B-Hop: The Mask Is Back

BERNARD HOPKINS: "THE MASK IS BACK...I'M NOT GOLDEN BOY RIGHT NOW!"

"April 19th, Bernard Hopkins will destroy another undefeated fighter. I'm going to make him look ordinary and I'm going to send him home on a long flight back to London," stated light heavyweight king Bernard "The Executioner" Hopkins as he shared his thoughts on his upcoming clash with super middleweight champion Joe Calzaghe. You don't want to miss what he had to say in this in-depth interview as he talks more about Calzaghe and the politics of the sport, how his partnership with Golden Boy Promotions started and his relationship with Oscar Dela Hoya as well as Shane Mosley, who he confirms he'll be helping train for his May 31st clash with Zab Judah.

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http://www.fighthype.com/pages/content2353.html

Great find. Calzaghe's going down.

He is going to start using his mask again?



Well that changes everything!

It is his biggest challenge since Tito, but the mask symbolises that he going back to those days. If only it was that simple I would put on my school uniform and I would be young again.

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Originally Posted by Deanrw

He is going to start using his mask again?



Well that changes everything!

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Well its certainly put a whole new perspective on the fight hasnt it ! ;D

He's very confidnt.
Hopkins is a fighter who's mentality is always set on winning, but in this situation he seems to be demanding it, craving the victory.

I thought this would be a dull fight, but I could be wrong.

Yeah well the mask won't be the one doing the fighting......Something Tell's me Calzaghe is not going to be deterred because Hopkins feels the need to show off something from the S&M collection:-\.....

I haven't seen Hopkins fired up like this for a fight in quite some time he seems very confident, plus i've always said Hopkins style matches up well against Calzaghe. But wow what an achievement that would be beating Calzaghe at 43. That would probably be the best achievement ever above 40+.

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Originally Posted by ICB

I haven't seen Hopkins fired up like this for a fight in quite some time he seems very confident, plus i've always said Hopkins style matches up well against Calzaghe. But wow what an achievement that would be beating Calzaghe at 43. That would probably be the best achievement ever above 40+.

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Yeah people can say Winky was fat or Tarver was washed up but if he beat Calzaghe whos in his prime then everyone would have to accept that Hopkins is a legendary HOF fighter.

He put up with alot of abuse from the Brits last December but I think it all goes helps his motivation going into the fight . He has been in some high profile fights with Jones , Tito , Oscar etc but I honestly think he has his hands full with this one . Huge respect if he manages to pull it off .

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Originally Posted by DaxxKahn

Yeah well the mask won't be the one doing the fighting......Something Tell's me Calzaghe is not going to be deterred because Hopkins feels the need to show off something from the S&M collection:-\.....

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First I was going to say that I was creeped out at the thought of a leather clad Hopkins being spanked by Joe Calzaghe, but I thought bette of it.

Bernard: "Wales is like a little small town like Hampton in New Jersey"

;D Quality quote!

I just had a short circuit seeing Conrads Avatar and all of this leather and spanking talk ...:cool:...ummm ok Im fine now.

He stopped with the mask after 9/11 I think.As long as he does not bring back those two HUGE fellow executioners with battle axes that used to walk to the ring with him,That was a little goofy.

Hoof--that Bernard Hopkins is verbose. This kind of illuminates what he was talking about years ago after fighting nobodies like Morrade Hakkar. He was talking about people working against him and Larry Merchant's face was a giant question mark.

Im am wanting Hopkins to win so much.

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Originally Posted by liquid

Hoof--that Bernard Hopkins is verbose. This kind of illuminates what he was talking about years ago after fighting nobodies like Morrade Hakkar. He was talking about people working against him and Larry Merchant's face was a giant question mark.

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Hakkar was a waiste.Whats amazing is that the W(e) B(e) C(ollecting) had that guy as a Mandatory challenger.Yeh I remember Merchant was all over Hopkins,All in his face.Sort of rude but Hopkins seemed to invite conflict.

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Originally Posted by Spicoli surfs 'Nawlins

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Originally Posted by liquid

Hoof--that Bernard Hopkins is verbose. This kind of illuminates what he was talking about years ago after fighting nobodies like Morrade Hakkar. He was talking about people working against him and Larry Merchant's face was a giant question mark.

