Why Joe Calzaghe Should Fear Bernard Hopkins

[warp1432]

Alright, after reading comments on the forum from this guy, I have to apologize about what I said.

However I still don't really think it was that good of an article. I mean Bernard being in the prison and him having the tougher life doesn't necessarily give him the edge of Joe. Maybe if he has to dig deep then yeah, but I still don't agree with "Joe Calzaghe should fear Bernard Hopkins" Especially as accomplished as Joe is (even if Hopkins has the better resume, Joe is still very accomplished).

[edgarg]

Where's all this fulsome crap about Hopkins coming from??

I'm getting very su****ious at the sudden flood of "gush" about Hopkins from several writers. They seem to be part of the promotional PR. And that reminds me.....I STILL haven't heard anything as to HOW THE TICKETS ARE GOING....??? Do these writers know what they're talking about?? They are too FULSOME for words. (And I use "fulsome" in it's proper meaning).

All we have to do is to LOOK AT HOPKINS' OPPONENTS... from his first IBF title. His first defence was against a guy called Steve Frank...15-2....and it went downhill from there.

LOOK AT HIS OPPONENTS. See how many of THEM are basically just
"ham-an-eggers"......how many had a bad loss in their previous fight, or were in the middle of a losing streak of KOS just at the ends of their careers.
And as for THEIR opponents..........words fail me.

The ONLY top, prime fighter was Trinidad, and his limitations at the higher weight against a brawling, fouling spoiler, were obvious. It was a good win for Hopkins. It was his ONLY good win, against, probably, his only top, prime opponent.

All his other wins, in MY opinion, were carefully crafted so that he couldn't lose.

If Calzaghe can avoid or neutralize Hopkins' head, low blows, elbows, laces, etc.....he'll EXPOSE Hopkins. I don't believe they're on the same level, although a well placed thumb or head, can alter that level more than a bit.

And, if readers think the above is nonsense, my response is, that why should the article writers be the only ones allowed to do this.

If Hopkins wins and even does well, in a fair fight, I'll admit I was wrong.

[edgarg]

I'm one of those guys who can use a lot of words to say very little. There was a Coda on the article that pushed it way over word limit where I talked about the main points but also going through Hopkins' ability to fight southpaws and other factors. Here it is from my word document, hope it indicates why I felt there should be some fear there, cheers:

Coda:

Writing about Hopkins' life and mindset is almost enough to tip one into melodramatic expression: you can almost imagine Bernard spending the winter secreted away in his subterranean lair, working on a plan to derail Calzaghe's strengths, a plan to be brought to light like dark flowers blooming in the dazed mind. Although Hopkins recently bristled at suggestions he is merely a tactician. He feels that his craft is his gameplan.

Joe repeats his “thousand punches a fight” mantra in the hope that it may ward off the fact that Hopkins, on past form, can make his opponent miss many shots. Every one of those thousand shots will present a chance for Hopkins to slip, block, cover distance, hold, smother, foul, before slipping in the eye-catching shots.

Calzaghe cuts also; it is out there in the public domain. Butts have caused some of the cuts; but given that Hopkins butts there is clear scope for Joe cutting in this fight. We could see Joe fighting with blood in his eyes and, as we saw in his fight with Sakio Bika, Joe fighting with blood in his eyes spells rich pickings for a guy good enough to land right hands.

Calzaghe sets for a flurry, lifts his chin and trusts in his reflexes, which let him down in the Bika and Kessler fights, Hopkins may be a forty something but Joe himself carries the hands of a 90 year-old typist, when he has to crack they break, he will have to crack to keep Hopkins honest, therefore we can expect either his weak hands or his cut-prone skin to conspire against him, this means that all bets are off.

Calzaghe's biggest boon is also a massive foe for him. Hopkins loves fighting southpaws. Calzaghe prides himself on a unique style. Hopkins has the antidote for that, in taking in a plethora of southpaw styles he can quickly sift through their differing make-ups and find the exemplar of Joe's style.

Hopkins was taught to fight southpaws by a southpaw in John David Jackson. Hopkins repaid this help in the only way he knows how; he beat the hell out of Jackson in defence of his IBF middleweight title. Hopkins does what anyone should do against a southpaw, make the action messy then pick your shots; even Kabary Salem did this against Calzaghe, flooring Joe to boot.

Hopkins will sometimes line himself asymmetrically before his southpaw foe, and then close the space and landing his shots, before negating until the break. That ability to beat southpaws is not a gift of youthful reflexes; it is down to having knack of fighting a southpaw.

