© Tom Hogan / Golden Boy Promotions

Like all fights of latter period Bernard Hopkins, last night's greatly anticipated showdown with Joe Calzaghe at the Thomas and Mack Center in Las Vegas was an ugly, untoward bout that proved difficult to score and generated a great deal of controversy as to who actually won.

Hopkins jumped out to an early lead on the strength of his patented leaping right hand lead, which he throws with perfect timing particularly against southpaws, which had Calzaghe on the seat of his pants in round one.

Calzaghe wasn't hurt and carried on but was clearly troubled by the type of spoiler tactics that have greatly lengthened the career of wily veteran Hopkins, who continued to slug and hold the visiting Welshman to build a commanding edge in the first half of the bout. More...