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Hakkar was a waiste.Whats amazing is that the W(e) B(e) C(ollecting) had that guy as a Mandatory challenger.Yeh I remember Merchant was all over Hopkins,All in his face.Sort of rude but Hopkins seemed to invite conflict.

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It makes me like Hopkins a little more because at the time, I thought he was a little looney. He should have opened up more to Merchant so we could have all been on the same page and not five years later.

I think Hopkins will need the mask to cover his wounds.

Hopkins is a great fighter but the facts are that he is seriously up against it here. I cannot see him beating Calzaghe. He can talk as much as he likes and he is good at that but there is little to no way he will beat Calzaghe. Im still somewhat confused as to why Hopkins has actually gone through with this, he is usually so calculated and picks his opponents so well. He beat Tarver which was respectable but Tarver was a shell of a fighter that night. And Winky was way out of his weight range and before that there were two fights with Taylor in which Hopkins was pushed to the wire both times. Calzaghe is so much better than any of those fighters (though Winky at the lower weights was extremely good).

I maintain that Calzaghe will dominate this fight and Hopkins will look his age. Calzaghe is as skilled as they come and able to adapt in the ring to anything that Hopkins can offer at this late stage. It wasnt right for Hopkins to go through with this several years ago and now it is?? Something is amiss and its most likely Hopkins.

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Originally Posted by miles

Hopkins is a great fighter but the facts are that he is seriously up against it here. I cannot see him beating Calzaghe. He can talk as much as he likes and he is good at that but there is little to no way he will beat Calzaghe. Im still somewhat confused as to why Hopkins has actually gone through with this, he is usually so calculated and picks his opponents so well. He beat Tarver which was respectable but Tarver was a shell of a fighter that night. And Winky was way out of his weight range and before that there were two fights with Taylor in which Hopkins was pushed to the wire both times. Calzaghe is so much better than any of those fighters (though Winky at the lower weights was extremely good).

I maintain that Calzaghe will dominate this fight and Hopkins will look his age. Calzaghe is as skilled as they come and able to adapt in the ring to anything that Hopkins can offer at this late stage. It wasnt right for Hopkins to go through with this several years ago and now it is?? Something is amiss and its most likely Hopkins.

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Sorry Miles but your way off here and to say Hopkins has little to no chance is way off the mark IMO. He can beat Calzaghe many ways by clinching and slowing Calzaghe's work rate down. Make it a rough tough fight which lesser fighters like Reid, Bika, had great success by frustrating Calzaghe making him lose his concentration and not allowing him to set the pace. And he can also use his best punch to good use aka the right hand which is Calzaghe's biggest weakness and that is one of Hopkins strong points. Im not saying Hopkins will win but he has a much better than than what your giving him.

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Originally Posted by ICB

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Originally Posted by miles

Hopkins is a great fighter but the facts are that he is seriously up against it here. I cannot see him beating Calzaghe. He can talk as much as he likes and he is good at that but there is little to no way he will beat Calzaghe. Im still somewhat confused as to why Hopkins has actually gone through with this, he is usually so calculated and picks his opponents so well. He beat Tarver which was respectable but Tarver was a shell of a fighter that night. And Winky was way out of his weight range and before that there were two fights with Taylor in which Hopkins was pushed to the wire both times. Calzaghe is so much better than any of those fighters (though Winky at the lower weights was extremely good).

I maintain that Calzaghe will dominate this fight and Hopkins will look his age. Calzaghe is as skilled as they come and able to adapt in the ring to anything that Hopkins can offer at this late stage. It wasnt right for Hopkins to go through with this several years ago and now it is?? Something is amiss and its most likely Hopkins.

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Sorry Miles but your way off here and to say Hopkins has little to no chance is way off the mark IMO. He can beat Calzaghe many ways by clinching and slowing Calzaghe's work rate down. Make it a rough tough fight which lesser fighters like Reid, Bika, had great success by frustrating Calzaghe making him lose his concentration and not allowing him to set the pace. And he can also use his best punch to good use aka the right hand which is Calzaghe's biggest weakness and that is one of Hopkins strong points. Im not saying Hopkins will win but he has a much better than than what your giving him.

