Calzaghe: Give me Hopkins next

[Majesty]

Calzaghe pulling a Tarver trying to make Hopkins move down is he? How about Calzaghe move up, so that when he loses he can still keep his titles. And I have no clue why you think that Hopkins somehow dodged Calzaghe. You'd have a better chance saying that James Toney dodged him too. But whenever I heard of Calzaghe on other sites a few years ago, he was always calling out someone called Chicken Ottke. So I don't see how Hopkins dodged him.

The last time I saw it, it was Tarver coming down off the blubberman kick....

You are showing a complete ignorance of boxing with this shite you are saying. Hopkins could have faced Calzaghe years ago. But he didnt. And he wont ever.

You have seen Calzaghe fight perhaps 2 times max....get an education!!!

Prove to me that Calzaghe tried to make that fight with Hopkins. Because it sounds like you're taking opinion and assumption and trying to make it fact. And downgrading me won't prove a point. Unless you can prove fact that Calzaghe tried to make that fight. And I dont mean an interview where Calzaghe said "I would like to fight Hopkins, Toney all of them." I mean an actual attempt at a purse bit that his promoter and Hopkins promoter(whether it was Dibella, or Duva at the time) tried to make. Until then you only have your opinion which you're entitled to. But don't try to pass it off as fact and try to make yourself look big by trying to diss me. You will just make an ass out of yourself and we don't need that.

Here's the proof Gus. Hope this helps.

Calzaghe: I'll fight Hopkins anywhere

Friday July 4, 2003
Joe Calzaghe, the World Boxing Organisation super-middleweight champion, is prepared to travel to the United States to face the world's No1 middleweight Bernard Hopkins in what is seen as a career-defining fight for the undefeated Welshman.
"This is the fight I have wanted above all others for the last few years," he said, "and it is the one the boxing world wants."

Since Calzaghe's two-round win over the highly rated Byron Mitchell in Cardiff on Saturday, Hopkins, 38, has said he would be prepared step up to super-middleweight and face him, but only if the fight takes place before the end of next January and only if it is in the US.

"I have no problems taking the fight on his territory," said the 31-year-old Calzaghe. "My message to him is: 'You want it, you got it.' He can have it anywhere and any time."

Hopkins' promoter Don King and Calzaghe's backer Frank Warren reached agreement for a fight last year, and the US television station Showtime was prepared to underwrite the event. But after a $3m (£1.8m) payday had been agreed, the fight fell through when Hopkins doubled his purse demands.

Warren has confirmed he is trying to reopen negotiations. "But he has had opportunities to make money since [beating Felix] Trinidad [in 2001] and has walked away. He is the only fighter I know who seems hell-bent on going from Park Lane to Brick Lane."

Calzaghe underlined his determination to get the fight, laying down a challenge to Hopkins. "Don't find an excuse to let our fight slip away," he said. "I have taken up your challenge to face you in America, so honour your words."
http://sport.guardian.co.uk/boxing/s...991029,00.html

CC for the article I asked for

But I still don't see how that's ducking.

Hopkins said "I want this much money" The promoters said "To hell with it" and the fight fell through. It would be ducking imo if Hopkins said he wouldn't fight him at all(like what Lennox Lewis did to Byrd and Ruiz).

If thats true then I wouldn't call what Hopkins is doing ducking.

And lets me frank here, back then in the US people would only be tuning in to see what Hopkins would do next and it wouldn't be that big of a sell since Calzaghe wasnt the name then that he is now. I think we could all agree on that. If the fight were to happen today then you have a huge fight, but back then, not really huge fight, not as huge as it would be.

Thats my opinion of it anyway.

Well I think you're being a bit naive here Gus. Pricing yourself OUT can be for only one reason - you dont want to fight.

The $3 millon dollars for the Calzaghe fight would of been Hopkins career highest purse. (He got $2.5 million against Trinidad)

Hopkins then went on to face Hakkar, Joppy etc for no where near as much. Around $300,000 DOLLARS!!! for the Joppy fight.

Hey I dont blame Hopkins for not fighting Calzaghe. If he had took the fight he'd of most likely blown the Oscar fight and his chance to make an easy $10 million dollars. He's a smart guy.

Calzaghe takes the flak for not fighting the superstars but theres nothing he can do about it if they're not willing to face him.

"Well I think you're being a bit naive here Gus. Pricing yourself OUT can be for only one reason - you dont want to fight."

Thats your opinion. I don't think thats so.

"Hopkins then went on to face Hakkar, Joppy etc for no where near as much. Around $300,000 DOLLARS!!! for the Joppy fight."

And looking at his career right now I wouldn't say he's made bad choices would you?

"Hey I dont blame Hopkins for not fighting Calzaghe. If he had took the fight he'd of most likely blown the Oscar fight and his chance to make an easy $10 million dollars. He's a smart guy."

Something Joe has never done but I'll get to my point in a minute

"Calzaghe takes the flak for not fighting the superstars but theres nothing he can do about it if they're not willing to face him. "

Ok here's my point. Warren COULD have said yes to Hopkins and then we'd have a fight. And there would be a fight. So even if Hopkins made it pricy he would have fought Calzaghe if 'yes' was said. Is that correct?

And stop me if I'm wrong here, but is that the ONLY time that Calzaghe ever tried to make a fight with Hopkins?

Why didn't he do it anytime afterwards? And say something other then "because Hopkins would price himself out again"

And you make comparisons on how much money Hopkins made with the turned down offer, how many did Joe make? And who did he fight after that?

My point is that after that, Hopkins made better choices and made more money then Calzaghe, who if he is so enameured in his own porential legacy he would have tried to make those same decisions as well.

Am I right?

So the flak Joe takes for not fighting the best I'm not very convinced that Hopkins ducked him in any way, and I don't see Joe trying to fight anyone else "great" around that time, do you? He said he'd gladly come to the states to fight hopkins ok. This fight falls through, Hopkisn goes on his legacy. Why didn't Calzaghe COME to the states and make a name for himself and some noise to actually bring attention to him calling out Hopkins? Make it a popular fight where the media is actually clamoring for it. Because of that ONE article you found it doesn't convince me in the least that anyoen would have payed much attention to it over here. The jury was still out on Calzaghe until that Lacy victory and Calzaghe could have gotten that recognition if he had fought fighters to make a name for himself over here. Like I said..if he was so desperate for the fight then after that fall through why didn't he come to the states and make some noise to marit a fight with him and Hopkins? Why did he stay overseas and only make noise there? How many times was he on Showtime after that? How many times was Hopkins on HBO? Who was seen more by a world audience?

Alright then, thats my point. If you don't understand something I'll help you.

But I'm going to be getting a real look at Joe this Saturday so I can critique him. Then I'll see how consistant he is