http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/sport/more_sport/article378 5166.ece
Joe Calzaghe confirms his greatness after climbing off the floor to raise the roof
Ron Lewis Las Vegas
What makes Joe Calzaghe great is that he can win when things go wrong, triumph when matters conspire against him. Bernard Hopkins tried every trick in the book, from fouling to feigning injury, but still lost. Calzaghe outhustled the old street hustler.
It was not Calzaghe's best win, but it was his highest-profile one. It was also achieved in the toughest circumstances as he had to pick himself off the floor in the first minute. That would have led to panic for many a boxer, but not Calzaghe. The Welshman turned things around to win by a split points decision in his first bout at light-heavyweight, in his first bout in the United States and with three American judges. "I didn't box as well as I could, it was a bit of a messy fight," Calzaghe said. "Hopkins was very dirty on the inside. But I fought at a new weight for the first time, got put down and still managed to win, I'm very proud. I set myself a goal to come to America to fight and not just to fight here, but to win."
He won the world light-heavy-weight title as recognised by The Ring magazine and the claim to be the linear champion. The attendance of 14,213 at the Thomas & Mack Centre was more than 1,000 up on the crowd Ricky Hatton pulled in for his win over José Luis Castillo at the same venue in June last year.
Calzaghe is unbeaten in 45 bouts as a professional - four short of the record of Rocky Marciano - has been a world champion at super-middleweight for 10½ years and counting (he holds the WBC, WBA, WBO and The Ring titles) and now has a claim to being the world's No 1 light-heavyweight.
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"I'm not going to call myself a legend and say how great I am," Calzaghe said in a barbed reference to Hopkins. "I feel that I'm very proud of what I've achieved. When I turned pro with my dad as my trainer, people laughed. But now we've shown them."
Calzaghe was a strong favourite but had the worst possible start. A minute in, he was caught square on by a short right hand from Hopkins and found himself on the canvas for only the third time in his career. "I fell straight into the trap," Calzaghe said. "He caught me flush. When I got back to the corner, Dad was ranting and raving. I told him I slipped - I don't think he bought it."
At 43, Hopkins, could not take proper advantage, but continued to get through with the right until Calzaghe adjusted his tactics to negate its effect.
Hopkins backed up constantly, trying to counter-punch. The American held up close and was allowed to get away with plenty of holding by Joe Cortez, the referee, who had infuriated Hatton with the handling of his bout against Floyd Mayweather Jr in December. Hopkins often led with his head, punched in clinches and hit low on the referee's blind side.
But Calzaghe was gaining control with his workrate and handspeed and in the tenth round, with Hopkins tired, the American showed his talent for gamesmanship, turning away and claiming a phantom low blow. Cortez allowed the American a break of about four minutes and another minute in the eleventh when he claimed another invisible foul.
"After six or seven rounds, I felt him struggling," Calzaghe said. "He couldn't handle the pace so he took a rest and the referee allowed it." But Calzaghe finished the stronger, to make sure of the decision.
Afterwards Hopkins claimed victory and failed to acknowledge Calzaghe, refusing even to touch gloves with the Welshman at the start of the last round.
Hopkins's famed brag that he would "never lose to a white man" was proved wrong and Calzaghe, who - admirably - had never risen to the racial tone, could not resist a dig in the ring. "I said, 'What's it like to get your a*** kicked by a white guy?' " Calzaghe said. "He didn't say much."