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Of course, Hopkins has a chance but I do think its a minimal chance and reliant upon a freak right hand. Just isnt going to happen. I really dont think im way off the mark whatsover here. Hopkins will slow Calzaghe down. No doubts about that. But Calzaghe will throw so many more punches than Hopkins and he can punch a bit himself. Its not like against Wright where Hopkins was able to walk through what Winky was able to throw. Tarver didnt actually throw anything! Calzaghe will make Hopkins work like he hasnt done ever before. Not even when he was at his best. Hopkins isnt even all that big a puncher thse days. The right might land but Calzaghe will keep on coming back and throw a lot of punches in bunches.

Calzaghe has always risen for the big ones and Hopkins at 43 is there for the taking. Hopkins is so old and he hasnt actually fought in a bloody long time since Winky. Calzaghe has just beaten Kessler and looked as good as ever doing it. I watched that again last night for the first time in a while and it was a great display. If Calzaghe brings that then it really will not be close.

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Originally Posted by miles

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Originally Posted by ICB

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Originally Posted by miles

Hopkins is a great fighter but the facts are that he is seriously up against it here. I cannot see him beating Calzaghe. He can talk as much as he likes and he is good at that but there is little to no way he will beat Calzaghe. Im still somewhat confused as to why Hopkins has actually gone through with this, he is usually so calculated and picks his opponents so well. He beat Tarver which was respectable but Tarver was a shell of a fighter that night. And Winky was way out of his weight range and before that there were two fights with Taylor in which Hopkins was pushed to the wire both times. Calzaghe is so much better than any of those fighters (though Winky at the lower weights was extremely good).

I maintain that Calzaghe will dominate this fight and Hopkins will look his age. Calzaghe is as skilled as they come and able to adapt in the ring to anything that Hopkins can offer at this late stage. It wasnt right for Hopkins to go through with this several years ago and now it is?? Something is amiss and its most likely Hopkins.

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Sorry Miles but your way off here and to say Hopkins has little to no chance is way off the mark IMO. He can beat Calzaghe many ways by clinching and slowing Calzaghe's work rate down. Make it a rough tough fight which lesser fighters like Reid, Bika, had great success by frustrating Calzaghe making him lose his concentration and not allowing him to set the pace. And he can also use his best punch to good use aka the right hand which is Calzaghe's biggest weakness and that is one of Hopkins strong points. Im not saying Hopkins will win but he has a much better than than what your giving him.

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Of course, Hopkins has a chance but I do think its a minimal chance and reliant upon a freak right hand. Just isnt going to happen. I really dont think im way off the mark whatsover here. Hopkins will slow Calzaghe down. No doubts about that. But Calzaghe will throw so many more punches than Hopkins and he can punch a bit himself. Its not like against Wright where Hopkins was able to walk through what Winky was able to throw. Tarver didnt actually throw anything! Calzaghe will make Hopkins work like he hasnt done ever before. Not even when he was at his best. Hopkins isnt even all that big a puncher thse days. The right might land but Calzaghe will keep on coming back and throw a lot of punches in bunches.

Calzaghe has always risen for the big ones and Hopkins at 43 is there for the taking. Hopkins is so old and he hasnt actually fought in a bloody long time since Winky. Calzaghe has just beaten Kessler and looked as good as ever doing it. I watched that again last night for the first time in a while and it was a great display. If Calzaghe brings that then it really will not be close.

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Im with you Miles . The win over Kessler is one of my favourites even though I like Kess and the win over Lacy has to rank up there too .

But for some reason fighting in the States is so much harder for whatever reason . Joes never done it B4 so we dont know how he'll react if as ICB says , Hop drags him into a dirty fight like weve seen with Starie and Thornberry . If Joe brings it though and is at his best I cant see how Hop wins .

