By Mark Vester
After a firestorm of comments from light heavyweight champ Bernard Hopkins - Click Here To Read, WBO/WBA/WBC super middleweight champion Joe Calzaghe (44-0, 32KOs) returned fire with his own verbal assault.
Calzaghe spoke to BoxingScene.com's Ernest Gabion, and says Hopkins is the only fight out there for him. He doesn't see a need to stay at super middleweight, he's done everything he can at the weight.
"Hopkins is the only fight out there for me at the moment. I've done everything at super middleweight, wiped everyone out as you've seen with Mikkel Kessler. I've got nothing left to prove at super middleweight, so it means going up to light heavyweight to fight the best guys out there and unfortunately I'm not a welterweight so I cant get the Cottos and the Hattons, I have to chase a 43-year-old man. He's bringing it all, it's all good publicity. I'll fight Hopkins wherever," Calzaghe said.
According to Calzaghe, nothing is stopping the Hopkins fight. It took a while, but the two fighters were able to agree on a 50-50 split for the fight. Now it all comes down to selecting a date, location and venue. Calzaghe has vowed to fight Hopkins anywhere, and to knock him out when they finally meet.
"I will execute The Executioner. There is nothing stopping the fight. This is a business as you know. I dont think I'm being greedy with what I asked for. He wants me to come to the States, I want to get paid well. He wants to fight me in Wales, he's going to get paid well. Of course he doesn’t want to fight in Wales. I'll fight him any place, any time and anywhere. I know 100% in my heart I won't lose to him. He thinks he's never going to lose, well he's going to get whooped by me. If we ever fight, I'm going to knock him out. He's going to get knocked out," Calzaghe said.
Calzaghe tells BoxingScene that Hopkins is no longer that fighter he once was. He can't see a single scenario where Hopkins would be able to deal with his very high workrate and be able pull out a win. Calzaghe feels that Hopkins, deep in his heart, knows he can't win the fight.
"He's not the fighter he (once) was. He lost twice to Jermain Taylor. I would knock Jermain Taylor out and I'll knock out Hopkins. Simple as that. I can see it in his eyes, he wants one final payday before he retires. I cannot see how he could possibly beat me. He doesn’t have the workrate for it. I throw 1000 punches a fight. Mikkel Kessler is a lot better fighter than Bernard Hopkins. He's awkward, a messy fighter, but he cant beat me. He's an intelligent guy, he knows he cant beat me. He throws 200 punches a fight, I throw a 1000 punches in a fight. How is he possibly going to beat me? He got lucky against Winky Wright and Winky's a middleweight," Calzaghe said.
Calzaghe thinks Hopkins wants one final payday, and he's willing to oblige the request. And he responded to the now infamous comment that set the boxing world on fire, Hopkins' quote of "I will never lose to a white boy," Calzaghe responded with - "he will lose to a white boy."
"At the end of the day, this is going to be his last fight. He wants his pension fund because he's going to get his ass kicked. He can't beat me, and he will lose to a white boy. I don't know why he brought the whole color thing in. It's okay, because he's going to get his ass whooped," Calzaghe said.
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