By Mark Vester
WBA/WBC super middleweight champion Mikkel Kessler may be the happiest man in boxing after hearing that Bernard Hopkins would not come out of retirement to face IBF/WBO super middleweight Joe Calzaghe.
Hopkins, during an interview with boxing scribe Dan Rafael, stated that going up against Calzaghe was taking a step backwards, not because of Calzaghe, but because the fight does not mean as much as going after Oleg Maskaev for the WBC heavyweight title.
"It's not that Calzaghe is not worthy of the fight. He is. He has become a major player in boxing," Hopkins said. "But to me, it's going backwards. That's not a bigger fight than me beating the heavyweight champ of the world. I cannot get the satisfaction or gratification fighting Calzaghe. I would be the underdog against Maskaev, but not necessarily against Calzaghe. I just don't see that fight being as big as a Maskaev fight."
Hopkins said that he will weigh 205 pounds by April. He said that he studied Maskaev, mapped out a plan and knows he can beat him. Discussions have taken place for the fight to happen next Spring, but as noted on several occassions - the WBC would have to approve the fight to happen.
James Toney and Samuel Peter have a rematch that may happen as early as January, and the winner would become the mandatory to Maskaev. It's not likely that either Toney or Peter would step aside for Hopkins, because if Hopkins pulls it off and beats Maskaev, he will retire afterwards - leaving the belt vacant.