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Originally Posted by GAME

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Originally Posted by miles

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Originally Posted by ICB

Sorry Miles but your way off here and to say Hopkins has little to no chance is way off the mark IMO. He can beat Calzaghe many ways by clinching and slowing Calzaghe's work rate down. Make it a rough tough fight which lesser fighters like Reid, Bika, had great success by frustrating Calzaghe making him lose his concentration and not allowing him to set the pace. And he can also use his best punch to good use aka the right hand which is Calzaghe's biggest weakness and that is one of Hopkins strong points. Im not saying Hopkins will win but he has a much better than than what your giving him.

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Of course, Hopkins has a chance but I do think its a minimal chance and reliant upon a freak right hand. Just isnt going to happen. I really dont think im way off the mark whatsover here. Hopkins will slow Calzaghe down. No doubts about that. But Calzaghe will throw so many more punches than Hopkins and he can punch a bit himself. Its not like against Wright where Hopkins was able to walk through what Winky was able to throw. Tarver didnt actually throw anything! Calzaghe will make Hopkins work like he hasnt done ever before. Not even when he was at his best. Hopkins isnt even all that big a puncher thse days. The right might land but Calzaghe will keep on coming back and throw a lot of punches in bunches.

Calzaghe has always risen for the big ones and Hopkins at 43 is there for the taking. Hopkins is so old and he hasnt actually fought in a bloody long time since Winky. Calzaghe has just beaten Kessler and looked as good as ever doing it. I watched that again last night for the first time in a while and it was a great display. If Calzaghe brings that then it really will not be close.

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Im with you Miles . The win over Kessler is one of my favourites even though I like Kess and the win over Lacy has to rank up there too .

But for some reason fighting in the States is so much harder for whatever reason . Joes never done it B4 so we dont know how he'll react if as ICB says , Hop drags him into a dirty fight like weve seen with Starie and Thornberry . If Joe brings it though and is at his best I cant see how Hop wins .

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If Joe is anything near his best then Hopkins will be lucky to see it through until the end of the 12th. As it is, I expect Calzaghe to go easy and pound out a decision probably on the same scale as the Kessler one. This stage in the career will make Calzaghe all the more determined not to let anything slip.

As much as I like B-Hop I don't see him winning. I like Joe too, but he won't have an easy time of it. Joe is a spectacular OFFENSIVE fighter, Bernard is a spectacular DEFENSIVE fighter. There won't be a KO in this fight and at best you'll get a flash knockdown. Hopkins will do everything to blunt Calzaghe's game- in-fighting, headbutts, shoving, holding and I think it will get to him for a bit before he realizes Hopkins' game and gets his head back in it. In the end it'll be Joe's offense being too fast for Bernard to get anything off and he'll just have to settle for blocking most of what Joe throws at him. The crowd will be in Joe's head early on as this is probably the first time in a while where greater than 50% of the crowd was cheering him on.

I want Calzaghe to lose badly though I don't see it :-\

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Originally Posted by miles

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Originally Posted by GAME

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Originally Posted by miles

Of course, Hopkins has a chance but I do think its a minimal chance and reliant upon a freak right hand. Just isnt going to happen. I really dont think im way off the mark whatsover here. Hopkins will slow Calzaghe down. No doubts about that. But Calzaghe will throw so many more punches than Hopkins and he can punch a bit himself. Its not like against Wright where Hopkins was able to walk through what Winky was able to throw. Tarver didnt actually throw anything! Calzaghe will make Hopkins work like he hasnt done ever before. Not even when he was at his best. Hopkins isnt even all that big a puncher thse days. The right might land but Calzaghe will keep on coming back and throw a lot of punches in bunches.

Calzaghe has always risen for the big ones and Hopkins at 43 is there for the taking. Hopkins is so old and he hasnt actually fought in a bloody long time since Winky. Calzaghe has just beaten Kessler and looked as good as ever doing it. I watched that again last night for the first time in a while and it was a great display. If Calzaghe brings that then it really will not be close.

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Im with you Miles . The win over Kessler is one of my favourites even though I like Kess and the win over Lacy has to rank up there too .

But for some reason fighting in the States is so much harder for whatever reason . Joes never done it B4 so we dont know how he'll react if as ICB says , Hop drags him into a dirty fight like weve seen with Starie and Thornberry . If Joe brings it though and is at his best I cant see how Hop wins .

