Hopkins says he will retire if he can't get rematch with Calzaghe

[Manuel "Chubby" Medina]

Just last night on FNF he didn't say that at all. He said he doesn't want to fight young guys like Dawson so he doesn't get in the way of the flow of the upcoming talent. He did say he'd prefer a rematch with Calzaghe, but he did mention other options as well such as Taylor.

Yeah, that's what I thought as well, but this appears to have different quotes from him than what I remember him saying, so I thought that maybe he had clarified this later on

IMHO Calzaghe doesnt want to rematch Hopkins because he knows he was very lucky to get a SD win in their first fight. He's scared his 0 will go along with his legacy. BUT. What Calzaghe doesnt realise is his legacy is stained until he does LEGITIMATELY beat Bernard Hopkins

I can agree to that.
I mean is Mayweather retired beating a bunch of big names not juzz LEGIMATELY but actually showing superiority over them.
What makes Calzaghe think him beating 1-2 big names marks his legacy and is able to retire? HA.

[Kel]

Yeah, that's what I thought as well, but this appears to have different quotes from him than what I remember him saying, so I thought that maybe he had clarified this later on

IMHO Calzaghe doesnt want to rematch Hopkins because he knows he was very lucky to get a SD win in their first fight. He's scared his 0 will go along with his legacy. BUT. What Calzaghe doesnt realise is his legacy is stained until he does LEGITIMATELY beat Bernard Hopkins

I can agree to that.
I mean is Mayweather retired beating a bunch of big names not juzz LEGIMATELY but actually showing superiority over them.
What makes Calzaghe think him beating 1-2 big names marks his legacy and is able to retire? HA.

Big names are not always great fighters, Joe has fought a lot of top opposition lately..........and so has Bernard Hopkins BTW

[Manuel "Chubby" Medina]

Ok true. you got me.
BUT, ok Jeff lacy ok good win,Hopkins by 1-2 rounds hmmm questionable, a washedout Roy Jones?
NOTE: Hopkins and Roy Jones both knocked him down.
Is Calzaghe's career all that great that its going to be marked as a legacy after he retires? should he be on the hall of fame?
Imo Calzaghe you keep fighting and solidify your career then retire.

[Spicoli]

I think he's massaging his options and keeping all avenues open.A rematch with Calzaghe is the least interesting for Me...not because I see Calzaghe repeating with a certain victory but.......the fight itself was terrible.I can not cast blame on one guy entirely,Simply I think the styles match up was blah.In all honesty,off of a shut out of Pavlik and monstrous network/Promotional affiliations,Hopkins can and will have a huge say in who is next and will not be forced into a fight he does not want,much to the chagrin of his detractors.If I were Calzaghe,I'd aim for Dawson.He's beaten Bernard and riding some big momentum towards his own Retirement with wins over Kessler,Jones,Hopkins.What a way to go out beating an undefeated Top tier gut like Dawson who is hitting his own stride but still learning a bit.I have a sneaking suspicion that the much talked about rematch with Tarver will not come off....lets all say a short prayer and hope as much anyway

[awdleyfuturehalloffamer]

Hopkins sucked the first fight, nobody wants to see him whine and hold his nuts for a second fight.

[JazMerkin]

To the person who said that JC won't give B-Hop a rematch because he wasn't gracious in defeat, I think that Joe is hardly in a position to talk about that, particularly after some of his comments recently, such as the stuff about boxing being finished.

Regards to a rematch, although I thought Hopkins won the first fight, I would much rather see Joe go up against Dawson to shore up his 'legacy'. Although I have soured on Calzaghe a bit over the last 9 months or so, I still think he is one hell of a boxer & has got a lot left so would love to see him go up against Dawson to really let us know just how good he is. At the moment the fact remains that his record just doesn't stand up to his contemporaries, even if some of them have lost fights, because there are a maximum of 6 fighters who you could argue as competitive contests & some believe he lost 2 of those (Reid & Hopkins).

