Lennox Lewis: "Calzaghe Should Fight Hopkins"

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In the most recent edition of IC Wales, former heavyweight champion Lennox Lewis urged super middleweight champion Joe Calzaghe to stage his next couple of fights in America, and to fight Bernard Hopkins to prove he is the best.

"America is the only place for Joe now - it's time for him to take his career up a level. The American boxing public are clamouring for Joe, they want to see him up close and personal. And if the Americans want to see you, there's no debate - you just go. Boxing in Britain is great but it's a different world in America. The States is the Mecca of boxing and the money is on a different level. Joe could earn himself a small fortune over there. To get worldwide recognition you have to box in America - period," Lewis said.

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Although there has been some buzz with respect to Calzaghe facing his unbeaten super middleweight rival Mikkel Kessler, who holds the other two super middleweight titles, Lewis said that if he was Calzaghe, he would be targeting Bernard Hopkins for a big payday to take place in America.

"He has to beat one of their big names in their own back yard. That's what I had to do. Fights with the big names like Roy Jones Jr. and Antonio Tarver haven't been made for whatever reason so Joe's had to deal with what is put in front of him. The great Bernard Hopkins is the man he wants to fight now and I'm sure Hopkins will have watched last weekend's fight and has probably already called Frank Warren to get it on. If I were Joe, a superstar like Hopkins is who'll I'd be after to prove who is the man."

Comments

kbpoetreeMon Oct 23, 2006, 10:21 PM UTC

lennox needs to come back and clean out the heavyweight division... couple things i've seen here i gotta comment on...yes i would say Maskaev is the weakest one of the heavyweight champs...so yes in my opinion makes the best trial fight at heavyweight if u beat him easily, u start studying the others knowing a lil more what 2 expect...and the reason Lewis wants hopkins to fight Calzaghe is cause he dont want a middleweight to run the heavyweight division, sooner or later, Hopkins may go even crazier and call him out....hmmmm...Calzaghe needs 2settle the kessler thing, than c whatz up from there...

Abe_AttellMon Oct 23, 2006, 9:35 PM UTC

I love this Hopkins that you speak of but Tito was a molester of sorts on the inside as well...had tito of fought the younger Nard it would have been much more competitive and much more exciting. you dont try and molest a molester...Hopkins fought the perfect fight against Tito and decided this is the the type of fighter I will become. For example, the younger "junkyard dog" Hopkins really puts a hurtin on a 160 pound Oscar Delahoya...instead of the 9 round stair fest and the well placed body shot we got. You never watched Hopkins when he was younger, just come out and say it. Hopkins loves aggressive fighters that come right at him and don't dance around him.

Abe_AttellMon Oct 23, 2006, 9:32 PM UTC

if hopkins is saying hed only fight maskaev then calzaghe should unify the 168 division. i dunno wy hopkins will nly fight maskaev because everybody knows hes the weakest of the bunch Because Oleg holds a title at the Heavyweight division...it sounds better to call yourself "Heavyweight Champion" in front of the ladies then the obscure "Super-Middle-Weight Champion" Plus, Oleg punches a lot harder than Joe so it makes it dangerous. You saw what happened when Bernard hit Oscar to the body, the same can happen to Hopkins's small waist when fighting Oleg.

dumdaneMon Oct 23, 2006, 9:28 PM UTC

After his tough win over Sakio Bika, all the talk surrounding Joe Calzaghe now is whether he will face undefeated WBA/WBC world champion Mikkel Kessler from Denmark. Heavyweight great Lennox Lewis says that Kessler will be a formidable test for the Welshman. "Kessler definitely looks like a worthy and tough customer," he said. "A good fight. A real good fight. That would be an interesting fight. But you have to go where your heart is and Calzaghe's is not with Kessler, it is with Bernard Hopkins." From: http://www.eurosport.com/boxing/british-news/2005/sport_sto991786.shtml Unfortunately i think the last part of the quote is the most telling. Calzaghe simply will not look seriously towards Kessler as a future opponent.

iron_mike_tysonMon Oct 23, 2006, 9:09 PM UTC

if hopkins is saying hed only fight maskaev then calzaghe should unify the 168 division. i dunno wy hopkins will nly fight maskaev because everybody knows hes the weakest of the bunch

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