By Mark Vester
The post-fight press conference to Joe Calzaghe's split-decision win over Bernard Hopkins was full of harsh words from both sides. When Hopkins took the podium to speak with the media at the Thomas & Mack Center in Las Vegas, he attacked the decision, the CompuBox punch stats that favored Calzaghe by over 200 landed punches and for good measure he threw a few verbal jabs at Calzaghe.
"Everybody got eyes, I don't have to explain. One thing about life and TV and they can analyze and they can talk about it. Remember I'm 43-years-old. No excuses that I'm 43-years-old. I think I showed something. The only thing I can say is, look at it. I feel good physically and mentally. I think I won the fight. When it’s all said and done, history will reflect Bernard Hopkins (won). I got beat tonight, but it wasn’t by Joe Calzaghe and I can deal with that."
"I came back after the two Jermain Taylor fights to make history and to show that Bernard Hopkins still has a lot left in him and I showed that tonight. Remember I'm 43 and I fought like a young man tonight. After all the years of boxing and all of the achievements, I never got beat up in the ring. I proved tonight that Bernard Hopkins is one of those legendary fighters who will be talked about for a long time. I showed old school thinking tonight."
"I think if the CompuBox count was accurate, I should look like the Elephant man right now. I'm not a cute guy. If a man threw 300 puncehs and he landed 200 my nose should be wear my ears are at. If they say so that he landed 200 (more) punches. The one thing about videotape is that a lot of people can judge. He got a split-decision in the United States after a knockdown. I would have never got that in Wales and ya'll know that. Reverse the whole facts. I would have never got what he got here, in Wales. He was in the hardest fight of his life with a 43-year-old man. I told you I would bust him up. That I would take him back to the amateurs, (he was) throwing punches like my sister."
Moments later, Calzaghe would fire back and respond to the comments Hopkins made to him last December, when he told Joe that he would "never lose to a white boy."
"You lost man. Everybody knows you lost. You lost to a white boy. A white boy kicked your ass. A white boy kicked your ass baby. A white boy kicked your ass," Calzaghe said.
Enzo Calzaghe, father and trainer of Joe, also had some choice words for Hopkins.
"Bottom line, the referee is from his own country. This is not something stolen out of Britain. It's in his own country, his own turf, his own land - (that) gave him a huge defeat. That speaks for itself. Joe won quite satisfactory. It was a battle. He showed the heart of a champion. He went down in the first round and weathered the storm," Enzo said.
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