After the Mayweather and Hatton
fight there’s another Brit heading for the unreal city in the
desert in the shape of Welshman Joe Calzaghe.
Calzaghe has been unheralded
outside of boxing circles in the UK until recently when he was
awarded the prestigious Sports Personality of the Year award.
The amiable, mild mannered 35
year-old was still arguably somewhat of a sporting anomaly in
terms of the recognition he had previously received. He has
the distinction of holding the WBO title for over a decade now
making him the longest reigning title holder in any weight
class in the history of the sport. He is currently also the
holder of the WBC and WBA titles and previously held the IBF
title. The master class performance against Jeff Lacy has
finally put Calzaghe firmly in the spotlight but it has taken
time in a long career for it to happen.
The only record for Calzaghe to
set straight now is to silence the doubters he has Stateside.
His victory over Jeff Lacy went a long way to finally getting
American commentators to take notice but many are still
unconvinced he is the real deal. But Calzaghe will get the
opportunity to cement his reputation when he is set to face
American Bernard ‘the Executioner’ Hopkins in what promise to
be a fascinating showdown between the fighters in Vegas.
43 year-old Hopkins showed that
despite his age he can still bust it up with the best of them
when defeating Ronald "Winky" Wright last summer. Hopkins
should provide Calzaghe with the stiffest task of his career.
The man from Philly has already guaranteed his status in
boxing’s hall of fame by virtue of his considerable exploits
to-date. As a middle weight he was just awesome. In defeating
the formidable Félix Trinidad he unified the weight division
becoming the first man since Marvin Hagler in 1987 to do so.
Hopkins went on the post a middleweight record of 20 title
defenses including a famous knockout victory against Oscar de
la Hoya in 2004. Hopkins will go into the fight with Calzaghe
with an enviable record of 54 fights, 48 wins, 32 KOs, 4
loses, 1 draw and 1 no contest.
To the match up and southpaw
Calzaghe will be looking for a repeat performance of the
boxing lesson he gave Jeff Lacy. After being floored in his
previous fights against Byron Mitchell and Kabary Salem,
Calzaghe went into the Lacy fight as the underdog but
completely outclassed the American. On that performance
Calzaghe would appear to be a hard man to beat.
This time around the
Hammersmith born pugilist is the warm favourite to beat
Hopkins. Many commentators have highlighted the
unpredictability that Calzaghe brings to the ring and to his
opponents. Lacy had no answer to Calzaghe’s power and guile
but Hopkins will be a totally different proposition. Lacy was
found out as just a big slugger unable to match Calzaghe’s
vast experience and variety of attacks. Calzaghe will need all
of his skill to dismantle an opponent of Hopkins ability.
And so to the fight and
predictions. After his stunning victory over Lacy, Calzaghe
will go into the fight as the warm favourite with layers. But
being the underdog will not effect Hopkins, as he was a
largish outsider to beat Antonio ‘the Magic Man’ Tarver at the
175lb weight and came through the test admirably. The form
line through Tarver at the light heavyweight division could
provide the biggest clue for those looking to place a wager.
Hopkins showed against Tarver that he is proven at light
heavyweight. Calzaghe on the other hand has done most of his
winning at super middleweight.
Whatever happens it should be a
cracking fight. A fight of contrasting styles with Hopkins
cagey, stalking the ring, playing it tight like a game
of chess while Calzaghe will be constantly looking to secure a
way to penetrate the defence of Hopkins. Whether Hopkins comes
out for an all out war is debatable. If he does, and he is
capable of, it could be a classic. More likely Hopkins will
mix it when he needs to, and try to pick off Calzaghe, who is
sure to go looking for him. Calzaghe is a better boxer when
forcing the issue and may be frustrated by Hopkins. As it is
unlikely that either man will be able to knock out the other,
I take Hopkins to win on points.
Questions? Comments? Write Sav D'Souza
4-4-2008
