Hopkins, Golden Boy Push For a Calzaghe Rematch

[Da Hammer]

if Hopkins came in with an aggressive approach i have no doubt he would win by UD but you never know with him. Damn was that first fight a pain to watch...

[Testdead]

if Hopkins came in with an aggressive approach i have no doubt he would win by UD but you never know with him. Damn was that first fight a pain to watch...

Calzaghe loves guys that attack him.

Calzone UD every day of the week.

[Testdead]

I missed the part where my post was specifically for you. Also, your statement has some logic issues.

My point is, Calzaghe states he left because he "had nothing else to prove", yet Dawson clearly challenged him before he officially left. Calslappy still has a lot to prove, avoiding high risk fighters such as Dawson to keep that 0.

That or he was pro for 18yrs and 37yo, i dont know....

[Dirk Diggler UK]

With his ability to adjust that only seems to be effective short term. When Hop was too tired to feint Cal started to sniff out the right some.

I actually think Joe is more vunerable backing up against Hopkins. He wouldn't be able to plant and flurry like he does if he's forced back with no leverage. And he needs the output to keep Bernard in a points deficit. Despite what you think, I'd like to see what bag of tricks for Hopkins he has on the back foot because he can't hurt him. I know this much though, if there was a rematch, Hop wouldn't play ring a round a rosie all night. He knows he's not likely to get a decision playing his old game.

Actually he knows he might as one judge actually bought it. You're a fool if you think Hopkins will fight the same way as he didnt against Pavlik and more importantly be allowed to by Calzaghe

[NeXt In Line]

I love some of the little storys you do sometimes

I try, you know, keep the fanboys of B-Hop excited

[Haglerwins]

Actually he knows he might as one judge actually bought it. You're a fool if you think Hopkins will fight the same way as he didnt against Pavlik and more importantly be allowed to by Calzaghe

The judge was Byrd. Too risky. He won't try to leave it up to chance. I think Hops would take different approaches incorporating a plan with him going forward. And of course a forward approach for Calzaghe wouldn't look the same wayt it did for Pavlik. Bernard studied Kelly on film to the point he could get in position with a blindfold. The onus would be on Calzaghe to keep him off here. And I'd like to see what the role reversal looks like against X. You can't get proper leverage on flurries going backwards, that's just physics. I'd like to see what Joe comes up with to beat Hop after that. I'm not convinced he beats Hops if he can't machine gun willy those arms. The fight can be just as ugly with Hop coming forward too btw. *Clinch*

[hookoutofhell]

calzaghe vs hopkins is not a fight that i would particularly like to see, calzaghe at this stage of his career isn't interested in taking the same fights again, sometimes facing a guy who you have just beat is dangerous. its hard to motivate yourself but at the same time your opponent will be fired up for it and will know you better than before.

it would have been good to see dawson vs hopkins and then see calzaghe take on the winner but that doesn't look like happening. so i hope joe stays retired.

[djtmal]

Lies.

"I underestimated Hopkins a little bit which I nearly paid for."

- Joe Calzaghe

Doesn't sound like someone who thought that was easy. Winky Wright practically said the same thing after his encounter.

Calzaghe only wanted that fight because he was so in love with his work rate he gave himself an automatic victory in his mind when he sized up Hop as old and a measly outputter. Too bad he didn't account for guile and accuracy, which cost him the bout imo. Bernard pulled it off for me even with an unusual level of fatigue he was displaying being up 4-2 at the half.


Hopkins has clearly stated after Pavlik that any fights from there on he will fight more aggressively and not bank on a decision going his way. Did any of you notice despite all the constant movement and even combo punching Hop did against Kelly that he wasn't any where near as winded like he was at the halfway point of the Cal fight doing much much less? You guys who think a Joe/Hop rematch will see the same "super defense" Hop after he stated that he won't fight that way after just proving it shouldn't cry foul so loudly, and it looks like an excuse for not wanting a score settled. Given the night and day stamina performance, I'm going to believe for the time being that Hopkins thyroid issue was legit against Joe.

