I don't think anyone needs to suffer and watch this fight again. If it did happen again though i would still favour Calzaghe to win the 2nd time round
Hopkins wins the rematch, something I have very little doubt about. I will be betting on this one if it happens.
Calzaghe again. Hopkins fought the most effective strategic fight he could the first go around, and it still wasn't enough. If he tries to open up more against Calzaghe like he did against Pavlik, it'd be more lopsided because the handspeed and workrate edge is still Calzaghe's. Trying to time him on counters, focusing on defense, and tying up on the inside after throwing one or two shots at the time was Bernard's best bet to win. If Hopkins himself didn't believe so, don't think for a second he'd have gone with that gameplan. After the first third of the fight, Calzaghe had timed and distanced Hopkins' lead shots and was scoring off of Hopkins failed counters, and it turned into an ugly fight of Hops trying to smother Joe literally to slow him down. The best aspect of Hopkins performance was certainly his defense, which leads me to this: If Bernard opens his offense up more, his defensive effectiveness would be negatively affected in a big way because Calzaghe throws faster and Joe would land significantly more in that scenario. He doesn't have the footspeed to throw alot AND be defensive when he doesn't have the edge in handspeed, which is why faster fighters bother him so much. Bernard's never going to outwork Calzaghe, so either we'd see a repeat of the Ruiz-esque tactics of the first fight, or we'd see a wider Hopkins loss.
Didn't Hopkins have a thyroid problem during this fight? It certainly didn't seem like the usual Hopkins; part of that is from Calzaghe of course but it seemed as if there was more to it. Thats what I had read anyway.
Where'd you read that? has B-Hop been emailing you? :think This fight was horrible, and I don't want to watch it again. I don't think Hopkins can actually beat Calzaghe. Maybe if ODLH, and Mosley were judges (which I wouldn't be surprised) then Hopkins could get a split decision . As somebody else pointed out Calzaghe just has to good of workrate. If hopkins is defensive...we all seen what happened in his last fight. If hopkins were offensive...He'd open up, and allow joe to land even more punches! I also don't think Hopkins has the power to KO Cal. The only way he gets a win is controversial, and I think it'd look something like the John/ Juarez fight we just seen. Chris John obviously wins, throwing more, landing more, landing at a highter percentage..Yet gets robbed. Robbery is the only way B-Hop wins!
No question calazaghe, but if he is going to do it, it got be with in the year, that or beating a very old hopkins, i thought this would of been a good match to send off his fans in wales with,,,,,,thought it was sad he ended his career in the US, thought that was unloyal to his fans in the UK, who were there sence the begining
I feel in this case, Hopkins tries for a KO and gets it. That is why Joe never wants to fight him again.
Excellent post... I personally think that if the knockdown hadn't occured people would think differently of the fight...The kd had an emotional effect and effected the way people scored the fight... Hopkin's is a clever man and an excellent boxer but I don't think he can beat Calzaghe...Calzaghe is too quick and has too good a work rate. After the 1st part of the fight Calzaghe was slipping his counters using his own ability and reflexes...he was also catching hopkins cleanly and forcing him backwards and all Hopkins could do was hold...he wasn't even punching back at stages...had hopkins not held he would've been hit by twice as many shots and Calzaghe would've won a clear ud...or perhaps even forced the referee to step in...Calzaghe hated the guy enough to really go for it. Hopkins fought a dirty and negative fight...I undertand he's a counterpuncher so he's going to be on the backfoot but when that wasn't working all he could do was hold, lean, lead with the head and feign low blows to break up Calzaghe's rhythm... Hopkin's fought the perfect fight tactically but that still wasn't quite enough...if he is more aggressive then Calzaghe beats him...he knows that and Roach knows that...rematch either goes the same way only that there could potentially be a british ref that penalizes Bhop's dirty tactics, or Calzaghe beats him more comfortably with handpeed and workrate... The first fight is as close as hopkins gets to beating Calzaghe...
yeah it was unfotunatley a **** match. i appreciate hopkin's skillz, really do, but he's not engaging to watch. at all. clutch, hold, clutch, hold