The big fight between Bernard Hopkins and Joe Calzaghe was not exactly a barn-burner that kept fans on the edge of their seats, but anyone who expected the light heavyweight version of Rafael Marquez vs. Israel Vazquez does not know boxing very well. As Hopkins has gotten older he has not digressed all that much as a fighter, he has just changed. Bernard only fights in spots and one punch at a time now because his 43 year old legs and stamina do not allow him to fight at a young man?s pace.
Add that to Joe Calzaghe, whose fighting style can be described as slap, slap then move. Calzaghe throws punches to score points, not to do damage, which can also lead to dull and uninteresting fights. Calzaghe?s amateur style of fighting has done well for him but needless to say he would not score well on the Tyson Index.
Bernard?s inability to match Calzaghe punch for punch cost him the fight even though his punches seemed to do more damage. With that said, you could say that Hopkins lost because of his old age. The he way that the fight played out, where Hopkins faded in the final rounds, made me think that Hopkins would have won pretty handily if he had been in his prime. As my boss, ?Bad? Brad Berkwitt said in the RSR fight picks, Hopkins is a boring fighter now and has been since he knocked out Felix Trinidad. That has not always been the case. Hopkins was a well rounded fighter who could unleash some hellacious offense if needed.
I was a bit upset to see that the front page of Yahoo news on Saturday night featured the UFC fight between Matt Serra and Georges St. Pierre instead of Hopkins vs. Calzaghe. But then again, the boxing match was not very interesting to watch so maybe I will let it slide. At least St. Pierre won his fight in convincing fashion and in a way that nobody left unsatisfied.
Not to say that Calzaghe?s win was not deserved. I hate it that every major fight that goes the distance is somehow controversial but this one is no different. I will give my detailed scorecard as a response to one of this week?s questions. But regardless of how I scored the fight, Calzaghe did not beat Hopkins in a decisive or impressive manor, at least not the way that a 3-1 favorite should have. My scorecard for Hopkins vs. Calzaghe brings us to the first question this week:
Hopkins Did Enough To Win
I?m not a fan of both fighters but I think ring generalship and harder shots dispel aggressiveness and soft pitty-pats punches. It wasn’t a robbery but it would be better to have a draw. Hopkins is one of helluva fighter, at 43 he made Calzaghe look like an amateur. He is clever, slippery, all praise to B-Hop.
On the other hand, Calzaghe did what Las Vegas judges favor, aggressiveness. I came to realize that if the Chad Dawson/Glen Johnson fight was held in Las Vegas, Johnson would have won. Anyway, I scored the fight 114-113 Hopkins, without the knockdown, a draw. Who do you think won the fight? What is your scorecard?
Jones-Calzaghe? What do you think, thank you and more power. I?m Val from Pac’s place, Philippines.
P.S. Calzaghe was dropped by a 43 years old!
-Bertz180
Bertz180,
This was my scorecard:
Round 1: 10-8 Hopkins. Obvious because of the knockdown.
Round 2: 10-9 Hopkins. Bernard made Joe missed and countered with hard shots. A clear round for Hopkins
Round 3: 10-9 Hopkins. Very close round by I gave it to Hopkins for landing the harder punches.
Round 4: 9-10 Calzaghe. Calzaghe stole this round in the last 30 seconds with a good rally.
Round 5: 9-10 Calzaghe. Close round where both landed well but I gave it to Calzaghe for initiating the exchanges.
Round 6: 9-10 Calzaghe. Calzaghe finally starting to overwhelm Bernard?s defense. The best round of the fight for Joe.
Round 7: 10-10 Even. A good Calzaghe round until the huge punch at the end by Hopkins that stuns Calzaghe. That punch evened up the round for me.
Round 8: 10-9 Hopkins. Good defense and a handful of clean power shots for Hopkins.
Round 9: 9-10 Calzaghe. A couple clean combos by Joe.
Round 10: 10-10 Even. Neither was very effective this round.
Round 11: 9-10 Calzaghe. As weird as it sounds, Calzaghe wins the round with combination slapping.
Round 12: 9-10 Calzaghe. A lot of clinching and defense by both but Joe wins with his aggression.
My final tally was 115-114 for Joe Calzaghe.
I had two even rounds and that is indicative of how tough this fight was to score. Those even rounds could have gone either way so I can understand a 116-111 score for Calzaghe just like I can understand a 114-113 score for Hopkins. It was close and a split decision for Calzaghe was a fitting decision.
