Calzaghe Hopkins results. What are your thoughts and opinions?

Question

I just got back from being out of the world for 3 days, and I only now found out who won. While I predicted the winner, I was surprised to learn the fight was as close as it was. For those that saw the fight, could you fill me in on what happened in the ring. Plus your analysis of the action in the ring. Calz overrated or B-Hop still a top performer at age 43?

Answer 1

Calzaghe did what was expected, he out worked Hopkins for an easy decision with a 3 to 1 over abundance of light slapping punches.  Hopkins surprised everyone by catching Calzaghe lunging in with a right hand and dropping the Brit in the first round, but Calzaghe's movement and activity was enough to out point the older, more stationary Hopkins.

The hype didn't live up to the actual event, at 43 no one is still at the top if their game, and few ever get as good as Hopkins was, so even a descending middle aged Hopkins at the end of his career was the best fighter Calzaghe was ever in the ring with.  Clearly the speed and leg movement of Calzaghe gave Hopkins trouble, Calzahge won easily once he got past the opening round nerves.  Hopkins was at his best at middleweight, 15 lbs higher at 43 he clearly isn't the same dominate champion we remember.  Calzaghe isn't a heavy hitter at 175, and the 7 lbs more didn't help his punching power, he at times was slapping and looping arm punches, but he threw so many of them you had to give him at least 9 of the twelve rounds.

I didn't think it was that close, I don't know what fight Byrd was watching but clearly Calzaghe was well ahead, how she gave the fight to Bernard is beyond me.  Over all Calzaghe beat an old man, granted a great old man, but middle aged none the less.  Pavlik is the real acid test for Calzaghe's legacy.  Over all Joe did what was expected,  The next 2 or 3 fights will determine how Calzaghe is remembered historically.  It was a good fight, not a great fight.  Greatness needs a vehicle of expression, and this one wasn't enough.

The jury is still out on Calzaghe, Hopkins was an all time great at middleweight fighting 15 lbs heavyier than his best at the age of 43.  Not a great win for Calzaghe, but a win.  Joe would be hard pressed against a natural 175 pound fighter, Hopkins dropped him, so maybe Kessler wasn't a solid a puncher as we though.  I would like to see how Joe would do with Glen Johnson, that would be interesting.

Answer 2

I was really disappointed with Calzaghe.  Going in, I thought that he should be able to take out Hopkins.  Instead, I found out that he's just a light puncher.  Yeah, he has amazing speed but who wants to see a guy that big throwing pitter-pat shots.  With that speed, I knew he would be getting in clean shots at Hopkins and he did.  Yet, he never seemed to hurt the H man.  I know that Hopkins is tough but no one can take clean shots to the head and survive for long unless those shots aren't very hard.

Calz was throwing a lot of his shots with an open glove like a powder puff.  Who wants to see that?  If Hopkins was younger, he would have taken Calz out without  a doubt,  but Hopkins' age showed in his inability to put together any combos.  He hid his age well by throwing one punch and resting/clinching.  It wasn't a winning strategy; it was a way to go twelve rounds.  Yet, you knew that if he could have unleashed a barrage of punches at any one time, he could have really hurt Calz but he just didn't have it in him.

Going in, I though Calzaghe was the real deal.  He's not.

Answer 3

I had Calzaghe winning every round but the first, with two rounds being close. Even the knockdown in the first wouldn't have been a knockdown without the extra shove. Then Hopkins played 'lunge and grab' for the rest of the fight. He was obviously trying for a KO knowing he couldn't win on points. Then late in the fight, Calzaghe had Hop tired and in some trouble, and Hop faked some low blow injuries to keep from getting pummeled. He should have been penalized if not DQ'd. I don't see how anyone could score it any closer than 116-111.

Answer 4

Hopkins isn't overrated at 43 he just didn't do enough to win the fight. Instead of throwing combinations Hopkins would throw 1 or 2 punches and then clinch, while Calzahe would throw a flurry of punches making him the busier fighter. Overall, Calzaghe threw and landed more punches than Bernard did which is why he won the fight.

And yeah I have no idea what fight judge Byrd was scoring either. The other judges, the HBO commentators, and Harold Letterman all had Calzaghe winning the fight. It makes you wonder was she even looking at the fight at all.

Answer 5

hopkins was throwing mainly counterpunches he scored a knockdown in the first round with a counter right hand hopkins was power punching while calzaghe was coming foward with fast extremely weak looking slapping punches the fight was very close but hopkins just was not staying buisy enough he was moving backward the whole fight hopkins never pushed the action at all there were various rounds that really could have went either way it wasent the most entertaining fight but it was technical and interesting the fight ended in a split decision

Answer 6

1st round knockdown/push. Yep Calzaghe got caught with a clean right and his knees went but also if you look at the replay, you'll see his balance was also off and Hopkins was pushing down with his other arm.

The rest of the fight was very messy, Calzaghe wasn't performing at his best, Hopkins resorted to using the head, holding on, trapping Calzaghe's arm and also hit Joe from behind. He was looking tired, and milked the low blow...his nads must hang just below his belly button that's all I can say. He should have been counted, he wouldn't have stayed down on the canvas for that long then!

IMO Calzaghe boxed better, chased Hopkins around the ring and didn't feel the need to resort to dirty tactics and used his boxing skills instead, like all good boxers do.

Answer 7

Blogbaba pretty much summed up everything, exactly like I viewed the fight.

I didn't think the decision should have been a split, despite Calzaghe getting knocked down in the first round. I thought Calzaghe out worked Hopkins in somewhat boring fight. Personally, I found it hard to score four rounds in Hopkins' favor.

After seeing Calzaghe in action against Hopkins though, I would be somewhat worried for the fans of his, if he stepped in the ring against any of the other top light heavyweights.

Answer 8

Hopkins is not a top performer any longer

Calzaghe is a decent fighter but he is not great

Answer 9

OVERRATED!

B-Hop got robbed!

B-Hop > Calzaghe

Answer 10

I predicted that Calzaghe would win by SD which is exactly what happened. --- Despite Joe's KO record...I never expected him to knockout Bernard.-- I don't think the fight was very close.---- Joe scored  MORE punches against Bernard than ANY fighter ever has--- I thought the 1st round " flash " knockdown was a punch/push which did not hurt Calzaghe.-- I also thought that from the fourth round on Joe dominated the fight.----  Bernard did 2 things in this fight which he does in many of his fights: 1)  Fought dirty ( trying to turn his opponent away from the ref ( as he always does ) in order to prevent the ref from seeing his fouls....2)  Whined about losing a fight which he obviously lost. --- After the fight, Joe displayed his class by praising Bernard's abilities & Bernard displayed his lack of class by demeaning Joe's abilities --- Even Stevie Wonder knew that Bernard lost & Hopkins post fight sore-loser comments ( as he did with Taylor, etc. )  only serve to detract more & more from Bernard's previous accomplishments and greatness.-- Once again, Hopkins has  disgraced  his name further with these comments.---IF Hopkin's was a real man....he would have accepted this loss as  a real man. The fact that he does not....says a great deal about Bernard as a man.

Answer 11

hopkins back pedalled all night, clinched all night, milked the "low blow " all night, and big mouth after the game. hopkins is a true legend. should had made a ego-less comments