50/50 fight. I would favor and pick Ward, but there's no way this is going to be easy for either fighters.
I would never bet against either of these guys, so I could see myself sitting this one out regarding money on the table. With that said, Zags by decision won on workrate and being the better athlete.
Calzaghe is spot on in his relatively short assessment. His rhythm, angles, volume, accuracy and especially relentless engine would all be a huge issue for Ward.
Since this is pro boxing I reckon whoever still has a dusty passport after the fight also still has their zero intact. In an ideal world with neutral venue, ref, judges then Ward UD all day, albeit in an ugly manner.
Pickem fight in my opinion. I could see Calzaghe's fast hands and workrate winning him a UD but then again Ward was a guy that always found a way to win as well. I could see him countering Joe effectively and take a UD. I'm going full on chicken**** and calling this one a draw.
To quote Larry Merchant, " Death by 1,000 left hands". I think he said something like that in a Pacquiao fight. Too much speed, too much workrate, too much southpaw for Ward. I honestly don't think it will be too close. 8-4 Calzaghe.
People in here cry on how how certain fighter's at the age of 35 are past thier best, slowing down and close to begin "shot" ggg and kova are perfect examples, so Hopkins at almost 44 years old we might consider him more than shot dont you think?? Or is it only with fighters that benefit doing excuses for?
For all his 'dare to be great' propaganda, Ward was very careful with his opposition and fight circumstances. This is the guy who dragged Paul Smith up from MW and over to Oakland. Who dragged Dawson down a weight division. Whatever the the truth is about the GGG fight, Ward clearly didn't make that fight easy to make by any means. He had everything in his favour versus Kov and he took his ball and went home after that. The point is, Ward loved to have ADVANTAGES all the time, be they stylistic or hometown edge or even weight draining or size. So I'm not convinced he would even fight Calzaghe, certainly at 175lbs, unless Calzaghe was shot or under a crippling drain clause. But Calzaghe would almost certainly win since Ward can't KO him or wear him out with spoiler tactics and Calzaghe is fast enough and flurries enough to score more, even if some of the blows are slappies.
