Calzaghe won because he was more versatile than many of B-hop's opponents

**chamiley** · 04-21-2008 08:11 PM

In the B-hop style of fighting almost all the opponents fight the fight that hopkins wants to fight and cannot adapt & get frustrated and fold (if hopkins would have fought from round1 against Taylor he would have won that one too). After the first round of action, it occurred to me that Hopkins might have an easier time slowing Calzaghe down than I previously suspected. with hopkins dropping joe, I thought okay bernard has gained joe's respect and now Joe is going to be more tentative with his punches and with the next 3 close rounds it seemed that bernard was doing wat he does best frustrate his opponent and take them out of their gameplan and I thought maybe we are going to get another tarver like performance. However, like a true champion, Calzaghe quickly regained his composure and started climbing the mountain ahead of him. Despite being down several points in the early going, Joe was already in the midst of shifting strategies, if he wouldn't have it would have been another crowning moment for bernard. Joe started to time the lead right hands and landed some clean crisp shots, he even started to frustrate hopkins something I have never seen any of hopkins' opponents do before. I thought bernard being the master of the art of pugilism would also make some adjustments to calzaghe's adjustment but by the end of the night it was hopkins who was looking to the ref for support something which hopkins' opponents usually do. It was not work rate, but Joe's ability to adjust and neutralize Hopkins’ strengths that enabled Calzaghe to reign victorious. Hopkins' didn't get old overnight, he is a marvel of boxing and at 43 years old is still a world class fighter, you cannot compare him to the standards of boxing of an average 43 years old boxer. going into the fight I had the fight 50-50 possibly with an edge to bernard due to Joe's fighting in america and lack of home-town support, I am now sold on joe for being one of the best fighters of this era and my respect for him has tripled after this fight. even though I am guilty of liking hopkins' persona of a badass, ex-convict/thugg, who will throw the rulebook out to win a fight, I can respect Joe's professionalism. Joe I believe is good for the sport of boxing, a humble, respectful fighter who is a thorogh professional. at the racist comment joe maintained his dignity. when hopkins tried to bait joe with the nationalistic insolense claiming that american fighters are better than british fighters, joe didn't respond by any making any disparaging comments of his own about americans, even though americans can be very ethnocentric (I am a canadian not british). with hopkins' barrage at the post-fight conference discrediting joe's win, joe was respectful and acted as a professional while on the other hand it was hopkins who was acting like a bad sport (he should learn how to be humble in defeat even if he thinks he was robbed just like oscar has in the past)