Joe Calzaghe: "I Will Hurt Bernard Hopkins"

[Addison]

As quoted by Setanta Sports, undisputed super middleweight champion Joe Calzaghe has promised to sit on his punches when he moves up in weight to challenge light heavyweight champ Bernard Hopkins on April 19 in Las Vegas. [details]

For the first time in a long time I can smell bull**** coming from a fighter talking tactics before a fight. This is deception. Joe is spinning.

No good reason to even consider sitting down on his shots when he has to worry about Bernard, his hands, and landing his punches.

[Vladimir303]

Calzaghe is trying too hard to make headlines saying **** like this. Even he doesn't believe this.

When was the last time he ko's anybody besides that ridiculous stoppage against Manfredo.

And now he is telling us that he will hurt one of the best defensive fighters ever......


Reminds me of the Javier Castillejo vs Delahoya promotion when Castillejo said that he was gonna crush Oscar's ribbs. Turned out he got dominated the entire fight and almost knocked out in the 12th round.

[FRKO]

As if he'd reveal his true tactics anyway.

If Bernard keeps thinking Joe's gonna slow down and sit on his punches, when previously he was thinking Joe would swarm and outwork him, this all adds to the confusion. To me, it looks like it was said partly to hype the fight and partly to throw Bernard off and confuse. JC adapts to a fighter in the ring and uses whatever tools he needs to beat his opponent, as and when they are required. Don't be taking everything he says in the press as 100% accurate.

[Addison]

As if he'd reveal his true tactics anyway.

If Bernard keeps thinking Joe's gonna slow down and sit on his punches, when previously he was thinking Joe would swarm and outwork him, this all adds to the confusion. To me, it looks like it was said partly to hype the fight and partly to throw Bernard off and confuse. JC adapts to a fighter in the ring and uses whatever tools he needs to beat his opponent, as and when they are required. Don't be taking everything he says in the press as 100% accurate.

I don't think we have to worry about that. Virtually nobody is.

[FRKO]

Oh, they are. Look at some of the posts in this thread.

[Addison]

Oh, they are. Look at some of the posts in this thread.

You really think so? Perhaps that's just American haterism.

[Guest]

As quoted by Setanta Sports, undisputed super middleweight champion Joe Calzaghe has promised to sit on his punches when he moves up in weight to challenge light heavyweight champ Bernard Hopkins on April 19 in Las Vegas. [details]

With statements like this, no wonder this guy is known as Joke around here...

[MANGLER]

Joe C ain't got the pop to KO Bernard, even if he manages to hit him a lot. And loading up on power shots ain't his specialty so he better not try it. That'll just make it easier for Bernard to time him and do damage with counters.

[edgarg]

There is a difference between fighting and boxing. Pavlik could never beat Miranda in a fight but would destroy him every time in boxing. Calzaghe will not likely out box Hopkins. Even if Calzaghe can box better he still wont win. Why do you think Joe Cortez is the ref? So if Hopkins cant outbox him (Plan A) then he will mug him like he did Winky Wright. Wright was a better boxer and still didnt win because Hopkins mugged him. Only a physical style from a more athletic opponent with speed and power beats Hopkins ie Jermain Taylor and Roy Jones Jr. in his prime. Once they get in the ring if Hopkins does find that Calzaghe is a better boxer (which probably wont happen) then Plan B will be to grab him, beat him up on the inside, lean on him, head butt him, let him spend himself early, conserve energy early then hit him with right hand leads.. all the penitentiary tactics that boxers arent prepared for.. which is why Joe Cortez is the ref. Calzaghe has the speed and maybe (but not likely) the skill but he lacks the power and athleticism to impose his will on Hopkins like Taylor and Roy Jones Jr. did.

I don't exacly agree with you. You are attributing to Hopkins, miraculous boxing skills which he not only doesn't have, but NEVER had. He was never more than an average good boxer, who used his great determination to fight a grade below his real weight, kept it up for years, and beat most of the fighters he faced. HOW he beat them is not even debatable. We ALL know how forgettable most of his fights were, since he practised a well tried "spoiling" and rough-house style, with all the trimmings including lacing, butting hitting low, holding/hitting, rabbit-punching etc. At least the guy made SOME good learning use from his 4-5 year prison vacation. As i've said before in another post, he was a better action fighter when he was almost completely unknown, pre-Trinidad. Which wasn't all that long ago in relative terms. I don't mean the fight with Morade Hakkar, or the 3 with Robert Allen. I mean BEFORE them.

Calzaghe is a different kind of guy in every way except in mental and physical toughness, which are roughly equivalent. As we're being constantly reminded by Hopkins himself, he's even a different colour !! He's much faster, punches just as hard and far more often, and is VERY nimble on his feet. AND he's undefeated with an ego at least as big as Hopkins'.

What you guys call slapping is not exactly slapping. if it was he'd always be warned for it, and eventually points deducted. He mixes his punches very well, and has plenty of KO's. I've seen Oscar do the very same thing, only not as well.

Joe Cortez got the job, because #1) he was available. #2) he has a good reputation. #3) he controls a fight well. #4) He's one of the most experienced referees in the game today. #5) he was accepted by both promoters. #6) he may have been also accepted by both fighters.
I don't care for him myself, but it's none of my business.

As to #6, I think I read somewhere, sometime, that a fighter actually has NO say in who the ref will be, that it's the COMMISSION who choses the ref. I suppose if the fighter is very highly ranked, he unofficially has SOME input, but not final choice. Maybe someone knows more about it and can comment.

Oh Yes, I almost forgot #7)......He's FIRM but he's FAIR !!

[Orange Sneakers]

Calzaghe used to knock heavyweights clean out in sparring in the mid-90s.