Hopkins vs Calzaghe prime

[Toney616]

Power: Equal/B-hop by a good amount .

Hopkisns was never a big puncher at mw

Handspeed:Calzaghe/Calzaghe, but Hopkins had superior timing.

True. But after a couple of rounds Calzaghe would of thought of a way to offset that.

Footspeed:Equal/Calzaghe.

I agree. ill change my original post

Footwork:Hopkins/Hopkins.

agree

Intangibles: Calzaghe/Equal, especially if you count Hopkins' notorious use of dirty tactics as an intangible. But Calzaghe's insane stamina really helps balance this out

I consider that to be due to a lack of intangibles

Skillset: Hopkins/There really can't be a doubt that this is Hopkins

true

Workrate: Calzaghe/Calzaghe's biggest advantage by far

I agree

I think that B-hop works him over. He was doing it the first six rounds of their fight and he just ran out of gas. I still scored it 114-113 for Hopkins (6-6 with the first round KD). He waits for Calzaghe to engage, counters with the right hand, then clinches and bangs away on the inside, headbutts and low-blows included. It was working really well until he faded.

lol at this. So you are saying that he wins by being allowed to cheat?
You will also notice that after Calzaghe figured Hopkins out, Hopkins rarely landed the counter right hands on him anymore.

[BrooklynBomber]

More or less an easy win for Calzaghe.

[Main Source]

calzaghe was old as well when he fought bhop.

Yes, Calzaghe was 36 but how old was B-Hop again?

Also, B-Hop destroyed Trinidad in 2001 at age 36. Hopkins fought like he was someone in his mid 20's going 15 rounds in that fight against someone who, at that time, had one of the best stamina around and was called "the marathon runner". Yet Calzaghe looked old against an even older Hopkins at age 36. Calzaghe looked literary like **** in that fight.


Prime for prime, B-Hop would've KO'd Calzaghe or at least win a UD by a landslide. No way Calzaghe could take on The Executioner. Hopkins would ruin him in the infight.

[BigStereotype]

Hopkisns was never a big puncher at mw

Yeah, but he had decent power. Certainly more than Calzaghe, who had brittle, brittle hands.

True. But after a couple of rounds Calzaghe would of thought of a way to offset that.

Hmmm...I don't know if I agree.

I consider that to be due to a lack of intangibles

Perhaps, but haven't you heard? He's not dirty, he's crafty.

lol at this. So you are saying that he wins by being allowed to cheat?
You will also notice that after Calzaghe figured Hopkins out, Hopkins rarely landed the counter right hands on him anymore.

Hey, he's gotten away with it before, haha. But I don't think Calzaghe figured him out as much as B-hop's legs gave out. He was way more elusive in the first half of the fight than the second, the only thing Calzaghe changed was upping his workrate as Bernard became more and more stationary.

[Toney616]

Yeah, but he had decent power. Certainly more than Calzaghe, who had brittle, brittle hands..

His hands were still good by the time of the Eubank fight

Hmmm...I don't know if I agree

Im going to have to watch that fight again.........unfortunatley

Perhaps, but haven't you heard? He's not dirty, he's crafty.

lol
Its only cheating if you get caught

Hey, he's gotten away with it before, haha. But I don't think Calzaghe figured him out as much as B-hop's legs gave out. He was way more elusive in the first half of the fight than the second, the only thing Calzaghe changed was upping his workrate as Bernard became more and more stationary.

Im going to have to watch that fight again and then im going to get back to you on this

[MOTHER DUCKER]

Calzaghe by UD.. younger Hopkins would have better legs and try to fight a little more rather then spoil all fight.. faking low blows and such

[Toney616]

Calzaghe by UD.. younger Hopkins would have better legs and try to fight a little more rather then spoil all fight.. faking low blows and such

Welcome to the history, FERGIE

[Toney616]

But I don't think Calzaghe figured him out as much as B-hop's legs gave out. He was way more elusive in the first half of the fight than the second, the only thing Calzaghe changed was upping his workrate as Bernard became more and more stationary.

Theres various ways to group fighters, one of them is fighters who can make adjustments vs fighters who can't

For example:
Adjustment fighters:
Mayweather, Marquez, Calzaghe
These are guys who can enter the ring with a plan, but change it accordingly to suit the opponent. Jmm in Pac I, changed from defending himself using the high guard defense, to slipping Pac's straight lefts instead.
Non-Adjustment fighters:
Mosley, Hopkins, Pacquaio
These are guys who enter the ring with a plan, and basically stick with it no matter what thier opponent does. Pacquaio not having an answer to jmm straight rights during pac-jmm2

What happens is it that when fighters from these two groups meet, you will find that if the adjustment guys are still there relatively unhurt from round 3 onwards they will give their opponents fits, because they have adjusted their strategy to fight them. Or to put it another way, they know what their opponent is doing, but their opponent no longer knows what they are doing. Which brings us up to Hopkins-Caklzaghe:

Calzaghes plan was to close the gap and outwork Hopkins. Hopkins plan was to catch him with counter rights and then clinch to cut down on his workrate (he used the same plan in Tarver-Hopkins). Calzaghes adjustments were the following:
1: Start to slip the counter rights
2: Close the gap slowly, instead of rushing in, he stepped forwards, popped the jab, then stepped back to avoid, the counter right. Then he stepped in again and started flurrying again. Or he would come forwards with his hands held low so Hopkins didn't know which punch Calzaghe was going to throw.

Thats why from round 8, Hopkins was baffled, because his gameplan was no longer working. As for his legs tiring, that would of been to keep Calzaghe off him, they held out fine during his next fight against Pavlik.

Thoughts please

[BigStereotype]

Good points, for sure, but all I can say to that is that maybe B-hop conditioned better for Pavlik? He noticed his legs start to go and trained them better, and even then he slowed down toward the end. Calzaghe did make some adjustments, but I thought that they worked better as Hopkins started to slow. He clearly stopped dancing around the ring as much, that much I know.

[Stallone60]

I would go for calzaghe. Calzaghe throws alot of punches per round and his speed would be to much for Hopkins. Calzaghe's power is under rated he put eubank on the canvas which not many ppl were able to do. Calzaghe by UD but a good fight.