I'd like to clarify. This is my take on the fight. I am not here to tell you all who really won the fight or that those who had Hopkins winning were wrong in thinking so, but like most, I payed for the fight, stayed up to watch it, and therefore have an opinion. As a member of the forum, I will express it. I am British. I am not a Calzaghe fan, but I was rooting for Joe. I have watched Hopkins fight on several occasions. I watched him beat Winky, Tarver, and lose the controversial decisions to Taylor. Although I dislike his style, I respect his attitude. The man is very cagey, very skilled, and has a nack to make all of his opponents look terrible. The same applies to his fight with Calzaghe. He made Joe look ordinary, he made Joe look sluggish and one dimensional at times. Having said that, I am of the opinion that Joe Calzaghe won by at least 2-3 rounds based purely on work rate. That isn't to say he didn't out land Hopkins, because I feel he did. Hopkins was brillant from the start, he was beating Joe to the punch and countering well, even having Joe on his backside in the first few minutes of the fight. However, as expected, Joe was able to adapt and he began to work his jab, and up his work rate which was ultimately why I felt he won. After the 4th round, it was all Joe. I am also of the opinion that the fight was close, but It would have left a bad taste in my mouth if Hopkins would have been given the nod. With the exception of the first few rounds, he didn't manage to work any offense whatsoever. For the majority of the fight, although Hopkins deserves credit for making Joe miss as much as he did, and let's not forget, also landing some of his own right hands, was ultimately being out hussled. Joe landed more, not because he was more accurate, but because he was throwing more punches and therefore the chances of actually landing are higher. If Hopkins had won, I would have felt an injustice. He spent the entire fight on the backfoot, and worked little offense and failed to counter effectively enough to outland Joe. People who are saying Joe didn't look good could have asked me to tell them that would be the case long before the fight was even scheduled. Nobody has an easy night with Hopkins, and hardly anybody has ever looked good against him. However, the facts suggest that he landed more shots on Hopkins than anybody ever has, or certainly most people have managed too, and that is too his credit. Joe Calzaghe ultimately answered his critics. He went to America, he went to his opponents weight class, and he adapted his style to out work and out hussle one of the greatest Middleweights to ever live. If that isn't to be appreciated then that is a pure shame.
