Two living legends came together yesterday in London with longtime world champions Joe Calzaghe and Bernard Hopkins going nose to nose ahead of their massive clash taking place on April 19 in the Planet Hollywood ring at the Thomas and Mack Center in Las Vegas.
Ageless wonder Hopkins has long made a name for himself by overcoming the odds both in and out of the ring and the 43 year old boldy informed Calzaghe that the Welshman would have to go through him in order to conquer The Colonies.
“All Joe’s other American opponents had to go to Wales or England; let’s see how Joe performs in the United States,” said Hopkins. “The USA is the stamp of approval. There’s old Poppy Hopkins standing at the gate of America waiting for Joe to bring the key to try and open the door.”
Calzaghe was unmoved by Hopkins’ bluster and confidently predicted that he will not only defeat the American but terminate his career as well.
“This will be Bernard’s last fight—I am going to be a legend after this fight,” said Calzaghe. “I’m going over there to win and you will see an awesome performance. I’ve trained like a challenger every single fight, that’s why I have been a champion for ten years. I’ll be in the best shape, enough to do 15, 20 rounds. You haven’t seen Hopkins flat out on his back yet; you will in the PH Ring on April 19.”
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