely crafty but Joe C's hand speed and punch output should carry the fight and I am confident he will win.

 

[white is right]

There is almost no way Hopkins can win this fight. His work rate isn't good enough anymore and he isn't the bigger stronger guy. Also his power which was respectable seems to have diminished as he has aged. Still this could be a very good fight because Hopkins is very crafty.

 

[pt.guard2]

Hope you are correct, WIR.....although Hopkins has fought at light heavyweight......major concern for Calzaghe may be overcoming the judges in Las Vegas.

 

[whiteathlete33]

I cant wait to see Hopkins get knocked out. One thing worries me is that Joe is stepping up in weight.

 

[Maple Leaf]

I cant wait to see Hopkins get knocked out. One thing worries me is that Joe is stepping up in weight.

Hopkins spent most of his career at 160lbs, Calzaghe fights at 168. Weight is not an issue.

 

[Charles Martel]

That's correct, size is not an issue.

Strange things, crooked things happen in Las Vegas, such as Wlad getting drugged when he fought there, and the ref not letting Hatton fight in close.

What may happen with the referee has me worried. The ref may let Hopkins get away with every dirty trick he wants to use - he's sure to try to cut Joe with a sneaky headbutt, like he did to Wright. In that fight, the ref did nothing to stop B-Hop from doing what he wanted to the mixed-race Winky.

Then, if Joe deserves to win a decision, there's the Las Vegas boxing judges such as Jerry Roth, who robbed De La Hoya of the last round in the Mayweather fight. Roth was one of the three who robbed Castillo in Mayweather vs. Castillo I, and the one with the strange scorecard in Hopkins vs. Taylor I.Edited by: JD1986

 

[Maple Leaf]

JD1986:

I share your concerns. Joe has to be twice as good as Hopkins to win. The thing is though, he is. Hopkins throwing 20 punches per round is not going to beat Joe's 60-80 and possibly 100! Even crooked judges can't take that away from him.

 

[mrjohnnynofear]

JD1986:

I share your concerns. Joe has to be twice as good as Hopkins to win. The thing is though, he is. Hopkins throwing 20 punches per round is not going to beat Joe's 60-80 and possibly 100! Even crooked judges can't take that away from him.

You'd be suprised, Maple Leaf. There's always some give and take in negotiations with promoters. The unfortunate thing with this is that Joe is coming up from 168 to 175 which "techincally" means he is not the champ. Which also means that Joe may have had to give up a few things for the fight to happen. I would like to know the ref, judges, gloves, ring size, etc. I sure hope Frank Warren did some good negotiating with Hopkins/De La Hoya. Hatton sure could have used Warren because he got shafted on ALL sides. Cortez was the ref, Floyd got all of his judges he wanted, gloves were of his not Hatton's liking, ring size was big. But I know the judges gave a round to Hopkins when he was fighting Taylor (second time) where he only THREW 15 punches in that round and Jermaine had control of the round. Not taking anything away from Hopkins. He, like Calzaghe, are future hall of famers. But what I am afraid of is that Warren may have given up some of the smaller details to make the fight happen.

 

[Angelcynn]

Whiteathlete33, realisticly I don't see Calzaghe knocking out Hopkins. Basically if Hopkins wants to win he's going to have to KO Calzaghe. Otherwise Calzaghe should easily win on points because he has the superior boxing skills (faster, quicker, more intellgent and much more elusive than Hopkins) although Hopkins possesses far more power. Calzaghe should out punch Hopkins about 4-1 giving Calzaghe more points on the scorecard. Calzaghe also has excellent stamina, his training involves a hell of a lot of intense jogging around the beacons of south Wales, something that Hopkins lacks and which partially let down Lacy.

I'm going to predict Calzaghe with a unanimus points decision. Basically, Calaghe will completely out box and out work Hopkins with those so called slaps!Edited by: TheEnglishman

 

[Maple Leaf]

Johnny:

Hopkins lost his title in Nevada to Taylor and he lost the re-match the same way. Hopkins did not get special treatment there. Taylor beat Hopkins by simply jabbing and firing many more punches than Hopkins -especially in the first 7 rounds. Taylor's fight plan was simple and it worked. At fight time Hopkins will be 44 years old.

Do we really need a comparison between Taylor and Calzaghe? I did not think so. Anything Taylor can do Calzaghe can do better. I am not just saying that because Calzaghe is white. Calzaghe is phenominal.


Basically, ask yourself the question: if Taylor can beat Hopkins twice why can't Calzaghe beat him once?Edited by: Maple Leaf

 

[JD074]

Here's some footage of Hopkins' racist remarks, in case anyone hasn't seen it yet:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NtB0gD6O_Ak&feature=related

 

[JD074]

In that fight, the ref did nothing to stop B-Hop from doing what he wanted to the mixed-race Winky.

Come on now. I hope you're not implying that the ref showed favoritism to Hopkins because he was darker than his black opponent. That would be pretty crazy.

 

[JD074]

JD1986:

I share your concerns. Joe has to be twice as good as Hopkins to win. The thing is though, he is. Hopkins throwing 20 punches per round is not going to beat Joe's 60-80 and possibly 100! Even crooked judges can't take that away from him.

But what if several of those 20 punches are nasty right hand counters, similar to what Kessler landed in the first half of their fight? I know he doesn't hit as hard as Kessler, but if he lands those right hands hard enough, it could sway the judges. Yes, Calzaghe should win. He's faster and more active. But Hopkins is good against southpaws and he has a good right hand. Calzaghe can't be sloppy, and he can't get countered with big right hands.