To be honest as someone who is a fan of both Calzaghe & Hopkins (I know, one of the few ), I would like B-Hop to retire on the Pavlik victory & Calzaghe to have one last fight in Cardiff against Dawson because I think he's got it in him, and really were he to win it would be much harder for his critics to have a go at him

[CFH]

To the person who said that JC won't give B-Hop a rematch because he wasn't gracious in defeat, I think that Joe is hardly in a position to talk about that, particularly after some of his comments recently, such as the stuff about boxing being finished.

Regards to a rematch, although I thought Hopkins won the first fight, I would much rather see Joe go up against Dawson to shore up his 'legacy'. Although I have soured on Calzaghe a bit over the last 9 months or so, I still think he is one hell of a boxer & has got a lot left so would love to see him go up against Dawson to really let us know just how good he is. At the moment the fact remains that his record just doesn't stand up to his contemporaries, even if some of them have lost fights, because there are a maximum of 6 fighters who you could argue as competitive contests & some believe he lost 2 of those (Reid & Hopkins).

To be honest as someone who is a fan of both Calzaghe & Hopkins (I know, one of the few ), I would like B-Hop to retire on the Pavlik victory & Calzaghe to have one last fight in Cardiff against Dawson because I think he's got it in him, and really were he to win it would be much harder for his critics to have a go at him

Excellent post, I agree with almost everything you say (which is why it must be an excellent post )

[Kel]

To the person who said that JC won't give B-Hop a rematch because he wasn't gracious in defeat, I think that Joe is hardly in a position to talk about that, particularly after some of his comments recently, such as the stuff about boxing being finished.

Regards to a rematch, although I thought Hopkins won the first fight, I would much rather see Joe go up against Dawson to shore up his 'legacy'. Although I have soured on Calzaghe a bit over the last 9 months or so, I still think he is one hell of a boxer & has got a lot left so would love to see him go up against Dawson to really let us know just how good he is. At the moment the fact remains that his record just doesn't stand up to his contemporaries, even if some of them have lost fights, because there are a maximum of 6 fighters who you could argue as competitive contests & some believe he lost 2 of those (Reid & Hopkins).

To be honest as someone who is a fan of both Calzaghe & Hopkins (I know, one of the few ), I would like B-Hop to retire on the Pavlik victory & Calzaghe to have one last fight in Cardiff against Dawson because I think he's got it in him, and really were he to win it would be much harder for his critics to have a go at him

Lacy was undefeated and so was Kessler, if he beat Dawson he would just slip into the list of hopefulls. Really, who would give Joe anymore credit than he already has?

[CFH]

To the person who said that JC won't give B-Hop a rematch because he wasn't gracious in defeat, I think that Joe is hardly in a position to talk about that, particularly after some of his comments recently, such as the stuff about boxing being finished.

Regards to a rematch, although I thought Hopkins won the first fight, I would much rather see Joe go up against Dawson to shore up his 'legacy'. Although I have soured on Calzaghe a bit over the last 9 months or so, I still think he is one hell of a boxer & has got a lot left so would love to see him go up against Dawson to really let us know just how good he is. At the moment the fact remains that his record just doesn't stand up to his contemporaries, even if some of them have lost fights, because there are a maximum of 6 fighters who you could argue as competitive contests & some believe he lost 2 of those (Reid & Hopkins).

To be honest as someone who is a fan of both Calzaghe & Hopkins (I know, one of the few ), I would like B-Hop to retire on the Pavlik victory & Calzaghe to have one last fight in Cardiff against Dawson because I think he's got it in him, and really were he to win it would be much harder for his critics to have a go at him

Lacy was undefeated and so was Kessler, if he beat Dawson he would just slip into the list of hopefulls. Really

The problem is that neither of those two fighters have proven anything following their defeats to Calzaghe, thus diminishing the victories. I think a few years from now the Kessler victory will look very impressive though.

[Boom Boom]

Even as a Hopkins fan I think its hypocritle to say he doesnt want to fight young talent, when he just did. He clearly just doesnt want Dawson, and I dont blame him. I hope he does retire but I know he wont. If he continues Id like to see him take on Valuev. It may sound completely crazy but he would likely beat him.

