I picked decision, but if Calzaghe throws 1000+ punches in this fight, there's a good shot he'll at least hit the canvas once. I can't see giving a natural counterpuncher like Hopkins that many opportunities and getting away unscathed. Most likely though, Hopkins will land some clean shots early in the fight and Calzaghe will stop letting his hands go en route to an easy yet close Hopkins win by UD.
Number one weapon against a southpaw is the lead right, and nobody throws it better than Hopkins. Ask Winky, Tarver, and every other top ranked southpaw that was ranked at or near the top when Hopkins fought them.
Surely you admit there's a very large gap in class between Calzaghe and those two?
I'll give you that Winky was undersized as a natural jr middle fighting at 166, but he hadn't lost a fight since the Vargas one and was a top p4p fighter prior to the Hopkins fight. And yes, Tarver looks shot now, but he certainly didn't appear to be having any problems before Hopkins slapped him silly for 12 rounds to the point that Buddy McGirt told Tarver to hold on and not get hurt in the 12th.
This is by no means saying they're as good or better than Calzaghe, but let's not pretend Winky and Tarver weren't top guys in their respective divisions when Hopkins beat them. As for the age, Calzaghe will be 36 by fight night, which for anyone but Hopkins is generally on the downside of a fighter's career.
That would work more for promoters. After this weekend Edison Miranda will have been on HBO, Showtime, and ESPN in the past 18ish months. Showtime Championship Boxing for Nintendo DS had NO actual boxers. If they instead did a deal with Top Rank, Golden Boy, Don King, etc. that may have some promise.
I'm actually ordering Showtime specifically for this fight. The only issue is that people may actually find out who Abraham is after he gets KO'd, and Pavlik won't get proper respect for unifying the titles if they face off.
With the fight being held above 160, Abraham's still gonna hold the IBF middleweight title. If the Ghost wants to unify the belts and clean out the division he's got no choice.
Floyd would never take the fight, since it's WAAAAAAAAAY too much risk for him. That being said, if they fought at 140, I'd take the odds and put money on Campbell. He's hungry and wants nothing more than another marquee name on his record. I see this playing out similarly to the first half of Rocky 3, and yes I'm serious.
This is exactly right. Roy Jones is significantly diminished, but by no means shot. It is just that at this stage of his career, Calzaghe is stylistically a horrible matchup for Roy.
He beat 45 other guys first ::shrugs:: While I don't find his style particularly fun to watch, if Calzaghe's an automatic first ballot HOFer, is it really that bad to get beaten by him a week shy of your 40th birthday? To be honest, that fight made me a bigger fan of Roy than ever before when he kept fighting through that cut. That was Gatti-esque determination right there.
The whole "8 time world champion" Roy Jones Jr. plus that his titles ranged from MW to HW makes it the most impressive to me out of those listed. When he mentions the longevity of a Hopkins or a Calzaghe though, it often has a similar effect.
Music is different then Boxing. if we compare boxing, Hopkins would be Nas in a way, because he is always on top, but not always number 1. he is always top 5. And Jones is 50 cent. Was at the top, then got knocked out(BY GAME) but is trying to resurrect his career (Sheik, Rick Ross)
but they are both ATG's, but resume to resume, are you saying Jones is better then Hopkins?
Haha, I like the analogy, but I'd see Jones more as Michael Jackson (minus the legal issues). God given talent led to their being unquestionably the best in the world at what they did, influenced an entire generation following them, and needs to be judged by what they did in their prime instead of their late career work. When Michael puts out a single like that one he did with Jay-Z a few years back I take it for what it is and enjoy it, just like I do with Roy Jones' PPVs.
As painful as it can be to watch, I'd say Wlad's style plus skill set makes him nearly unbeatable for most of today's heavyweight division. You would need someone tall and rangy enough to get inside his jab, yet tenacious enough to force Wlad to fight. If you're on the end of that jab and he isn't being forced to exchange, it doesn't matter HOW vulnerable his chin is.
My list is about as biased as they come, but at least I recognize it...
1) Calzaghe - He beat Jones and Hopkins, two of my top 5 favorites. Couple that with my dislike of his father and hist style of dress, and there you go.
2) Tarver - Seeing him knock out Roy was the equivalent of finding out there is no Santa Claus, Easter Bunny, or Tooth Fairy at the same time. Roy called himself "Mr. Unknockoutable" and I really and truly believed him : (
3) Muhammad Ali - I could never understand why he acted so hatefully towards Joe Frazier, another of my all time favorites. Calling him an Uncle Tom and getting Frazier's kids hassled in school after Frazier tried to help Ali during his suspension was just plain wrong.
(In my defense, I'm a big fan of Glenn Johnson! Of course he gave Tarver his comeuppance, and the enemy of my enemy is my friend)
Last night's win did exactly what it was supposed to: let Jones and his fans have some fun. I've seen Tyson, Pavlik, Gatti, Hopkins, Tarver, Berto, JM Lopez, Judah, Mormeck, Cunningham, and Larry Holmes all fight live, but nothing could compare to the excitement I had last night after flying a thousand miles to see Roy in person. I drove 4 hours home to watch Jones fight Calzaghe on PPV, and then had to make the return trip the following morning at 10 am. I also bought the Badi Ajamu PPV, but sadly I was unable to make it home to watch the Hanshaw fight live. I don't care who Jones fights, I'll support him because I'm a FAN, not a bandwagon jumper. The great part about tv is that nobody is forcing you to watch it. If you don't care to watch Jones fight, that's your choice. I don't care for MMA or Nascar, but it doesn't bother me that they're happening.
If Roy's fighting the way he did last night and not getting hurt, why not let him fight til he's 45? Who will it hurt, other than some more fringe contenders? ; )
Slugfest - Mormeck vs Bell I - You could feel the punches all the way in the back of the Theatre at MSG
Sweet Science - Wright vs Trinidad - I never liked Tito, and Wright proved just about everyone wrong.
Combination - JM Marquez vs Pacquiao II - I had Marquez pulling out a razor thin decision in this war
I think he'll go for a rematch with Glenn Johnson. Roy admits he took Johnson lightly the first fight. He can outbox him to a unanimous decision if he doesn't let Johnson goad him into going toe to toe, and with BHop moving up and Tarver about to get his butt kicked by Dawson again, Roy will be right back in the top 5 in the division unquestionably.
The beauty of this being on PPV is that if you're a RJJ fan who wants to watch it, you can. It's not as if it would be on network tv or even cable if it weren't on PPV. By offering it on PPV, Roy's giving his fans a chance to see what may be his final fight. The more PPV's the better when it comes to lesser fights that otherwise may not be televised at all!
What sanctioning fees? If the guy is not defending the belt, the organization makes no money. There is no money for the WBC to make if he fights De La Hoya at 150. Since 2006, he only paid fees on one fight, with Hatton. If anything they are losing money by allowing the belt to stay with "Money"
According to The Ring magazine, WBC made Pavlik pay $25,000 in sanctioning fees for his rematch against Taylor, even though it was held at 166 and the belt wasn't on the line. I don't know if they charged Floyd a similar fee for his fight against De La Hoya, but if they did this would make a lot more sense. Especially if it's done as a percentage of the purse...