By Mark Vester
According to a recent report in IC Wales , the much hyped showdown between WBO/WBC/WBA super middleweight champion Joe Calzaghe and light heavyweight champion Bernard Hopkins is close to done. The bout is scheduled to fall on an April date in Las Vegas. The date of April 12 has been thrown around in some circles.
Calzaghe's promoter Frank Warren told the paper he and Golden Boy Promotions (who handle Hopkins) “are very, very close to formally announcing this fight.”
Warren says an official announcement may come before the New Year. Calzaghe, who plans to fight twice in 2008 and then retire, told the paper that he's salivating at the chance to fight Hopkins in Las Vegas. Calzaghe will make the move to light heavyweight division for the fight.
“The way I am as a fighter and a champion, I want to finish in boxing in the most difficult circumstances possible,” Calzaghe said. “And that is to go to Vegas, to America, on his own patch and kick Bernard Hopkins’ ass. Testing myself against the best is what I want to do and when my back is against the wall, that’s when you see the best in me. I believe 2008 will be my final year in boxing and I want to bow out with two super fights. I want to beat the best and Hopkins is a great champion and will be remembered as a legend. But I’ve the skills to beat him.”
The UK vs. USA storyline is a given. Several weeks ago while speaking with reporters in Las Vegas, Hopkins vowed that he would "never lose to a white boy." The comment is sure to fuel the pre-fight fire, setting the stage for Hopkins to play the villian and many American fans, offended by the comment, to side with Calzaghe on the night of the fight.
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