Could Hopkins ever beat Calzaghe in a fair boxing-match?

[daggum]

Certainly not at this stage. Joe is too active for him. I give Hopkins huge credit for cutting Joes output, but he did use excessive clinching to achieve it.

yea who knows how many punches calzaghe would have missed if that didn't happen. cause we all know missing is rewarded greatly and demonstrates supreme boxing talent.

[Bushidō]

maybe in his prime

[Dirk Diggler UK]

yea who knows how many punches calzaghe would have missed if that didn't happen. cause we all know missing is rewarded greatly and demonstrates supreme boxing talent.

[hammerhiem]

Bhop got his game plan all wrong, if he used his not inconsiderable skills he could have won but his negative tactics both ruined the fight and scored him a loss.

If he counterpunched all night he could win, I'd still put my money on Calzaghe but he could still win.

[BetterCallSaul]

I watched this fight again yesterday, and it's more aparant than ever to me, that Calzaghe won by a point or two. Calzaghe landed with a lot of straight lefts which went unannounced by hbo, and he landed most when Hopkins was coming towards him in the exchanges.

If Hopkins fought Calzaghe without clinching, running, heatbutting, and cheating, he would lose by an even bigger margin. It's the truth.

Hopkins couldn't beat Calzaghe by becoming more aggressive or changing his gameplan. The only way Hopkins could beat Calzaghe is by fighting the way he did, and as we all saw, it wasn't enough. Calzaghe isn't Pavlik.

[REMOVED SHARK 97]

No and never will because there will be no rematch, never be some fantasy prime for prime crap.

Hopkins had his chance, if he could dominate someone like Pavlik then it means his style works ... yet again Joe Calzaghe isn't Kelly Pavlik.

He tried everything in the fight against Joe Calzaghe, headbutts, clinching (Common in fights but excessive) and faking an injury owe but this is Hopkins I forgot he's old so we excuse this sort of stuff in the sport.

Joe Calzaghe wanted to win, he didn't outclass him but got the best of Hopkins imo.

I don't particularly favour Hopkins or Joe Calzaghe, and just giving a direct answer without going off topic on punch-stat bs and such.

[Adamantium]

Maybe in his prime, but not now. Hopkins should of got docked at least two points for the clinching and headbutting

[-EX-]

Prime Bernard beats Calzaghe...

[KittenFlaps]

It wasn't for no reason. Say what you will about hopkins, but his strategy for the fight was to try and take away calzaghe's best weapon which is his punch output. His goal was to cut it in half, hence the clinching and slowing down the pace, after all the man was 43 years old and cant throw 100's of punches per round for 12 rounds.

It almost worked to perfection too, if only he were able to throw more punches himself in the later rounds to impress the judges.

Hopkins always has a game plan. Against Pavlik it was to take away his jab because he knows Pavlik needs to use his jab to set up his big shot. The same against tarver and the same against Trinidad.

And calzaghe fans really shouldnt be to proud about this win. Even calzaghe himself said it was his worst performance of his career, and there is a reason for that, and that reason obviously was bhop.

Hopkins doesn't give a **** about pleasing the fans, all he cares about is winning. He doesn't care if it's ugly, boring, nasty or whatever, he only wants that W at the end of the day. He nearly did it, and if calzaghe is as good as everyone says, then that's a hell of an accomplishment for a 43 year old man.

Absolutely great post!

[Abstraction]

And Hopkins landed nothing but his head in that gif, amazing...

Are you ******?

body and 1 big right hand.

__

If Joe could only get a dodgy SD against a 43 year old Hopkins, imo, Prime v Prime, Hopkins would win easy