[JazMerkin]

Even as a Hopkins fan I think its hypocritle to say he doesnt want to fight young talent, when he just did. He clearly just doesnt want Dawson, and I dont blame him. I hope he does retire but I know he wont. If he continues Id like to see him take on Valuev. It may sound completely crazy but he would likely beat him.

What he actually said on ESPN was that he didn't want to get in the way of the careers of any younger guys after the Pavlik win, although I think he does want to avoid Dawson, and like you I don't blame him. Would like to see him go out on top & I don't think he can top that moment staring out into press row at the end of the Pavlik fight

[CFH]

Even as a Hopkins fan I think its hypocritle to say he doesnt want to fight young talent, when he just did. He clearly just doesnt want Dawson, and I dont blame him. I hope he does retire but I know he wont. If he continues Id like to see him take on Valuev. It may sound completely crazy but he would likely beat him.

What he actually said on ESPN was that he didn't want to get in the way of the careers of any younger guys after the Pavlik win, although I think he does want to avoid Dawson, and like you I don't blame him. Would like to see him go out on top & I don't think he can top that moment staring out into press row at the end of the Pavlik fight

I don't think he's necessarily intimidated by Dawson, though I'm certain he's well aware of the risk that would come with fighting him. I'm sure Hopkins thinks he would win (I'm sure he think he could topple both Klitschko's in one night), but I doubt Dawson brings a lot of money to the table, and I'd think that that, combined with the risk associate with a Dawson fight, probably makes it seem like it just isn't worth it. I'm sure if the money was there, like it was with Pavlik, he'd be clamoring for the fight.

[CGM]

I don't think Hopkins should sweat the Calzaghe "loss". It really doesn't change a whole lot. Any more than the Taylor loss changed things. It would be nice to get a rematch but we all know Calzaghe's position. When it comes down to legacy and position on the all time lists, Hopkins will still get the upper hand.

[Spicoli]

Even as a Hopkins fan I think its hypocritle to say he doesnt want to fight young talent, when he just did. He clearly just doesnt want Dawson, and I dont blame him. I hope he does retire but I know he wont. If he continues Id like to see him take on Valuev. It may sound completely crazy but he would likely beat him.

What he actually said on ESPN was that he didn't want to get in the way of the careers of any younger guys after the Pavlik win, although I think he does want to avoid Dawson, and like you I don't blame him. Would like to see him go out on top & I don't think he can top that moment staring out into press row at the end of the Pavlik fight

I don't think he's necessarily intimidated by Dawson, though I'm certain he's well aware of the risk that would come with fighting him. I'm sure Hopkins thinks he would win (I'm sure he think he could topple both Klitschko's in one night), but I doubt Dawson brings a lot of money to the table, and I'd think that that, combined with the risk associate with a Dawson fight, probably makes it seem like it just isn't worth it. I'm sure if the money was there, like it was with Pavlik, he'd be clamoring for the fight.

Sums it up as far as Dawson when you yhink about it.Handlers and promotion may be selling Dawson short and if that rematch with Tarver comes off,he's taking a big step backwards Imo.Dawson is a very solid comer with a future but he does not send shivers into Hopkins or for that matter Calzaghe but at this point with one foot out of the ring towards Retirement..."If it don't make dollars,It don't make cents".More and more,I see Those two heading to a rematch

[ross]

[quote=Spicoli surfs 'Nawlins;666180][quote=CFH;665809if that rematch with Tarver comes off,he's taking a big step backwards Imo.[/quote]

Does Tarver have it in him to beat Dawson, could it have been an off night for Tarver?

Could Dawson come in not as hyped because its just going over old ground and Tarver come in mean and hungry with a point to prove and actually fight?

Wouldnt it just be a big smelly mess if Dawson went and lost

Joe Calzaghe would then have beaten the man that beat the man that beat the man, if you know what im getting at

If Dawson gets beat and Froch fights Kessler and manages to beat him I can see promoters trying to lure Joe out for that one, it wouldnt happen if Kessler wan, Joe sees Froch as an easier fight than Mikkel, he wouldnt want to have to think that hard again at his age, he just wants to punch away and with Froch and his open guard and slow pace, hes made for Joe but its not going to happen because I cant see Froch going anywhere near Kessler let alone beating him.