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Odds stacked against Joe Calzaghe
* First fight on American soil.
* 3 Americans in charge of keeping the score cards, including one from Hopkins' home town.
* American referee, Joe Cortez.
* First fight at a new (higher) weight division.
* Fighting against a top 3 P4P fighter, future Hall of Famer and what many people consider to be a boxing legend.
The knockdown
No doubt, it was a good punch. It's as though 10 years of anger and hatred for Joe were released right there and then. Boom! After that, Hopkins didn't capitalize on the situation and try to stop or KO Calzaghe. He made mistakes and missed opportunities that even I, just a boxing fan, could see. I think Hopkins gave Joe his very best shot (and it was undoubtedly the best punch he threw all night) but couldn't believe Joe got up off the canvas within one second, his eyes focused, his legs unshaken, and looking unhurt.
Is it any wonder Calzaghe hit the canvas? To me, no it isn't. After fighting at a lower weight class for the last 15 years, it was the first full-blooded punch Joe had taken from a light heavyweight, and add to this the fact that Hopkins came forward head-first and almost barged into Joe. Personally I think Joe was expecting to be headbutted at that point. Also, I consider this flash knockdown to be a good thing because it motivated Joe. It proved he has a phenomenal chin. To get up and win the fight after eating a shot like that really shows that Calzaghe has true grit and he should be respected for it.
Hopkins' style
With 160 clinches -- the vast majority of those initiated by Hopkins -- without a doubt this was the worst performance I've seen from Hopkins by far. Yes, you read correctly; 160 clinches! As painful as it was to sit through such a snoozefest, I counted them all. Bernard was too defensive, lazily pot-shotting and unwilling/unable to stand and trade, faking low blows to regain energy and hopefully get a point docked from Calzaghe because Bernard KNEW he was falling too far behind and losing the fight, and so on. To be frank, it was a shameful performance. There was no evidence at all of the "body of a 28 year old" that Mackie Shilstone spoke of. Bernard should try and get a refund from Shilstone who I felt lied to him. So much for putting a "dream team" together. I hope it didn't cost too much to employ this useless bunch. Contrast this with Enzo Calzaghe -- a former musician with no boxing experience himself -- and an old shed to train in. It's fair to say Hopkins wasted his money and fooled himself.
Calzaghe's style
Joe is often accused of slapping. Admittedly, he does use the inside of the glove a little too much for his own good. This is to try and preserve his hands which are very well known for being brittle and injured. What I don't understand is, if he slaps and lacks power, why then didn't all 45 of his opponents simply walk through those slaps?
This was the worst performance from Calzaghe I have ever seen. Before this, I hadn't seen a Calzaghe performance that was less than good. Most of them were great, and a good number of them were spectacular. The difference is Bernard Hopkins forces his opposition to look bad because of the style he has adopted. I give him credit for this, but man is it ugly to watch. Be honest -- how many opponents of Bernard Hopkins can you count that actually looked any good and were able to fight their usual fight?
The decision
Let's imagine the situation is reversed. Hopkins was the aggressor trying to make the fight, and Calzaghe was the one holding, back-peddling, not throwing enough, sticking to the outer edges of the ring and not forcing the action, crawling around on his knees and pretending to be hurt by non-existent low blows. Would you give the decision to Bernard Hopkins? Of course you would, as would I. Anyone in their right mind would do the same. So why is it so difficult for some people to see the real situation and give Calzaghe the credit for winning? The simple fact is certain people are extremely biased and choose to see only what they want to see. Bernard being beaten by a fighter who they accuse of being an "over-protected Euro-bum", someone who "fights like a girl", and immature name-calling I don't particularly need to go into right now, is simply unacceptable.
I agree that Hopkins landed effective punches... about 3 of them. Well, those few shots combined with a flash knockdown isn't enough to swing the decision his way after 12 rounds. Calzaghe threw a lot, missed quite a few, but the difference is he came to fight and landed enough shots to get the win he needed. It wasn't all about punches landed, though, it was also about being able to adapt and possessing the heart of a champion with a desire to win.
Joe knew and predicted, as did anyone who knows a little bit about this sport, that it would be a very ugly fight. Joe's ability to adapt to the situation amazed me once again, just as it did in the Kessler fight. He showed no fear of Hopkins for the duration of the build up or the fight itself. So much for Hopkins mind-games and "getting under Joe's skin". I told you this was bull**** but you probably didn't believe me. Hopkins was not only beaten physically, but more significantly, he was beaten mentally. That is something I never thought I'd see, especially from a skinny Brit who didn't employ a dream team of nutritional specialists and trainers.
Don't get me wrong, this is not a hate post directed at Hopkins or his fans. On the contrary, I am still a fan of Hopkins' earlier fights (especially from around the mid to late 90's before he started beating up welterweights), I am merely calling it how I see it, and the simple fact is not only did Joe win the fight, but he deserved to win it, too.