If Hopkins can beat a southpaw with a tighter defence than Joe in Winky Wright, plus Wright threw 618 shots in their fight, then Hopkins can beat Calzaghe, who has a leaky defence.

Joe must bear in mind that, in every aspect, Bernard will come correct, showing Calzaghe respect whilst negating the Welshman's flurries, and movement, with every understated step.

You can throw a KO win for Joe out of court also. In recent years Joe has had the finishing ability of an anorexic girl sitting before an 18-ounce steak, it is not happening. Hopkins would have to hit 60 before Joe could muster an attack to stop him. Joe could barley get Peter Manfredo out of there and Manfredo's chin presented itself as subtly as Jennifer Lopez's derrière, in a basque. So, no KO for Joe.

You use a ******* of hyperbole, as you admit. It doesn't alter facts one bit. Calzaghe's has broken his hand TWICE in fights during his 44 fight career. Since he throws so many punches and has 17 FULL KO's plus another 15 TKO's, that's hardly anything in the hand injury "stakes".

Practically every fighter ends a fight with some slight hand injury, it's a hazard of the trade, like a nosebleed. Swollen knuckles, sprained thumb or wrist usually. Sometimes a broken hand too. Calzaghe is NOT UNIQUE in this way. If he had "brittle bones", why should it only affect his hands, why not his face, jaw and eye orbits too??

[edgarg]

NICKO my lad, you should be writing Science fiction stories. i won't take up useless space by including your letter in this response.

[Neckodeemus]

You use a ******* of hyperbole, as you admit. It doesn't alter facts one bit. Calzaghe's has broken his hand TWICE in fights during his 44 fight career. Since he throws so many punches and has 17 FULL KO's plus another 15 TKO's, that's hardly anything in the hand injury "stakes".

Practically every fighter ends a fight with some slight hand injury, it's a hazard of the trade, like a nosebleed. Swollen knuckles, sprained thumb or wrist usually. Sometimes a broken hand too. Calzaghe is NOT UNIQUE in this way. If he had "brittle bones", why should it only affect his hands, why not his face, jaw and eye orbits too??

Off the top of my head I don't think Joe has had a clean KO win since 1997, his whole title career has seen him fail to score a clean KO.

As for breaking his hands only twice. No one asked Joe to do a lap of the ring holding his damaged hand after the Ashira fight. He brought attention to it. Also, Joe has had to pull fights due to hand problems and other injuries. Don't forget, he was close to pulling out of the Lacy fight but his dad convinced him to go through with it because, to paraphrase, 'people will just remember you as the guy with all the injuries', his father knows more than you or I about the matter (Joe revealed this in an interview with the trade magazine over here in the UK).

Joe has brittle hands because he often throws his shots with the gloves partially splayed, thereby catching his hands on the head of his opponent. A career of that technique is going to result in a hand problem, not back, not skin, although, by the by, he did get cut against Bika and looked in a bad way. I believe his eye was also somewhat swollen after the Eubank, or maybe Reid, fight.

This bleeds into the TKO factor. Why the dip in KO's? He flaps to finish in my opinion, did so against Manfredo, the last blows were saw Joe almost trying to bring the heel of his hand down on Peter. Calzaghe threw 1,000 punches or more versus Lacy, where was the stoppage? In my opinion some of the shots were not fully delivered, they came from all angles but if they came straight down the pipe, with leverage, we would have seen a stoppage? My proof, when Joe did put his shots out correct he dropped Lacy.

As the man said, make it half long twice as strong, Joe could have sorted his punching out, thrown less but the impact would have been greater resulting in a stoppage. Saying that, his hand problem is self-fulfilling, he may think that if he delivers a correct shot his hands bust, so he punches with an open fist, and his hands bust.

[xfiles]

Joe Calzaghe is nothing but a Eurobum that's been fighting nothing but stiffs. Hopkins is going to murder him!

[Sweet Pea]

Joe Calzaghe is nothing but a Eurobum that's been fighting nothing but stiffs. Hopkins is going to murder him!

Thank you for your erudite and penetrating insight.

[edgarg]

Off the top of my head I don't think Joe has had a clean KO win since 1997, his whole title career has seen him fail to score a clean KO.

As for breaking his hands only twice. No one asked Joe to do a lap of the ring holding his damaged hand after the Ashira fight. He brought attention to it. Also, Joe has had to pull fights due to hand problems and other injuries. Don't forget, he was close to pulling out of the Lacy fight but his dad convinced him to go through with it because, to paraphrase, 'people will just remember you as the guy with all the injuries', his father knows more than you or I about the matter (Joe revealed this in an interview with the trade magazine over here in the UK).