Hopkins vs. Calzaghe was an ugly fight that was extremely difficult to score. Neither man did a lot of good work so you had to judge and give rounds based on partially landed punches and other subtle posturing. I didn?t envy the official judges even if they did get seats on the ring apron!
I don?t know if I am on board with Roy Jones as a next opponent for Joe Calzaghe. Jones is done as a legitimate contender so the only purpose of this fight would be to cash out on name recognition. But there really on not many better options for Calzaghe at the moment so maybe a fight with Jones does make sense. I just hope that Calzaghe makes a the right decision by taking on the most worthy challenger and not just the one who will warrant the most money for the easiest win. Fans want to see Joe get challenged again.
Mayweather vs. Cotto or Margarito
Hi Brian, I?m sure you?ve been asked this before but I want to know your view now, especially after the impressive performance of Margarito. How do you think Cotto and Margarito would fare against ?Pretty Boy? Floyd Mayweather?
-Cruzer
Cruzer,
I haven’t actually had that question since their recent fights. Cotto is a good technical boxer with brutally heavy hands and hand speed to boot. The problem is that Mayweather is so good on his feet that I don’t think that Cotto would be able to get close enough to land his damaging body punches on a consistent basis. I would favor Mayweather by decision over Cotto. The more that Mayweather decided to trade punches the better chance that Cotto would have because his punches are heavier and thrown with more damage. Mayweather is a very smart fighter though and would take only calculated risks en route to a decision of the 116-112 variety.
I feel that Antonio Margarito may have a better chance at upsetting Mayweather than Cotto, believe it or not. The reason for that is that Margarito is a skilled volume puncher. Sure, he will get hit very frequently against Mayweather, but his chin is rock solid. There is nothing that Mayweather can do to deter Margarito in his 100 punches per round attack no matter how many flush power punches that he hits Antonio with. If Margarito is able to return fire every time that Mayweather lands one of his flashy combinations then Margarito has a chance here. Antonio cannot start slow and cannot let up for any second of any round. I am banking on the idea that Margarito will be in the best shape possible against Mayweather because he will be very motivated. If he is, I like Margarito by split decision.
A Chance at Mayweather
Thanks for the answer. You have very valid points for Margarito, too bad that his chances of facing Floyd Mayweather are remote, particularly if he has to hurdle Cotto first to be even considered. And if in case Margarito does get past Cotto, it may take a lot out of both fighters. Which is what I think will happen, I believe Cotto-Margarito is going to be an entertaining but grueling war.
Also Brian, do you think Williams could have beaten the Margarito that showed up against Cintron? Also, I forgot to commend you for predicting Margarito over Cintron even if Cintron is closer to you.
-Cruzer
Cruzer,
Yeah I think that the new improved version of Margarito would have beaten Williams. Margarito has changed his style to be more aggressive in the early rounds specifically to counter Williams’ style. Even with giving away the first 5 or 6 rounds, Margarito still made the first fight close. If he asserts himself better in the early rounds I think he would do enough to take a decision, or maybe even score a late stoppage if Williams gets desperate.
You are totally right about Margarito having a slim chance at fighting Mayweather since he has to get by Cotto first. I predict that Cotto will beat Margarito even though it will be a very tough fight for both and neither guy may ever be the same. Cotto is too heavy handed and too accurate with his punches for anyone to stand directly in front of him, even a durable freak like Margarito.
Wlad Ain?t Bad
Wlad ain’t bad Brian. Whatcha talkin’ bout Wilbur. Remember that short prick Coleman? He used to say all that crap back in the day. Yeah, Wlad vs. that tall dude Thompson. Maybe Wlad should put on a dress the way that he fights, right? Put on a dress and parade around. Was he fighting Sultan or giving him love taps? Ain’t it a trip that your name is my name backwards?
-Wilbur Brian
Wilbur,
I just checked the United States census and there is nobody named Wilbur Brian. Sorry bro, I exposed you for what you are: a fraud.
As for the very loose boxing references imbedded in your email, I haven?t talked bad about Wladimir Klitschko in a very long time. His win against Sultan Ibragimov was a bit boring but I commend him for finally being the heavyweight to step up and unify two of the belts. I think that Klitschko is going to destroy Tony Thompson, his mandatory challenger, when they meet in July.