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* First fight on American soil.
* 3 Americans in charge of keeping the score cards, including one from Hopkins' home town.
* American referee, Joe Cortez.
* First fight at a new (higher) weight division.
* Fighting against a top 3 P4P fighter, future Hall of Famer and what many people consider to be a boxing legend.
The knockdown
No doubt, it was a good punch. It's as though 10 years of anger and hatred for Joe were released right there and then. Boom! After that, Hopkins didn't capitalize on the situation and try to stop or KO Calzaghe. He made mistakes and missed opportunities that even I, just a boxing fan, could see. I think Hopkins gave Joe his very best shot (and it was undoubtedly the best punch he threw all night) but couldn't believe Joe got up off the canvas within one second, his eyes focused, his legs unshaken, and looking unhurt.
Is it any wonder Calzaghe hit the canvas? To me, no it isn't. After fighting at a lower weight class for the last 15 years, it was the first full-blooded punch Joe had taken from a light heavyweight, and add to this the fact that Hopkins came forward head-first and almost barged into Joe. Personally I think Joe was expecting to be headbutted at that point. Also, I consider this flash knockdown to be a good thing because it motivated Joe. It proved he has a phenomenal chin. To get up and win the fight after eating a shot like that really shows that Calzaghe has true grit and he should be respected for it.
Hopkins' style
With 160 clinches -- the vast majority of those initiated by Hopkins -- without a doubt this was the worst performance I've seen from Hopkins by far. Yes, you read correctly; 160 clinches! As painful as it was to sit through such a snoozefest, I counted them all. Bernard was too defensive, lazily pot-shotting and unwilling/unable to stand and trade, faking low blows to regain energy and hopefully get a point docked from Calzaghe because Bernard KNEW he was falling too far behind and losing the fight, and so on. To be frank, it was a shameful performance. There was no evidence at all of the "body of a 28 year old" that Mackie Shilstone spoke of. Bernard should try and get a refund from Shilstone who I felt lied to him. So much for putting a "dream team" together. I hope it didn't cost too much to employ this useless bunch. Contrast this with Enzo Calzaghe -- a former musician with no boxing experience himself -- and an old shed to train in. It's fair to say Hopkins wasted his money and fooled himself.
Calzaghe's style
Joe is often accused of slapping. Admittedly, he does use the inside of the glove a little too much for his own good. This is to try and preserve his hands which are very well known for being brittle and injured. What I don't understand is, if he slaps and lacks power, why then didn't all 45 of his opponents simply walk through those slaps?
This was the worst performance from Calzaghe I have ever seen. Before this, I hadn't seen a Calzaghe performance that was less than good. Most of them were great, and a good number of them were spectacular. The difference is Bernard Hopkins forces his opposition to look bad because of the style he has adopted. I give him credit for this, but man is it ugly to watch. Be honest -- how many opponents of Bernard Hopkins can you count that actually looked any good and were able to fight their usual fight?
The decision
Let's imagine the situation is reversed. Hopkins was the aggressor trying to make the fight, and Calzaghe was the one holding, back-peddling, not throwing enough, sticking to the outer edges of the ring and not forcing the action, crawling around on his knees and pretending to be hurt by non-existent low blows. Would you give the decision to Bernard Hopkins? Of course you would, as would I. Anyone in their right mind would do the same. So why is it so difficult for some people to see the real situation and give Calzaghe the credit for winning? The simple fact is certain people are extremely biased and choose to see only what they want to see. Bernard being beaten by a fighter who they accuse of being an "over-protected Euro-bum", someone who "fights like a girl", and immature name-calling I don't particularly need to go into right now, is simply unacceptable.
I agree that Hopkins landed effective punches... about 3 of them. Well, those few shots combined with a flash knockdown isn't enough to swing the decision his way after 12 rounds. Calzaghe threw a lot, missed quite a few, but the difference is he came to fight and landed enough shots to get the win he needed. It wasn't all about punches landed, though, it was also about being able to adapt and possessing the heart of a champion with a desire to win.
Joe knew and predicted, as did anyone who knows a little bit about this sport, that it would be a very ugly fight. Joe's ability to adapt to the situation amazed me once again, just as it did in the Kessler fight. He showed no fear of Hopkins for the duration of the build up or the fight itself. So much for Hopkins mind-games and "getting under Joe's skin". I told you this was bull**** but you probably didn't believe me. Hopkins was not only beaten physically, but more significantly, he was beaten mentally. That is something I never thought I'd see, especially from a skinny Brit who didn't employ a dream team of nutritional specialists and trainers.
Don't get me wrong, this is not a hate post directed at Hopkins or his fans. On the contrary, I am still a fan of Hopkins' earlier fights (especially from around the mid to late 90's before he started beating up welterweights), I am merely calling it how I see it, and the simple fact is not only did Joe win the fight, but he deserved to win it, too.
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