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It was ‘spot the celebrity’ on Saturday night as the stars came out for Joe Calzaghe and Bernard Hopkins as they battled for the Light Heavyweight Championship at the Thomas and Mack Centre in Las Vegas.
Both men fly out of their corners for the first round but after only one minute – Hopkins lands a left followed by a right punch straight through the middle, landing hard on the nose of Calzaghe and the Welsh man goes down to the canvas – for only the third time in his career.
“Super, Super Joe…..Super Joe Calzaghe…” the British fans sing. There’s a cut on the bridge of Calzaghe’s nose as he returns to his corner at the end of the first frame.
Mid-way through round two and a swinging left from Calzaghe, its impact can be heard clearly, lands on the face of Hopkins but the veteran doesn’t flinch from it! Seconds later and another solid right hand from Hopkins lands on the face of Calzaghe.
With forty seconds to go of round two, Hopkins complains about a low blow and walks away. Referee Joe Cortez gives Hopkins a few seconds to recover.
It’s rough on the inside and both men are told to watch their heads as they go in. There’s lots of holding and hitting. A better round for Calzaghe, but it’s clear that this is going to be a tough test for the ‘Welsh Dragon’.
Mid-way through round four and Hopkins spins Calzaghe around, Cortez tells them to stop boxing and Hopkins punches Calzaghe while Joe’s back is to him. Referee Cortez calls time to warn both fighters ‘I don’t want any rough tactics – I don’t want to take points off either of you,’ he tells them.
Hopkins keeps on the back foot to draw Calzaghe in, but Calzaghe drops his hand and almost teases hm to draw Hopkins towards him; It’s a messy fight.
Calzaghe changes tactics in round five, adopting a different style of boxing – dipping in with a shot and and out again. Hopkins continues to edge around the ropes as Calzaghe works from the centre of the ring.
Mid-way through the frame, Calzaghe lands a right followed by a straight left to the face of Hopkins, who takes it well. As the bell signals the end of the round, Cortez grabs Hopkins as both men continue to fight. It’s been a better round for Calzaghe.
In the last ten seconds of round six and Calzaghe opens up – throwing a flurry of shots. Cortez jumps in and Calzaghe stumbles to the canvas. In his corner – a frustrated Enzo Calzaghe shouts at his son.
In the closing seconds of the seventh frame, Calzaghe lets go another short flurry of punches Hopkins’s head goes in and then a right punch from Hopkins jolts back Calzaghe’s head and the Welshman topples backwards slightly as the bell signals the end of the round.
A good left punch comes from Calzaghe mid-way through the eighth round. Moments later, and as both boxers fight against the ropes, Calzaghe lands another left and seconds later another left to the side of Hopkins’s face, but although the British fans are encouraged by this – Hopkins doesn’t look to have been phased at all by the shots!
A straight right from Hopkins in the last minute lands on the face of Calzaghe. But as the ‘clicks’ sound the last ten seconds of the round, both men look to increase the work-rate, but it’s Hopkins who lands a clean right followed by a left – bang on the bell, as Joe shrugs them off by ‘show-boating’.
Round ten and in the opening half-minute, Calzaghe turns his opponent, hitting him with a low blow and ‘wiggles’ up to his turned rear-end in a ‘suggestive’ manner (!). Hopkins – now kneeling on the canvas (maybe in shock?) stays down for a few seconds.
The American crowd aren’t happy with that ‘move’ by Calzaghe and Sylvester Stallone is clearly seen on his feet ringside waving his disapproval. Hopkins is given time to recover from the low blow. The official time allowed is 5 minutes but Hopkins – though grimacing – takes less and continues boxing.
In the last 30 seconds of round eleven, Calzaghe has Hopkins pinned in the corner – Cortez goes in to separate them and as he does so, Hopkins is bent-up in what appears to be some discomfort. Hopkins is grimacing but it’s not clear from what?
Cortez hasn’t seen anything either so they continue boxing. As the last ten seconds approaches – both men get busy, throwing whatever they can!
Enzo Calzaghe yells at Joe in the corner – telling him he has to stop Hopkins in the last round.
It’s a different story in the opposite corner as Freddy Roach and the rest of Team Hopkins are confident their man is winning.
The last round was a close one and in the closing seconds, the British fans are chanting “Easy, Easy…”, but it hasn’t been an easy night for Joe Calzaghe!
I think I can be forgiven for thinking that Calzaghe hadn’t won the fight. It was a close contest and difficult to know how the judges would score it.
The official scores are read:
114-113 Hopkins
115-112 Calzaghe
116-111 Calzaghe
Calzaghe wins by split decision and afterward told presenters ‘it was a hard victory!’
