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| Bernard Hopkins, left, meets unbeaten Joe Calzaghe in Las Vegas on Saturday |
Wallace Matthews: Except for two very narrow defeats to Jermain Taylor, Bernard Hopkins hasn’t lost a fight in 15 years. And that was to a Roy Jones Jr. in his prime. I’m not even convinced he lost the second Taylor fight. He may be 43, but he’s well-rested, having spent 10 of those years in jail, and his track record against guys previously thought unbeatable—Trinidad, Wright, De La Hoya, Tarver--is damned near impeccable. Calzaghe is younger, but at 36 not all that young, has fast hands but is a wide puncher, and just seems ripe for another Hopkins upset. I go with the Old Man on a split decision.
Mike Rose: If this were a few years ago, I'd say Joe Calzaghe calling Bernard Hopkins, 'Popkins,' would be a recipe for disaster for the Welshman. But Hopkins is 43. Calzaghe, however, is 36 so it's not like he's a young fighter either. I just think Calzaghe is too active and throws punches from too many angles for Hopkins to handle. There are people who will counter with the fact that Calzaghe has never fought in the U.S. and hasn't fought a fighter of Hopkins' caliber. And I have learned never to bet against Hopkins. He's a smart fighter. I'm sure he's hoping Calzaghe throws a ton of punches, Calzaghe tires and he takes advantage. I believe Hopkins' only chance is to tie up Calzaghe as much as possible, sneak in some punches and play defense. Therefore, I'm picking Calzaghe by unanimous decision.
Marcus Henry: The Bernard Hopkins-Joe Calzaghe fight has legacy written all over it. For Hopkins (48-4-1, 32 KOs), it’s a chance to prove once and for all that he deserves to be among boxing’s immortals. Not that Hopkins has to prove anything. The Philadelphia native has beaten everyone from Oscar De La Hoya to Antonio Tarver to Winky Wright to Felix Trinidad (in his prime). But a win over Europe’s best pound-for-pound fighter could be what etches him in stone as one of boxing’s greats with the likes of Roberto Duran, Sugar Ray Leonard, etc…
For Calzaghe (44-0, 32 KOs), it’s a chance to prove he’s the real deal. Don’t get me wrong, Calzaghe has had a marvelous career, which was highlighted by his unanimous decision victory over Mikkel Kessler last November. With victories over Kessler and Jeff Lacy under his belt, Calzaghe doesn’t have much to prove. But he’s never fought in the United States and has never taken on an opponent the caliber of Hopkins.
As for the fight, Calzaghe has one thing going for him, youth. Considering his age (36), that’s a relative thing. But Hopkins is 43 and Calzaghe needs to take advantage of that. But Hopkins has proven to be the Energizer Bunny, going the distance in seven of his last eight fights against opponents in both the middleweight and light heavyweight divisions. If Calzaghe allows Hopkins to work inside, it’s going to be a long fight that ends with the Executioner raising his hands in victory. If Calzaghe can dictate the pace and keep the taller Hopkins on the outside, he could score the upset. But I don’t see that happening. Hopkins will use his experience to get inside and beat up Calzaghe’s mid section. PREDICTION: Hopkins in a unanimous decision.
Robert Cassidy: I'm still annoyed that this fight is not taking place in Yankee Stadium, which Hopkins was pushing for. But that's for another blog. In one sense, B-Hop is a lot like Evander Holyfield. The fights in which it seems obvious to pick against him, he finds a way to win. I think that's the case here. Calzaghe seems to have youth, strength and stamina on his side. Of course, when we say youth, we are still talking about a 36-year-old.
Hopkins is a great counterpuncher and I think that's exactly why he'll beat Calzaghe. Joe will come in strong, throwing a lot of punches. But Bernard will dissect him. When the stakes are the highest, Hopkins raises his game. We have yet to see how Calzaghe will react under the intense pressure of a megafight in the United States. I pick Hopkins by unanimous decision.
Comments (12)
Didnt hopkins spew "never lose to a white boy"? I hope this guy gets his ass handed to him just for being a crude racist!
I'm going with Joe here. He's incredibly active and durable, and his unorthodox style could have Hopkins scrambling all fight for a way to stem the tide.
