The DEFINATIVE Joe Calzaghe -vs- Bernard Hopkins Analysis!!!

Before I say anything, my pick is Hopkins, but I do believe that Calzaghe has to be very consistent in switching between head and body to win this fight.

Hopkins will very very seldom get caught clean to the head, he doesnt take risks, is masterful and judging the distance he needs to be on safe ground, and always works behind a very tight guard.

I believe that Calzaghe has to throw punches in bunches, head and body switching, but its the body shots, if he is consistent with them, that gives him the best chance.

If Hopkins is getting tagged often and hard to the body, its going to throw him out of his game plan, and I believe would suck him into a war, and Calzaghe wins a war every time against the 43yrs old B-Hop.

 

I love the work that went into this, it was an enjoyable read, and you're obviously an observant and dedicated fan of the sport.

However, this is not the Da Vinci Code, but a boxing contest. You´re overthinking and, perchance, exagerating the importance of what you found. A world-class fighter does not come undone because of something a casual fan can see plainly on footage.

If anything, Bernard lacks the speed to take advantage of it. There's a reason few people can pull the trigger against Calzaghe -- and I expect, for all his timing, Bernard will not be able to find the right time against the fast rythm of the Welshman.

 

I do believe that there is a good chance that Calzaghe will leave himself open when tryin to put his punches together and will get tagged many times... He will have a lot of success with his jab ( not with a straight left tho) but when it comes down to find Hopkins with combinations, he will have to stalk and walk through punches and I don't think he will... Tarver was feeling the weight of those withering rights from outside range and slowing down, and Calzaghe can't avoid the shot the way he comes. I don't think he will take it to the outside in the second part of the fight... He will give an unbelievable proof of stoicism, won't stop coming and tryin to take it to the inside in front of his fans and to the americans. I could never say that he will get dropped or that he will drop Hopkins in the process, but I'm sure they will last to the final bell... Chuck Giampa will give the close points decision for Hopkins to make up for the Taylor-Hopkins II score. Adelaide Byrd will probably score it for Calzaghe because she will keep on thinking about the Lacy fight, Manchester and the crowd. So it will come down to Ted Gimza and to Joe Cortez deducting points or not.

 

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:bart

 

thats a really bad comparision.

 

Joe Cortez should be in that analysis, after all he is going to be the ref. tonight and he could be a pain sometimes and thus affect Bhops plan.

 

and you base that analysis on ONE fightatsch
Possibly Hopkins calculated style, made Winkys jab look well below its normal standard??:deal

 

Why exactly?
Because Wright had arguably the best jab in the business, and also a southpaw, yet Hopkins took it away from him.
Sounds like a relevant comparasin to me.

 

Decebal: Pick Calzaghe!

Mourinho: No!

Dec: What? Pick Calzaghe!

Mourinho: No! Aah shaddup your face - Makelele take your shirt off and fight Hopkins...

 

:good Very detailed breakdown. I won't try to argue from a technical viewpoint as I don't have the depth of knowledge you possess. The only thing I will say is that Calzaghe's perceived weaknesses are in fact what have carried him this far. If he went by the textbook it would take away the natural flair he has. A bit like when Emmanuel Steward tried to make Hamed more orthodox. I acknowledge he makes fundamental mistakes but ironically this is what has made him so successful.

 

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I appreciate the work sues. You spelled out in great detail what I was thinking watching the Bika and Lacy fights earlier this week: Joe has an incredible offensive skill set, but his defense COULD be made to look very, very porous if he doesn't take extra precautions tonight.

But as the fight approaches, I can't quite battle down the obvious, which is that even if he gets tagged cleanly here or there, Joe has the opportunity to win this fight on sheer activity.

My official pick is going to stay Hopkins by razor thin SD, but my money is going on Hopkins +9.5, the draw, and probably the over.

Again, great stuff.

 

Great analysis mate. I again think that you are playing up Hopkins strengths and negating Calzaghe's a bit too much.

Good post anyway,

 

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