Boring or not, the fight was close enough to warrant a rematch. This ain't Paul Williams knocking out Quintana in the 1st round where you can waive off a return bout. The rematch will have to produce a bigger offensive display and I'm pretty certain it would be a big fight this time. Bernard knows no 3 judges will give him a really close fight at this point.

And Hopkins did not "cheat" in that fight. It's called being smart. He had to work around an unusual level of fatigue that may have been brought on by an overactive thyroid and did everything he could to mask it. What was he supposed to do? Stand there while exhausted and leave himself defenseless while he has a man with fresher legs in front of him? No fighter in the world would voluntarily make themselves a sitting duck.

"If Hopkins didn't fake those low blows, he would've been stopped!" says many a Calzaghe fan. No ****, that was the point. To buy time to get some wind and stay in the fight. If I'm possibly fighting handicapped I have to work through it, not give up and guarantee I lose.

I wonder about you people sometimes.

I disagree with this here.

You state that Hopkins has stated that from here on out he is gonna fight aggressively after Pavlik? That he isn't gonna assume that the judges are gonna give him a decision? Lol. Seems to me if he would have adopted that plan years ago after he failed to go toe-to-toe with Jermain Taylor, he would have made a better account for himself in those fights and in the Calzaghe fight.

Despite the promises of more agression, lets not get too carried away with present day Hopkins. He's a mostly defensive, dirty tactic using, cagey veteran fighter who wins and loses ugly. Even when he clearly loses his fans will go to great lengths to prove he still won despite being outlanded and inactive for half of the fight. At this point Hopkins should just move on. I mean, its not like anyone is clamoring for Hopkins/Calzaghe. Hell nobody is even talking Hopkins/Wright II and a strong case can be made for a rematch there.

[FLY TY]

I think it's clear hopkins would be more aggressive and throw more. Based on statements made by Freddie Roach and other trainers, one of the problems hopkins had that night was fatigue which was in large part due to a thyroid condition he was unable to really control through diet during training. It's an issue he since took care of prior to pavlik, obviously.

I think there are other factors as well that add to why the first fight was boring. I think it took Joe a very long time to figure out what the hell to do. Hopkins was also very timid and waited extremely long for the counter shots. I believe both fighters would be more aggressive (joe fighting in Wales, hopkins wanting revenge will add to that) not too mention both fighters are now familiar with each other.

It's obvious a second fight will be more entertaining.

cosign. i don't care who you root for, that first fight wasn't fun to watch. i don't think it can get any worse than that.

I think your points are reasonable, but I'm unconvinced. I'm not saying you're wrong, but if I had to bet on a rematch being exciting or ugly, I'd bet on it being ugly. And as Dirk Diggler UK says, I think he'd actually fare worse against Calzaghe if he was more aggressive.

disagree. calzaghe won the majority of his rounds by being the "more active" fighter. i remember yelling at hopkins to at least "throw" some punches....

when there's very little happening in a fight, they usually give it to the more aggressive guy......if hopkins fights more than he did the first fight, not only will the rematch be better on the eyes, i think it improves his chances. sometimes the best defense is a great offense, and i think if hopkins fights more and makes joe go on the defensive a little more, that does more to disrupt joe's offensive output than just sitting back and holding all night.

[Haglerwins]

I disagree with this here.

You state that Hopkins has stated that from here on out he is gonna fight aggressively after Pavlik? That he isn't gonna assume that the judges are gonna give him a decision? Lol. Seems to me if he would have adopted that plan years ago after he failed to go toe-to-toe with Jermain Taylor, he would have made a better account for himself in those fights and in the Calzaghe fight.

Despite the promises of more agression, lets not get too carried away with present day Hopkins. He's a mostly defensive, dirty tactic using, cagey veteran fighter who wins and loses ugly. Even when he clearly loses his fans will go to great lengths to prove he still won despite being outlanded and inactive for half of the fight. At this point Hopkins should just move on. I mean, its not like anyone is clamoring for Hopkins/Calzaghe. Hell nobody is even talking Hopkins/Wright II and a strong case can be made for a rematch there.

Hindsight is 20/20 ain't it? Easy to poke and prod at someone's mistakes after the fact right? At the time, Bernard thought he was doing enough in those cases to win outright. It's as simple as that and he has pretty much said this himself.