Thompson deserves this opportunity because of his wins over Dominick Guinn, Luan Krasniqi, and Timor Ibragimov. But if you want my honest opinion on Thompson, he took advantage of a very weak heavyweight division to get into the position that he is in being the number one contender for the WBO belt.
Now Thompson is in over his head and out of his league going up against Klitschko. But at 36 years of age, it is now or never for Thompson. He is as ready as he is ever going to be so good for him for getting himself together to go on a nice little championship run.
Some Of My Readers Have Problems
It has been months since we have spoken, but don’t you think for one second I have given up on us. I know you feel what I feel. Here are three quick questions that might get the blood flowing in all the right places.
1.) I have heard that Klitschko is called Dr. Steelhammer for a reason other than his power punching. Can you confirm this rumor? If you are not certain what I mean I will give you a hint. I heard he gets his jock is custom made at a Mr. Rubbish garbage can factory in Boise Idaho.
2.) When will we see more photos of you up on this website? I would like to request some spread shots if you are taking requests. In case you are wondering spread shots are a three step photo. First, place your feet on your desk at 10 and 2. Next, set camera timer for 20 seconds allowing for you to remove your pants and position things in a comfortable and photogenic fashion. Third, smile and snap away. Often times repeating this process is necessary due to unexpected movement and dingleberries that show up in the flash.
3.) If my (censored) were on your chin what would be in your (censored)?
-Aaron Hein
Aaron,
1.) I have no idea nor do I care to know.
2.) I will have to talk to my editor, Geno McGahee, and the owner of the site, ?Bad? Brad Berkwitt, to see if those kinds of pictures are appropriate for Ringside Report. Don?t get your hopes up.
3.) Dude, that?s really sick! You have issues that need to be taken care of.
Next For Calzaghe
Joe C. finally made an impression on Americans by clearly beating Bernard Hopkins last weekend. He is a legendary fighter, probably the best boxer of his generation. I really like watching him fight. Who do you think Calzaghe will fight next?
-Claude
Claude,
There really is not a clear logical opponent for Calzaghe. Clinton Woods would have been a good opponent for Joe if he had beaten Antonio Tarver. After Woods lost decisively to Antonio Tarver he looks much less desirable to Joe. Tarver and Chad Dawson are supposedly going to fight next so that takes away the two best light heavyweights. If Calzaghe really wants to be cheap he could fight another washed up former great in Roy Jones Jr.
Another option that I have heard being kicked around is a fight with Middleweight Champion Kelly Pavlik. Pavlik already has an HBO date for a fight with Gary Lockett and his promoter, Bob Arum, said that after Lockett is Marco Antonio Rubio. With Pavlik?s dance card full that leaves Joe Calzaghe without many viable options for his next fight.
Nothing is solid yet and we probably will not know who Calzaghe will select as his next opponent for a couple months. But if I had to bet on who I thought Joe would pick, I would go with Roy Jones. That is typical Calzaghe style, choosing opponents that represent the most reward and the less risk. Jones is 39 years old and five long years past his glory days. That sounds like the perfect track record for a Calzaghe opponent. And you better believe that HBO will be onboard 100 percent.
David Diaz Got The Fight He Wanted
Hi Brian. I am a fan of Pacquiao and I just read a story that said that David Diaz got the opponent that he wanted in the form of Manny Pacquiao. He said that he will find success by trading punches to the body. Do you think that David Diaz has a chance to defeat the great Pacman or is he just delusional? Also, there has never been a Filipino World Champion before. Will this come into play? Thanks and more power!
-Defario
Defario,
You obviously have to make Manny Pacquiao the favorite in that fight because he is a different class of fighter compared to David Diaz. But does Diaz have a chance? Yes, of course he does. He is a big, strong, power-punching lightweight and Pacquiao has never fought someone of Diaz?s dimensions. Pacquiao will have to use his boxing skills and footwork to win this fight because perhaps for the first time in Manny?s career, standing and trading punches will not favor Pacquiao. This is a good test for Manny to see if he can handle the 135 pound division.
There never has been a Filipino World Champion but that is a trivia stat and will have not impact on this match up. I do not believe that there is a force out there preventing men born in the Philippines from winning a title in the lightweight division, so fear not my friend!
Okay ladies and gentlemen, that concludes ?Brian?s Boxing Mailbag? for this week. I appreciate your questions and am always happy to read and respond to your emails. Get your emails in early if you would like your email to be featured next week. See you next time!