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If Joe is anything near his best then Hopkins will be lucky to see it through until the end of the 12th. As it is, I expect Calzaghe to go easy and pound out a decision probably on the same scale as the Kessler one. This stage in the career will make Calzaghe all the more determined not to let anything slip.

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Calzaghe has never been at his best when he has been dragged into those kind of rough tough fights, history proves this. Hopkins won't allow Calzaghe to perform at his best based on the stylistic clash. Sorry to say this but Kessler is a good fighter but he is very stiff and robotic in his upper body movement plus he has slow footwork, Hopkins style will be much more effective against Calzaghe. And you say Calzaghe will be more determined than anything but doesn't that also apply to Hopkins as well ?? don't you think he would love to finish his career with 3 straight wins over Tarver, Wright, Calzaghe, and all at 40+ that would be one of the most impressive achievements in the history of boxing especially at his age now. Hopkins is a hard man and yes you are underestimating him, Hopkins knows every trick in the book and has only ever been beat convincely by Roy Jones Jr and that was before he had even perfected his boxing style. Hopkins maybe old but believe me he still has enough left in the tank to beat Calzaghe or at least give a very good account of himself in a losing effort, and i think your also forgetting this is in the USA. And Calzaghe will have to beat Hopkins convincing and i just can't see that happening, because Hopkins will make the rounds hard for Calzaghe and hard for the judges to score, and the close rounds will more than likely go to Hopkins and a close decision will also more than likely go to Hopkins.

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Originally Posted by ICB

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Originally Posted by miles

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Originally Posted by GAME

Im with you Miles . The win over Kessler is one of my favourites even though I like Kess and the win over Lacy has to rank up there too .

But for some reason fighting in the States is so much harder for whatever reason . Joes never done it B4 so we dont know how he'll react if as ICB says , Hop drags him into a dirty fight like weve seen with Starie and Thornberry . If Joe brings it though and is at his best I cant see how Hop wins .

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If Joe is anything near his best then Hopkins will be lucky to see it through until the end of the 12th. As it is, I expect Calzaghe to go easy and pound out a decision probably on the same scale as the Kessler one. This stage in the career will make Calzaghe all the more determined not to let anything slip.

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Calzaghe has never been at his best when he has been dragged into those kind of rough tough fights, history proves this. Hopkins won't allow Calzaghe to perform at his best based on the stylistic clash. Sorry to say this but Kessler is a good fighter but he is very stiff and robotic in his upper body movement plus he has slow footwork, Hopkins style will be much more effective against Calzaghe. And you say Calzaghe will be more determined than anything but doesn't that also apply to Hopkins as well ?? don't you think he would love to finish his career with 3 straight wins over Tarver, Wright, Calzaghe, and all at 40+ that would be one of the most impressive achievements in the history of boxing especially at his age now. Hopkins is a hard man and yes you are underestimating him, Hopkins knows every trick in the book and has only ever been beat convincely by Roy Jones Jr and that was before he had even perfected his boxing style. Hopkins maybe old but believe me he still has enough left in the tank to beat Calzaghe or at least give a very good account of himself in a losing effort, and i think your also forgetting this is in the USA. And Calzaghe will have to beat Hopkins convincing and i just can't see that happening, because Hopkins will make the rounds hard for Calzaghe and hard for the judges to score, and the close rounds will more than likely go to Hopkins and a close decision will also more than likely go to Hopkins.

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I disagree with the vast majority of the nonsense you spat out there. I will reply to that in due course tomorrow. A little late for me here now. :rolleyes:

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Originally Posted by miles

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Originally Posted by ICB

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Originally Posted by miles

If Joe is anything near his best then Hopkins will be lucky to see it through until the end of the 12th. As it is, I expect Calzaghe to go easy and pound out a decision probably on the same scale as the Kessler one. This stage in the career will make Calzaghe all the more determined not to let anything slip.