Pavlik used his constant jab and overall higher rate of activity to mute Taylor, who likes to throw punches himself. I see an even more exaggerated version of that fight here.
Hopkins cannot and will not fight for the whole three minutes of every round, but he will be forced to defend constantly, which is also tiring. So the idea that he can wait out Joe until he tires seems far-fetched.
The Americans don't seem to realise that just because a fighter hasn't fought in the U.S. they are somehow second rate?
The U.S. boxers like to call people like Calzaghe 'stay-at-home fighters'. - Well, what does that make most American fighters??? - exactly! Most Americans fight in America all their careers including the likes of Hopkins.
It made me laugh how people in America were surprised that Calzaghe beat Lacy - yet everyone in Europe and the rest of the world knew he would!
It will be the same after Saturday. 95% of the rest of the world know that Calzaghe will win!
Jim. Thanks for the post. It's not that we think European fighters are second rate. But on a whole, the competition here is better than in Europe. That's not being biased, it's just being truthful. I don't think Calzaghe is second-rate, I like him a lot. I just like Hopkins' style better in this fight. The truth is, Calzaghe has never fought anyone as good as Hopkins. Do you not think Hopkins is a great fighter? I also didn't think Ricky Hatton was a second-rate fighter. But I know a lot of British people who picked him to beat Mayweather. Enjoy the fight
Eurpoean fighters are SECOND rate. They are mostly B fighters. The top fighters in America will destroy European fighters. We have better competition here. Justa as European countries will beat us at soccer. We have stars over here that would not be stars over there. Look just face it. And even if Calzaghe beats Hopkins that doesnt change the fact. That just one fight. Im going with B-Hop.
If joe's dad is in the corner hopkins will lose "its time to shine joe" once he says those words hopkins will get picked appart.Im so happy joe beat hopkins is what i'll be saying sunday morning
Even though you can't mistake hopkins' record here, he is a great fighter, i think he is up against it here, a younger, fitter, stronger, faster fighter in calzaghe. People have said it his whole career ''he has'nt fought anyone worth mentioning'' etc. thats usually because he ends their careers or because americans have never heard of them, making them rubbish somehow. Kessler was an amazing fighter, lacy was thought to be the next big thing, eubank one of the best british fighters of all time, joe man handled them.
i can understand why people are betting against calzaghe but i am finding it hard in my mind to think of a way he's gunna lose, maybe a struggle in the weight gain, maybe gets caught wth a one hit wonder, maybe a bit reckless. we will see.
but if joe does pull off the win its gunna make my shift at work the next day a whole lot better lol.
Gotta go with my homeboy Joe!
Hopkins has spoiled his way through his fights over the past few years - this worries me a little and I hope that Cortez plays it down the line.
I can't really see any way that Hopkins can win... He's no 'one-punch' knockout artist, he's slower than Joe, older than Joe, doesn't throw half as many punches and will get outboxed by Joe.
Calzaghe always rises to the occassion and will not do a Hatton - and get so wound up that his fight plan goes out the window!
Joe by at least 4 rounds!
Couldn't agree with madman's football analogy more. Kessler was a physically impressive but unproven fighter. I fail to understand why Calzaghe didn't come fight Americans other than Lacey earlier in his career. I don't disagree that Joe is a good fighter, but his legacy, unbeaten or not, will be that he only fought one other legendary fighter in his career.
Hopkins, Hopkins... sorry, but I believe him over rated. Everyone is talking the talk about Hopkins being the class here but... Oscar De La Hoya? a former Super Feather weight with only one fights experience at Middle!!
Felix Trinidad... a Welterweight...
Winky Wright.... moving up to 170 pounds from Light Middle... for the first time...
and dont mention Tarver... I might have beaten Tarver that night... was just asleep...
That married to the losses he is NOT a legend... just a decent champ...
My only worry for Calzaghe is that BHop likes southpaws... but he also likes to fight at his pace and mess fighters around... Joe wont allow that and might make BHop look silly tbh... JC best fighter P4P imho
How is the competition in america better than in europe? some of u americans are really dis-illusioned
Calzaghe will win he's too fast for hopkins
hopkins throw 10-12 punches a round whilst in calzaghe throws over 1000 per fight
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