 

[Maple Leaf]

Here's some footage of Hopkins' racist remarks, in case anyone hasn't seen it yet:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NtB0gD6O_Ak&feature=related

The blacks/africans and their white idolizers that think Hopkins has the upper hand after these comments are delusional. Hopkins would not have said it so many times if he wasn't fuming and tensed-up inside. Actually Calzaghe has the physchological advantage here knowing Hopkins is enraged knowing he doesn't have what it takes to beat him.

 

[Maple Leaf]

JD1986:

I share your concerns. Joe has to be twice as good as Hopkins to win. The thing is though, he is. Hopkins throwing 20 punches per round is not going to beat Joe's 60-80 and possibly 100! Even crooked judges can't take that away from him.

But what if several of those 20 punches are nasty right hand counters, similar to what Kessler landed in the first half of their fight? I know he doesn't hit as hard as Kessler, but if he lands those right hands hard enough, it could sway the judges. Yes, Calzaghe should win. He's faster and more active. But Hopkins is good against southpaws and he has a good right hand. Calzaghe can't be sloppy, and he can't get countered with big right hands.

Which southpaws are you talking about? Calzaghe is not like them.

Hopkin's win over Tarver wasn't anything special considering Tarver didn't fight; Tarver threw very few punches: he didn't do anything. Tarver was always stalking, stalking, stalking, and pawing, pawing, pawing with his jab. What was he calculating? The wrinkles and stretch marks on Hopkins' face? The worst part about Tarver's performance is he kept positioning himself to get hit with Hopkins one and only distant power punch: the overhand right. That was the punch that bothered Taylor in the late rounds of the two Taylor/Hopkins fights.

If a guy is going to be a southpaw, then be a goddam southpaw and move to the right to set up the straight left. That dope Tarver stood either directly in front of Hopkins or slightly to Hopkin's right: perfect place for Hopkin's overhand right. Enzo Calzaghe is too smart for this, he has Joe trained to spin to the right all the time. Hopkins is going to face six jabs in a row and then a straight left to his tilted and dented forehead. Come on Joe, let 'em have it. Give it to 'em Joe; give it to 'em.




Edited by: Maple Leaf

 

[whiteathlete33]

Hopkins lost to Jermain Taylor twice. Anyone know how close those fights were?

 

[Amren.com]

Hopkins lost to Jermain Taylor twice. Anyone know how close those fights were?

Without looking I think they were both close, especially the first one. On this page B Hop's latest fights are discussed...

http://boxing.about.com/od/records/a/hopkins.htm

 

[mrjohnnynofear]

Johnny:

Hopkins lost his title in Nevada to Taylor and he lost the re-match the same way. Hopkins did not get special treatment there. Taylor beat Hopkins by simply jabbing and firing many more punches than Hopkins -especially in the first 7 rounds. Taylor's fight plan was simple and it worked. At fight time Hopkins will be 44 years old.

Do we really need a comparison between Taylor and Calzaghe? I did not think so. Anything Taylor can do Calzaghe can do better. I am not just saying that because Calzaghe is white. Calzaghe is phenominal.


Basically, ask yourself the question: if Taylor can beat Hopkins twice why can't Calzaghe beat him once?

I agree with you on everything you said, Maple Leaf. My main worry is just about it being a Golden Boy Production. I agree Taylor won the fight but I just felt that there were some round going to Hopkins that should have gone to Taylor. But if Joe does what he usually does, it won't even matter. Very good points, Maple Leaf

 

[Guest]

Regardin the first Taylor/Hopkins fight, Hopkins was robbed. If Hopkins had been a 'white boy' and champ for that many years and Taylor got the decision based on his ring generalship, many people on this site would have been up in arms. Hopkins won that first fight based on ring generalship and effective punches landed.

The second fight, I agree Taylor won. Regarding the up coming fight, "Joe C. Wales" should have no problem as long as he fires punches in bunches and watches out for Hopkins counter rights. Go Joe!

 

[Maple Leaf]

Regardin the first Taylor/Hopkins fight, Hopkins was robbed. If Hopkins had been a 'white boy' and champ for that many years and Taylor got the decision based on his ring generalship, many people on this site would have been up in arms. Hopkins won that first fight based on ring generalship and effective punches landed.

The second fight, I agree Taylor won. Regarding the up coming fight, "Joe C. Wales" should have no problem as long as he fires punches in bunches and watches out for Hopkins counter rights. Go Joe!

Taylor overwhelmingly landed more punches than Hopkins did for 7 straight rounds. Hopkins didn't punch enough. In one round he only punched 8 times. Even if Taylor had lost the final 5 rounds he still won as it is best out of 12.

 

[ToughJ.Riggins]

I am psyched for this fight! I want to see Joe C one of the greatest fighters ever beat up on trash talking Hopkins. This is especially so after Hopkins racist comments. Joe C could arguably be the best P4P fighter in the rankings, overtaking Mayweather if he dominates Hopkins like I think he can. Calzaghe is quick as lightning. Go Welshman, he's Celtic like me!

In the Pavlik-Taylor 2 fight I am pulling for Pavlik, but not hard. I respect Taylor as a fighter and person and if Taylor wins match 2 we can expect a Pavlik-Taylor 3 and then I'd really be pulling for Pavlik. This is good for boxing; two of the greatest P4P fighters putting up close fights against each other and yes I do enjoy the black-white rivalry some and this does not make me racist!Edited by: ToughJ.Riggins

 

[Guest]

TJR I agree with you, Taylor is one of the few blk fighters I respect. But I still want Pavlik to crush him. I hope Taylor is not permenently hurt. Regarding Hopkins, I hope Joe C. Wales puts a tremendous hurt on him. I can not wait for that fight.