Hopkins Robbed.........Calzaghe Overated

One hell of a "clinic" that was, too bad 90% of the people somehow blinked at the wrong moment because they had him losing the fight

 

Fighters who suffer flash knockdowns have also gotten up to get bombed out of there. Hopkins experience may have told him to take care but I think it is more rooted in the tendency of today's name fighters to exercise caution and avoid risks in and out of the ring. Are pugilists evolving out of the killer instinct? A boxer should be discouraged to approach boxing as a "sport."

I can't see guys of yesterday worrying about their conditioning like Oscar did against Floyd and like Bernard did last night. You drop a man with one shot, you should attack him -however you are comfortable attacking him. Just get him.

Anyway, let me cast aside the soap box. To answer your question:

I think that Hopkins would never have have gotten another opportunity to stop Calzaghe. You don't "hold" when you have an 11 at blackjack -you "hit"; Especially when you consider that his chances -at 43- of beating such an improvisional nonstop swarmer on points was always unlikely.

The upside of standing off after Calzaghe got dropped was that he conserved energy in case Calzaghe survived and started coming on. But what's that besides lack of confidence in his punch and in his conditioning??

That is less than the downside of standing off -which is that Calzaghe was given the chance to not only recover, but to get comfortable, and a comfortable Calzaghe will ruin your boxing if you are young and active and will outpoint you all night if you are old and cannot keep the pace he will set.

In sum: There was less for Hopkins to lose had he went for the kill than had he settled in for a long night. Calzaghe is less likely to lose a long night against an old man than he would a shock and awe campaign after a knockdown in my opinion.

 

Not suprising coming from Scientist, who puts just as much credence to defense, as he does to actual punches landed.

LMAO
.....Jesus, Scientist....4 even rounds?

.....the fight was'nt that hard to score.


Just my opinion, but as usual, you're overcrediting a fighter on the defensive who's afraid to open himself up offensively.


I think more people agree with me on this one, in the face of neither fighter landing consistently with any clean hard shots, Calzaghe based on workrate, connects, and activity, was clearly the winner!

 

Moore losing to Calzaghe.....maybe but I doubt it.Defeating Marciano? Never.

 

hopkins 115-112 but i am not screaming robbery. i think he did win but should have punched a tad more in the later rounds to seal the deal

 

This morning, I woke up to enjoy 15 rounds of Jose Torres/Eddie Cotton over coffee, a very enjoyable start to my day. After that, I viewed the bitter contrast of Joey/Bernie.

Screw the talk about Bernie's age and being concerned about pacing himself after that opening knockdown. Eddie the Gun was one 40 year old clearly not too concerned with wearing out over 15 rounds. With all the ring generalship, skill and experience he brought displayed, it's hardly a mystery why Torres complained about not being able to get off. (Sorry Jose, you may have been awarded that decision, but you got schooled by a master craftsman!)

As for Calzaghe, is this what Welsh boxing has come to? Col Jones would go for over a week without showering to get himself into a nasty mood. Joey slapped as if he'd warmed up by getting a manicure in his dressing room. Driscoll and Wilde are either turning in their graves, or laughing in them. Maybe Joey and Winky can have a chickfight with pink 50 ounce gloves.

Hopkins robbed? No, that would be the people who paid to watch this.

A prime commandment of boxing is, "Thou shalt not lose to a fighter of lesser skill." Bernie, you are a sinner. Has Joey ever boxed anybody else who can punch in a straight line? Yet Bernie Ex manages to lose a decision to a slapper who drops his hands and loops wide shots. And as slappers go, he'll not become the next Rosenbloom if he boxes for another 20 years.

 

Oh, oh oh, current boxing sucks, one fight wasn't a great one, so despite great fights like Marquez/Vazques, Casamayor/Katsidis, modern boxing suckssss and all fights of the past were greater@!! ohhh i wish things were like they used to be!!

Lobotomy and me are in, anyone else up for this mental masturbation of crying on the current state of affairs, of how every fight used to be great and how they'd all easily beat current fighters?

 

My personal score was 115-112 for Hopkins, but there were many close middle-rounds which I mostly gave to Hopkins. I felt Hopkins won the early rounds, with Calzaghe sweeping the last four.

The fact that I was cheering for Calzaghe hard may have influenced me, as I was impressed by how difficult it was for Joe to fight Hopkins. He was a tremendous opponent.

I was also awed by Hopkins' speed. At times he seemed even quicker than Calzaghe, though he shortened his punches up quite a bit. Smoke and mirrors at its finest.

Good movement from Hopkins early, which I felt was as full of merit as Calzaghe's aggression. In the end, I feel Joe didn't do enough clean punching, which at the end of the day, is what boxing is all about. You move, feint, double-jab, dodge, sway, bob, weave and step in to hit and not get hit. To damage the opponent.

I felt Hopkins did that more. I walked away before the score was read believing Joe had lost the fight, and I felt bad about it, but had to admit Hopkins deserved the victory for performing on the night.

Great was my surprise when I read on ESB Calzaghe had gotten the nod.

 

Lacy did put some good wins together - Vanderpool, Reid, Pemberton, Sheika all top level contenders, especially the first 2. He was inheritantly limited, but he was destroyed in that fight, I think hes shot now

BTW Hopkins was weight drained against Taylor, he was at least on par last night with his Taylor fights, which were controversal themselves

For the record I think Calazage beats Pavlik 8-4 or maybe REALLY WIDE UD, but who knows maybe Pavlik can time some shots and get some success. If he can go 1 step further than kessler (which will be hard) he has a shot, but hes a big underdog.