By Mark Vester

In his latest "Frankly Speaking" column, promoter Frank Warren took aim at Bernard Hopkins and unbeaten super middleweight Carl Froch over the recent comments they made about Joe Calzaghe.

Following Hopikins' split-decision loss to Calzaghe on April 19, the Philadelphia fighter told members of the media that he was robbed of a win. Warren gaves his thoughts on the fight, and the claims of Hopkins.

"The split decision in Calzaghe's favor has been described as controversial, but I had him winning by at least three clear rounds. Hopkins is a tough guy and a defensive master, but there was only one man trying to force the fight, and that was Calzaghe," Warren said. "He finished the fight with bruises on his head, not from the punches that Hopkins threw, but the head-butts aimed in his direction."

"Bernard constantly held in the clinches and hit Calzaghe low on the referee's blind side. And when Joe landed a single, borderline shot in the 10th, Hopkins went down as if he'd been shot, earning himself a five minute break. It was a critical moment because Calzaghe was beginning to get on top, and I thought he was going to stop Hopkins, who was blowing hard."

"And the future for Hopkins? A bad sport, he said afterwards that if Calzaghe had got through with as many punches as the judges thought, he should look like the Elephant Man. May be it's now time for him to pack his trunk. He described himself as a legend – but the lasting memory of him for me is a cheating, bitching, ungracious loser – it hardly puts him up there with the Alis and Leonards."

Froch, one of Calzaghe's UK rivals, was critical of Calzaghe's performance and made public comments about Hopkins deserving the victory.

"Super-middleweight wannabe Carl Froch says he thinks Hopkins beat Calzaghe - but he should concentrate on his own career, which hasn’t exactly progressing at a stellar pace," Warren said. "Froch has had just 22 fights in six years, and at 30, is five years older than when Calzaghe first became a world champion. He was supposed to fight Dennis Inkin in an eliminator next month but even that's been called off. After the Lord Mayor's show and all that."

Send News Tips and Comments To Mark Vester @ boxingscene@hotmail.com