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Calzaghe has never been at his best when he has been dragged into those kind of rough tough fights, history proves this. Hopkins won't allow Calzaghe to perform at his best based on the stylistic clash. Sorry to say this but Kessler is a good fighter but he is very stiff and robotic in his upper body movement plus he has slow footwork, Hopkins style will be much more effective against Calzaghe. And you say Calzaghe will be more determined than anything but doesn't that also apply to Hopkins as well ?? don't you think he would love to finish his career with 3 straight wins over Tarver, Wright, Calzaghe, and all at 40+ that would be one of the most impressive achievements in the history of boxing especially at his age now. Hopkins is a hard man and yes you are underestimating him, Hopkins knows every trick in the book and has only ever been beat convincely by Roy Jones Jr and that was before he had even perfected his boxing style. Hopkins maybe old but believe me he still has enough left in the tank to beat Calzaghe or at least give a very good account of himself in a losing effort, and i think your also forgetting this is in the USA. And Calzaghe will have to beat Hopkins convincing and i just can't see that happening, because Hopkins will make the rounds hard for Calzaghe and hard for the judges to score, and the close rounds will more than likely go to Hopkins and a close decision will also more than likely go to Hopkins.

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I disagree with the vast majority of the nonsense you spat out there. I will reply to that in due course tomorrow. A little late for me here now. :rolleyes:

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I thought you was more mature than that Miles ?? why do you have to disrespect me like that ?? i gave you facts mixed in with my opinion i didn't disrespect Calzaghe or you so why come out with that ??

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Originally Posted by leftylee

I want Calzaghe to lose badly though I don't see it :-\

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??? :o Hey Lefty...whats up,are you suuuure you want that? Im rethinking my sig for you :scratchchin: Mine might make VD's look "Clean and proper" .....hmmm;D

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Originally Posted by Spicoli surfs 'Nawlins

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Originally Posted by leftylee

I want Calzaghe to lose badly though I don't see it :-\

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??? :o Hey Lefty...whats up,are you suuuure you want that? Im rethinking my sig for you :scratchchin: Mine might make VD's look "Clean and proper" .....hmmm;D

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I just want Slappers "0" to go seen as Hattons went ;D

HAHAHA Put whatever sig you want mate, coz u ain't winning ;) JK bro, good luck.

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Originally Posted by ICB

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Originally Posted by miles

Hopkins is a great fighter but the facts are that he is seriously up against it here. I cannot see him beating Calzaghe. He can talk as much as he likes and he is good at that but there is little to no way he will beat Calzaghe. Im still somewhat confused as to why Hopkins has actually gone through with this, he is usually so calculated and picks his opponents so well. He beat Tarver which was respectable but Tarver was a shell of a fighter that night. And Winky was way out of his weight range and before that there were two fights with Taylor in which Hopkins was pushed to the wire both times. Calzaghe is so much better than any of those fighters (though Winky at the lower weights was extremely good).

I maintain that Calzaghe will dominate this fight and Hopkins will look his age. Calzaghe is as skilled as they come and able to adapt in the ring to anything that Hopkins can offer at this late stage. It wasnt right for Hopkins to go through with this several years ago and now it is?? Something is amiss and its most likely Hopkins.

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Sorry Miles but your way off here and to say Hopkins has little to no chance is way off the mark IMO. He can beat Calzaghe many ways by clinching and slowing Calzaghe's work rate down. Make it a rough tough fight which lesser fighters like Reid, Bika, had great success by frustrating Calzaghe making him lose his concentration and not allowing him to set the pace. And he can also use his best punch to good use aka the right hand which is Calzaghe's biggest weakness and that is one of Hopkins strong points. Im not saying Hopkins will win but he has a much better than than what your giving him.

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to compare the BIka fight from you shocks me.

you know a lot about calzagh and his career, you know enough to know guys like Calzaghe seldom put on great showings against guys like bika... any fighter who goes into the ring with a guy they have already beat never shines.

Reid... that was what? almos 10 years ago ice... a fight calzaghe went into the ring with a broke hand, no pad work, no sparring for an already green fighter; he went into that with fittness and nothing more and you know that lol...

ther overhand right and the stright right is a weakness to EVERY southpaw

[youtube]Nqqfc850QJo[/youtube]

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Originally Posted by Preme

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Originally Posted by ICB

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Originally Posted by miles

Hopkins is a great fighter but the facts are that he is seriously up against it here. I cannot see him beating Calzaghe. He can talk as much as he likes and he is good at that but there is little to no way he will beat Calzaghe. Im still somewhat confused as to why Hopkins has actually gone through with this, he is usually so calculated and picks his opponents so well. He beat Tarver which was respectable but Tarver was a shell of a fighter that night. And Winky was way out of his weight range and before that there were two fights with Taylor in which Hopkins was pushed to the wire both times. Calzaghe is so much better than any of those fighters (though Winky at the lower weights was extremely good).

