Hopkins on his last legs....??

NEVER!

As a matter of fact, i can't recall the last time he's been hit flush with a right hand. It's been years. He's that good at making people miss.

 

this was asked last week. anyway, here's the best example...

http://www.boxrec.com/media/index.php?title=Fight:9049

 

He was moderately stunned momentarily by the average Jermain Taylor and was stopped by Joe Calzaghe on the 19th of April as well as in several nightmares he had about the welshman in the early 00s.

 

I can't see Calzaghe taking 5 rounds to knock Hopkins down.

 

hopkins is already beaten. joe is already 45-0. the 19th of april will simply be the finale to hopkins defeat, mentally he is already bruised and battered and being counted out.

 

As you mention though, he's been outworked. He's fighting a boxer in Joe Calzaghe whose absolute strength is his relentless workrate. Workrate alone won't win Joe this fight, he'll have to use his brain too. He needs to pick the right time to open up his combos. If Calzaghe is able to do this and stamp his authority on the fight early on, this will end before 12 rounds.

 

Oh God, please don't tell me you are talking about the time Hopkins slipped in the 1st fight and fell to the ropes. He wasn't even hit flush. He simply slipped. I hope you didn't buy Lampley's commentaries when he said, "Hopkins was momentarily stunned." Please, he was not.

 

Calzaghe might be punching a little more like he did in the old days with the extra weight.

Though 8/13 on the straight win which is a 99.95% certainly feel good enough odds for me, once I am sure the fight will happen.

 

Some of these postings saying that Calzaghe's going to KO Hopkins sound an awful like the postings that said Hatton was going to KO PBF. When was the last time Calzaghe KO'd (really KO'd; don't give me Manfredo) anybody? Not to mention Hopkins has a brick for a head and some of the best defense (legal or otherwise) in boxing. I'm rooting for Calzaghe, but at best he's going to eke out a SD win in Hopkins' backyard.

 

Hopkins was knocked down in only 1 fight, with Segundo Mercado about 12 or 13 years ago, and that fight was fought at altitude when BHop hadn't trained at altitude. The guy's a freakin' piece of solid steel. I slightly favor Calzaghe to win, but Hopkins ain't getting stopped.

 

I havent been around for 2 years but hopkins slaughters southpaw's usualy....of course Joe is one of the best fighters I"ve ever had the priveledge of watching...gonna be a good fight.