Joe has brittle hands because he often throws his shots with the gloves partially splayed, thereby catching his hands on the head of his opponent. A career of that technique is going to result in a hand problem, not back, not skin, although, by the by, he did get cut against Bika and looked in a bad way. I believe his eye was also somewhat swollen after the Eubank, or maybe Reid, fight.

This bleeds into the TKO factor. Why the dip in KO's? He flaps to finish in my opinion, did so against Manfredo, the last blows were saw Joe almost trying to bring the heel of his hand down on Peter. Calzaghe threw 1,000 punches or more versus Lacy, where was the stoppage? In my opinion some of the shots were not fully delivered, they came from all angles but if they came straight down the pipe, with leverage, we would have seen a stoppage? My proof, when Joe did put his shots out correct he dropped Lacy.

As the man said, make it half long twice as strong, Joe could have sorted his punching out, thrown less but the impact would have been greater resulting in a stoppage. Saying that, his hand problem is self-fulfilling, he may think that if he delivers a correct shot his hands bust, so he punches with an open fist, and his hands bust.

Just one little thing. Joe doesn't have brittle hands from throwing his punches one way or another. Whichever way he throws them, he's had 17 KO's and 15TKO's. If he HAS brittle hands -which I doubt- it HAS to be the result of poor nutrition when growing up. Ostiogenesis Imperfecta it's called, and it begins in childhood. I don't know when he's had his KO's but I recall counting them a while back, and perhaps you're right about 1997, but, as you know, many TKO's are really KO's too, with the ref just waving it off without counting the guy out.

Anyway, all I'm saying is that you take a hell of a lot of space to say practically nothing, and what you do say is questionable- to be kind. More like what we use to call, a "flight of fancy". I was rather pleased with myself that I understood every word.

I have no intention of being nasty and I hope you won't take my comments as insults because I do not mean them this way. I believe that you yourself know your own writing and composing weaknesses.

Probably hundreds, if not thousands, of fighters every week have problems, even fight postponments or cancellations from a variety of injuries, of ALL kinds, of which "hands" are only one. We can't read through a daily boxing site without seeing cancellations or substitutions etc. Part of the business.

If you're an amateur, with no professional ambitions, you just strap it up and get on with it. If you're a pro, the opponent is weak, and you're not desperate for money, you postpone or cancel.

[xfiles]

Thank you for your erudite and penetrating insight.

Short, sweet, and true!

[edgarg]

Just one little thing. Joe doesn't have brittle hands from throwing his punches one way or another. Whichever way he throws them, he's had 17 KO's and 15TKO's. If he HAS brittle hands -which I doubt- it HAS to be the result of poor nutrition when growing up. Ostiogenesis Imperfecta it's called, and it begins in childhood. I don't know when he's had his KO's but I recall counting them a while back, and perhaps you're right about 1997, but, as you know, many TKO's are really KO's too, with the ref just waving it off without counting the guy out.

Anyway, all I'm saying is that you take a hell of a lot of space to say practically nothing, and what you do say is questionable- to be kind. More like what we use to call, a "flight of fancy". I was rather pleased with myself that I understood every word.

I have no intention of being nasty and I hope you won't take my comments as insults because I do not mean them this way. I believe that you yourself know your own writing and composing weaknesses.

Probably hundreds, if not thousands, of fighters every week have problems, even fight postponments or cancellations from a variety of injuries, of ALL kinds, of which "hands" are only one. We can't read through a daily boxing site without seeing cancellations or substitutions etc. Part of the business.

If you're an amateur, with no professional ambitions, you just strap it up and get on with it. If you're a pro, the opponent is weak, and you're not desperate for money, you postpone or cancel.

And I forgot to add ...........The way you talk about Calzaghe's punching style makes me wonder if you've ever fought in the ring yourself. I mean that if you had, and had PROPER training, you'd NEVERpunch they way you've described it. And it you DID, you'd have your ears handed to you on a spit. (I mean the sort of spit they do shish-kabobs on ).

You might also have to piece you finger-bones together on a piece of shoe-lace. I wouldn't know, because I've NEVER punched that way.

I've had a sore KNUCKLE occasionally, as well as sore other parts. But what of it??

I suggest that you have a good talk with Joe's trainer, Enzo Calzaghe, and ask him exactly HOW he taught Joe to puch, HOW he showed him the PROPER way to close his fist..to get the best result.

EVERY schooled fighter learns this, and I don't see many of them end up as \10 year Champions, UNBEATEN, if they can't punch properly.

Nicko- calm down and look at what you're writing at least three times before pressing "send". Just think of "Joe of Arimathea" and take a deep breath.