I maintain that Calzaghe will dominate this fight and Hopkins will look his age. Calzaghe is as skilled as they come and able to adapt in the ring to anything that Hopkins can offer at this late stage. It wasnt right for Hopkins to go through with this several years ago and now it is?? Something is amiss and its most likely Hopkins.

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Sorry Miles but your way off here and to say Hopkins has little to no chance is way off the mark IMO. He can beat Calzaghe many ways by clinching and slowing Calzaghe's work rate down. Make it a rough tough fight which lesser fighters like Reid, Bika, had great success by frustrating Calzaghe making him lose his concentration and not allowing him to set the pace. And he can also use his best punch to good use aka the right hand which is Calzaghe's biggest weakness and that is one of Hopkins strong points. Im not saying Hopkins will win but he has a much better than than what your giving him.

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to compare the BIka fight from you shocks me.

you know a lot about calzagh and his career, you know enough to know guys like Calzaghe seldom put on great showings against guys like bika... any fighter who goes into the ring with a guy they have already beat never shines.

Reid... that was what? almos 10 years ago ice... a fight calzaghe went into the ring with a broke hand, no pad work, no sparring for an already green fighter; he went into that with fittness and nothing more and you know that lol...

ther overhand right and the stright right is a weakness to EVERY southpaw

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Im not comparing the Bika fight i used that as example how Calzaghe has struggled in the past in rough tough fights. So what if the Reid fight was 10 years ago its not like Calzaghe has got any better since then, in fact he has got a little worse since that fight because at least he still had power back then now he has virtually no KO power like he used to. Im not really buying all them excuses Preme it was just Reid had the style to trouble him, ok maybe Calzaghe wasn't 100 percent i'll admit that but it was still Reid giving him trouble end of. Yes i know the right hand is Southpaw's biggest weakness but fighters do adjust and can stop that from happening, from what i've seen in Calzaghe's fights he has no answer for the right hand at all, even Richie Woodhall hit him multiple times with right hands.

Im not putting Calzaghe down i was just giving my two cents on how Hopkins could win because i felt Miles was vastly underrating Hopkins.

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Originally Posted by ICB

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Originally Posted by miles

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Originally Posted by ICB

Calzaghe has never been at his best when he has been dragged into those kind of rough tough fights, history proves this. Hopkins won't allow Calzaghe to perform at his best based on the stylistic clash. Sorry to say this but Kessler is a good fighter but he is very stiff and robotic in his upper body movement plus he has slow footwork, Hopkins style will be much more effective against Calzaghe. And you say Calzaghe will be more determined than anything but doesn't that also apply to Hopkins as well ?? don't you think he would love to finish his career with 3 straight wins over Tarver, Wright, Calzaghe, and all at 40+ that would be one of the most impressive achievements in the history of boxing especially at his age now. Hopkins is a hard man and yes you are underestimating him, Hopkins knows every trick in the book and has only ever been beat convincely by Roy Jones Jr and that was before he had even perfected his boxing style. Hopkins maybe old but believe me he still has enough left in the tank to beat Calzaghe or at least give a very good account of himself in a losing effort, and i think your also forgetting this is in the USA. And Calzaghe will have to beat Hopkins convincing and i just can't see that happening, because Hopkins will make the rounds hard for Calzaghe and hard for the judges to score, and the close rounds will more than likely go to Hopkins and a close decision will also more than likely go to Hopkins.

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I disagree with the vast majority of the nonsense you spat out there. I will reply to that in due course tomorrow. A little late for me here now. :rolleyes:

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I thought you was more mature than that Miles ?? why do you have to disrespect me like that ?? i gave you facts mixed in with my opinion i didn't disrespect Calzaghe or you so why come out with that ??

