If Calzaghe Won Why????

[Greig]

Calzaghe won because:-

He outlanded Hopkins comprehensively.
He outworked him and had him looking very ragged down the stretch.
He came forward and made the fight.
Hopkins was so tired he resorted to questionable tactics to get himself a break.


Aside from the first third, Calzaghe really was in control IMO.

Hopkins should be sponsored by Reebok with the amount of running he does.

[El Kabong]

Calzaghe won because:-

He outlanded Hopkins comprehensively.
He outworked him and had him looking very ragged down the stretch.
He came forward and made the fight.
Hopkins was so tired he resorted to questionable tactics to get himself a break.


Aside from the first third, Calzaghe really was in control IMO.

Hopkins should be sponsored by Reebok with the amount of running he does.

He's an old guy, he's talented and smart enough to figure out a way to make it tough for everyone to beat him.

You really have to take the fight to him before you beat him

[Greig]

Calzaghe won because:-

He outlanded Hopkins comprehensively.
He outworked him and had him looking very ragged down the stretch.
He came forward and made the fight.
Hopkins was so tired he resorted to questionable tactics to get himself a break.


Aside from the first third, Calzaghe really was in control IMO.

Hopkins should be sponsored by Reebok with the amount of running he does.

He's an old guy, he's talented and smart enough to figure out a way to make it tough for everyone to beat him.

You really have to take the fight to him before you beat him

You really have to take the fight to him to get near him...

[GRBOXINGFAN]

Props to Calzaghe, he adapted and clearly won. I had it 115-112 for Joe. Hopkins looked his age, but take nothing away from Joe, he was the better fighter.

Hopkins looked tired and wanted out of the fight kind of.

The worst thing that happened for B-hop was knocking Joe down with that right in the 1st round, he spent the rest of the fight looking for the same punch, but Joe adapted and never gave it to him.

Hopkins had never been a favorite of mine, but he dropped a couple notches tonight. He got beat.

Joe impressed me with his smarts and actually it looked like he got in Bernards head a little by the end. very fun fight to watch. I watch most of the fights with guys who have boxed and its almost uncanny how they see things. A couple called a right hand KD for bernard as soon as the fight started based on the way Joe was coming in. But Joe adjusted accordingly and won the fight.

Props to Joe! Tough fight to win and he out thought a master. I was way more impressed with his smarts than his skills.

Bernard should retire.

I had some money on Hopkins, but was rooting for Joe by the end of the fight after all the crap. Joe was the better man tonight. RESPECT!

[bikersk]

Yep he was. Much to bernards chagrin.

[Gandalf]

Hopkins was worked out and has never been as outworked as that down the stretch. Calzaghe won convincingly, I still think that he could have dominated old Hopkins something rotten if it hadnt had been for that flash knockdown.

If Hopkins is really so upset then he should demand a rematch. I doubt he wants any part of JC again though.

[bambamdaddio]

Calzaghe won because:-

He outlanded Hopkins comprehensively.
He outworked him and had him looking very ragged down the stretch.
He came forward and made the fight.
Hopkins was so tired he resorted to questionable tactics to get himself a break.


Aside from the first third, Calzaghe really was in control IMO.

Hopkins should be sponsored by Reebok with the amount of running he does.

Brilliantly honest and true post, may I add that along with Reebok, they may get Lonsdale on board too, as he really should wear a third boxing glove on his head ...

Joe won clear, even allowing for the knockdown, I had him 3 rounds in front even tho it was messy at times,

But in honesty Flopkins was not interested in fighting the fight, just thieving and being dodgy, are crap tactics at this level, and I really expected more from B.Flop,

I'll even go further by adding Flopkins even robbed Joe of a spectacular win by use of his dodgy tactics, eg sneaking rests on pretense of serious foul,

I'm not disagreeing with the foul, but he milked it that much I thought they was gonna hang a cow bell around his neck and start calling him Daisy,

Also the butting, the holding, the just being a pain in the ass who would not get involved in fighting at all unless he got lucky throwing his single random shots.....poor indeed.

[LondonBB]

I give hopkins credit for his fighting ability.

I was worried when calzaghe went down, it was on his nose and not chin and he got up immeadiately but it was a great test for joe.

Hopkins showed that he is a great counter puncher with probably his best performance in a long time.

However the dirtyness from hopkins was a joke, the claiming of low blows was pathetic when everyone saw it wasnt a low blow. The use of the head was pathetic, immense clinching made for an ugly fight...he really did try everything in the book (or, not allowed in the book, to win). I didnt like this aspect of it AT ALL!

However as a true champ, calzaghes class came through at the end, bar the 9th, the last 6 rounds were all calzaghe, hopkins only took the 9th because of the rest he forced (by cheating) when it clearly was not a low blow.

I dont like cortez' referring though, it was too leanient towards hopkins who constantly broke the rules by use of the head. BUT I MUST SAY that i have respect for cortez in that he saw that hopkins was cheating and did not deduct a point for the 'pretend low blow'.

All in all on my scorecard it was as follows.

1. hop 10,8
2. hop
3. hop
4. calz
5. calz
6. calz
7. draw
8. calz
9. hop
10. calz
11. calz
12. calz

Giving the overall decission to calzaghe by 115, 113

The judges decissions were all over the place, only 1 got it right i thought, 115, 113 to calzaghe.

Dont know how the others gave it 114,113 bhop and 116,11 calzaghe.

In summary calzaghe showed his champ ability to work out hopkins (something very very difficult to do), he went down in first round from some great boxing by bernard but claz forced his way back into the fight by workrate and managing to plant the most punches on bhop that anyone has ever done before.

Of course there will be doubters but any legitimate boxing fan knows that calzaghe is the real deal, he got knocked down in the first only to come back and start dicatating against the great hopkins.

Respect to both fighters, but the champ won on the day. It was in the later rounds where i knew bhop was gone because calzaghe rocked him with a good combo, i thought bhop was gonna go down if joe hit him a few more times, probably stay down, but bhop managed to clinch (suprise suprise lol)...it was clear that whilst his philly style and defense/counter was top class, joe started dicatating the fight and adaopted later on to bring his game in, hopkins trid every dirty trick but calzaghe was just too good for him.

Calzaghe to fight jones next and beat him (either in millenium stadium, madison square or vegas), then in his final fight beat pavlik (in vegas) and then retire totally unbeaten 47, 0 A true cut above the rest