The Calzaghe that fought Lacy VS The Hopkins that fought Tito: Who Wins?

BHOP = over rated

 

Joe cruises to a **** easy win but you need to go back past Lacy to maybe his 2nd fight with Veit to get the real deal Joe with lighteneing hands, power and footwork.

Why? These reasons:

* He would be 8 pounds heavier

* He would be far far faster

* He would hit like a ****ing mule

* Hopkins could ever stand toe to toe and trade with Joe like he could DLH or Tito, his only chance is his patented Tarver like defensive counter strategy coupled with dirty tricks and a close win via dirty tricks would be a joke anyway

 

B-Hop

 

This is myth. He was better in all of the area's you mentioned but not by any great degree. Physically he was better, mentally he was worse. You gain, you lose. Very hard fight to call. But i don't see Calzaghe landing on hopkins with any consistency, he has always been open to the straight right and puts himself off balance. This is one of Hopkins biggest weapons, Prime Hopkins times calzaghe. I see this going down like the Naz-Barrera fight. Closer but similar. Hopkins close but clear UD. After some very messy wrestling, illegal punches in the last few rounds.

 

hopkins had 3 to 4 stages of his career


in the early going he was a box /puncher

against jones he was to cautious using this style and it cost him the fight .

after this he changed into a seek and destroy fighter , very hard to keep off and IMO would have beaten someone like toney for example being to busy and high intensity .

then in about 2001 when he fought trinidad he had evolved into a kind of half and half of what he become in the tarver winky fight.

he was much more aggressive than he was but he was no longer seek and destroy.

against trinidad
it was all jab/move
then dip back set a trap
trinidad falls into the trap , right hand down the pipe and duck the left hook counter and take a walk.

fighting measured but active /letting his hands go feint/jab/body work/clinch/

very good technically and very smart defensivley.

against trinidad hopkins was punch perfect .

only critisim i have of hopkins over his career is that he was not the kind of fighter willing to lay everything on the line v a fighter he was not sure of beating with say a pavklik or calzaghe mentally of being willing to grit his teeth and walk through anything and everything taking chances to get the win.

 

Closer than 115-112?

 

Calzaghe.

When his rhythm is perfect, as in the Lacy fight, Calzaghe has too much hand speed, accuracy and stamina for Hopkins. Even in the Trinidad fight Hopkins fought in relatively low gear, throwing a limited number of punches.

 

hopkins ko 10. Joe would have the same butterflies in his stomach and Hop makes EVERYONE look bad. Calz no matter what stage in his career, isn't ready for a prime hop.:smoke

Calz NEVER hit like mule:roll: maybe slapped like a *****...

 

Calzaghe would've always given Hopkins problems. Though I'd pick Hopkins

 

Terrible Terry = under rated :good

 

Hopkins

The Lacy fight was just 2 years ago the Kessler fight less then 6 months ago. I don't recall one person saying Calzgaghe was past his prime when he beat Kessler! In fact I remember everyone saying Calzaghe had improved with age and was a far better boxer now then he ever was.

Its only since Bernard made him look amature at times that the excuse of being past his prime has popped up. Calzaghes boxing highlight was only 6 months ago, nobody stated he was past his best then.

 

Hopkins UD

 

I think a more active and younger 36 years old Bhop will be to much for Calzage.