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No disrespect intended. Sorry, if it seemed that way. I had read your post and disagreed with your opinion and use of the FACTS as it were. It was late and though I really wanted to get stuck in and give a good argument back I was bound by the ticking of the clock. I was out of time and gave the curt response I did. Chin up, Ice, it really was not intended to be any slur upon your character. More a frustration with being a busy dude and not having enough time for this kind of fun stuff.

First off, I disagree with your analysis of Kessler. Kessler was a supremely confident and technically competent fighter and most importantly willing to mix it up with Calzaghe. I would be very surprised to see Hopkins mix anything up until the late rounds when he knows he has to do something. I think of the Taylor fights as being the last ones where Hopkins hadnt handpicked his opponent. Both fighters had their flaws but Hopkins just wasnt able to be busy enough to win a great number of those rounds. Taylor is hardly a serious workhorse. And then we compare the Taylor output to that of Calzaghe. Hopkins can try and look cute on those old legs but that isnt going to win rounds and Calzaghe will nail him. Repeatedly. As Hopkins gets more desperate then the more opportunities Calzaghe will find.

Im not underestimating Hopkins far from it. Ive always picked Hopkins to win his fights. I thought he won the first Taylor fight. I picked him to beat Winky and Tarver. But this is the one opponent that I always thought could give Hopkins a nightmare and Hopkins at the age of 43 has picked the wrong time to try and do it. He should have signed up for this half a decade ago. Calzaghe may not have the power he once had but his boxing has evolved sublimely. Hopkins too did improve a lot after Jones Jr but he is now facing the law of diminishing returns. Taylor made it close twice. Winky way outside his comfort zone made a fight of it. Now we have Calzaghe who is in his comfort zone and pretty much at his best. The odds point to a convincing Calzaghe win.

Calzaghe will need to win convincingly and Im sure he intends to do just that. Stopping Hopkins might seem unreasonable but its a possibility that he could be TKO'd. If it goes to the cards it really wont be close. Hopkins has to hope his right hand gets lucky! ;)

I think Calzaghe will def make b-hop look bad in the early rounds, and in spurts throughout the fight.. calzaghe is too quick and active and will get in and out fine.. but as soon as he stays in close, then he is vulnerable to some sharp short shots from hopkins..

my favorite ending to this fight would be if calzaghe goes into a slapping rage, you know, one like the combo that got him the TKO against Manfredo, and hopkins rears back and hits him in the jaw like he hit tarver.. sending joe to the ground, just to get up for Hop to finish him off.. man, if that happens i'll have the biggest smile on my face..

i really think that this is a tough fight to predict because of hopkins craftiness in the ring.. i think the easiest prediction would be to say that joe will outwork hopkins and stay on the outside and win a UD by 4 rounds, but i can easily see that not happening..

i'd say 60/40 odds in calzaghe's favor.. but i want hop to win like there is no tomorrow.

I think Hopkins wins. Even at 43 Hopkins will be the best opponent Joe has ever faced IMO.

he wore his mask for the Taylor rematch too.

Good debate ICB and Miles.

You both make good points that I agree with but the most determining factor IMO is that if Hopkins couldnt deal with Taylors pace after two attempts afew years ago I dont think he can do any better vs Joe .

May be the mask is back....because he knows he's gonna need it....

Joe all the way, he has too much of everything, footwork, speed, agility, work rate, versatility, toughness and years...

This is a fight that J.C can't wait for...this is commercially his ticket to Legacyville...B.H wont stop Joe's fight plan with the rough shit, because Joe will not allow him to...:badass::badass::badass:

i think we should remember that hopkins has taken tough fights before, the taylor fight he didn't need to have, he could have fought others but went for it, some say because he dislikes taylors promoter and wanted to settle a score but the fact is he fought taylor. he then went for tarver, i remember clearly not many giveing b-hop any chance saying tarver will ko him...........then not many gave him a chance against winky, people thought winky would be to good for him over 12 rounds. he now takes an even tougher fight in joe, say what you want no one can claim his last 5 fights have been easy choices and all in his 40's

others ( and i wont say his name ) have spent there carrear in a more comfortzone taking talior made opponets in large

i think joe will be to much but much respect to hopkins for taking it