Originally Posted by
superheavyrhun
OK guys, I know there's plenty of discussion going on about this fight already, but a lot of it is unstructured, and a lot of countering one point with another, so I thought I'd bring a bundle of the arguments together and look at the weaknesses of each fighter, one of whom will cement legendary status on Saturday night, at least according to the hype.
As you see from my signature, I'm a Calzaghe fan, but I'll be trying my best to keep things objective.
Joe Calzaghe (44-0, 32 KOs):
1) One of the first things frequently levelled at Calzaghe, is that he is a 'slapper', and that he also tends to throw flashy flurries which are pitter-patter, and tend to be more eye-catching than they are damaging. He certainly throws flurries, and has shown the ability to do so for 12 rounds, but two KOs in his last seven bouts, and the 1000 punches without a KO thrown against Lacy would give credence to this theory. And looking back at his early career, where he achieved all stoppages except for one bout before he won the WBO title would imply the power has faded.
2) The brittle hands. This hasn't been as much of an issue in the build up to this fight as it has over the past couple of bouts, and having broken his hand a number of times during bouts, it will always be a fear for him in bouts, especially at the top level. This problem could also be aggravated by the move up to light-heavyweight, where there will be more power and pressure being thrust forward through those gloves. Personally, I think if Calzaghe breaks a hand in this one, unless it's late on, he will find it impossible to beat a canny man like Hopkins one-handed.
3) Calzaghe's machismo is another thing that has appeared on occasion, especially when he doesn't have it all his own way. The example put forward by many is that of his bout with Sakio Bika, where the Ozzie put pressure on and spoiled Calzaghe's normal fight, and instead of stepping back and being more patient, Calzaghe got drawn into the alley brawl fight that he really should have avoided. As he's aged, Hopkins has become more of a spoiling fighter, and if Calzaghe gets drawn by the master, he will not be coming away with the '0' intact. Word games from Hopkins have already been working on riling the Welshman, in the hope that passion will rule reason come Saturday night.
4) Everything Else. Other weaknesses in Calzaghe's game pointed out is the lack of high-calibre opponents that Hopkins has faced, and the fact that the big-bucks fights in the USA never came about for him, or as some say he never wanted to travel. Another issue compared with Calzaghe's recent fights will be the heat. After fighting in the cold Millenium Stadium, he will also need to have acclimatised well to the hotter surroundings of Vegas.
All in all, there are plenty of reasons why people might be backing Calzaghe to lose his undefeated streak, in the faraway climes where he's never fought before.
Bernard Hopkins (48-4-1, 32KOs)
1) Age. At 43, Hopkins is no longer in his physical prime, and doesn't have the speed and reflexes he may once have had, but there is no doubt that he will be doing everything to overcome the aging body and to put all the gym work necessary to be the best he can be. However, whilst the jibes of "Ol' Popkins" etc have littered airwaves, it certainly means that he has the experience behind him of more fights at the top level.
2) Speed. Firmly linked with point number one, the speed will also have faded over the years, and his recent fights with Tarver and Wright have not been high tempo affairs where he has been constantly pressured. Without the speed to counter in flurries, it has been suggested that Hopkins will simply lose out on workrate alone. The slow pace of previous fights did seem to be dictated by Hopkins, which could imply that he doesn't have the legs to go the full 12 rounds at high pace as he would have five or ten years ago.
3) One of the allegations levelled at Hopkins after he beat Wright was that of the borderline legal tactics that he used, perhaps even straying into the illegal. A headbutt which opened a cut on Wright, constant spoiling and wrestling along with some dubious punches was certainly publicised afterwards, and could be in the mind of Joe Cortez as he sees Hopings trying to clinch and gain advantages on the inside. In a fight where Hopkins will look to make things tight and scrappy, a point lost for illegal tactics could swing the pendulum away from him.
4) In Hopkins' everything else section, there isn't really that much to add. The issues of age, speed and stamina are the factors which make Calzaghe the favourite, and the fact he's never been stopped would make a Calzaghe stoppage seem unlikely, however, the Calzaghe camp would suggest that Hopkins has never faced anyone who throws the volume of scoring punches that Calzaghe does.
Now then guys....where do you think the key weaknesses are, and have I missed anything out?
