Lets dispell some myths shall we?
Dirty,you mean like Antwun Echols hip tossing Bernard and separating his shoulder dirty,or do you mean Keith Holmes having his trunks around his nipples dirty?
Undersized opponents,you mean like Antonio Tarver?Keith Holmes?,William Joppy?The same Felix Trinidad who gave a good showing at 170?Glen Johnson?Howard Eastman?,Im counting 4 titelists in there,not one titelist with a busted hand,and severly overated one in Lacy,and one who retired 10 years ago
The youth factor,yeah you just feel like a spring freaking chicken at 35
Work rate,uh huh,tell that to Tarver
Frankly I think this is a stupid fight for Bernard to take,it adds absolutely nothing to his legacy if he wins,he's more or less proven everything he has to,Joe I can see it,a big name and he finally proves he can travel.
But to give those reasons for Bernard not being great is just being moronic,I have no idea on earth whose going to win,but the macho posturing is just silly,assuming a slap handed hook fighter like Calzaghe is going to actually knock out Hopkins is even sillier.
If Joe wins,he's going to win on points,and I can see it happening,Bernard does have a tendency to start slow,and even though he doesnt land as often as it looks,Joe's work rate could change the tide in his favour.
Now if you want an honest assesment of the fight,it comes down to Bernards movement and use of the jab/Joes ability to swarm and take shots coming in