Joe Calzaghe vs Bernard Hopkins

Photo by Hoganphotos.com

Calzaghe: “There will only be one place left for Hopkins after this fight – retirement"

Joe Calzaghe says he will have a spartan 36th birthday on Sunday as he continues preparations for his super-fight against Bernard Hopkins on April 19. There will be no cake for the Welshman, who has vowed to instead blow out the candles on Hopkins’ career when they meet at the Planet Hollywood Ring in Las Vegas next month.

“ I’ll be spending my birthday in the gym and running up the mountains around my home in South Wales,” said the undisputed super-middleweight king.

“ All celebrations are on hold for now, but I’ll get my present on April 19 when I kick Bernard Hopkins’ backside in front of his own fans.

“ It will be like all my birthdays coming at once, because once I’ve dealt with Hopkins I’ll cement my position in the States as one of the best pound for pound fighters in the world.

" This is the last flickering flame in his career and I will extinguish it for good on fight night.

“ There will only be one place left for Hopkins after this fight – retirement.”

Calzaghe is already closing in on the 175-pound light-heavyweight limit with the fight still four weeks away, and claims to be in the shape of his life.

“ Those extra seven pounds are making such a difference,” said Calzaghe. “I feel so good at the weight it is unbelievable.

“ Hopkins is going to get a nasty shock on April 19 because I’m quicker, sharper and punching harder than ever before.

" I spent 10 years struggling to make super-middleweight, but I'm like a new man at 175 pounds.

" I've always said I'll be even better at light-heavyweight than 168 pounds, and people are going to see that when I beat Hopkins."

Calzaghe: Hopkins, Who Have You Beaten?

photo by Hoganphotos.com/GBP - Joe Calzaghe showed the first signs of winning the psychological war against Bernard Hopkins as the two squared up in LA on Wednesday. Calzaghe repeatedly taunted Hopkins about twice losing to Jermain Taylor at middleweight, and promised to repeat the trick on April 19 at the Planet Hollywood Ring, The Thomas & Mack Centre, Las Vegas, when the pair clash at 175 pounds. There was plenty of glamour at Planet Hollywood in Los Angeles, with Sylvester Stallone and Oscar De La Hoya throwing their weight behind the fight.

" These guys are legends at what they do," said Stallone, who was representing fight sponsors Planet Hollywood. I'm really excited to be part of the big night on April 19. You are going to witness drama and spectacle and it will be one big party."

De La Hoya, whose Golden Boy promotional is involved in the showdown, added: "This fight is one for the ages.

" These are two super fighters. They are the best in their weight classes. It's going to be an unbelievable evening and one for fight fans to savour."

Proceedings nearly kicked off two months early when Calzaghe and Hopkins went head to head, with the American continually asking his opponent who he had beaten.

" Who have you beaten?" asked Calzaghe, 35, to a visibly angered Hopkins. "You got your arse kicked twice by Jermain Taylor."

Earlier, Hopkins, 48-4, had once again gone into verbal overdrive, as the trash talking that has been present at press conferences in London and New York continued.

" You are now seeing me as a fighter, not a promoter," said the former middleweight world champion, and current light-heavyweight number one.

" This isn't a corporate guy, I'm going to be fighting like a poor man. Never underestimate me. There is no style that I can't unravel.

" What you are going to see on April 19 is greatness. I'm going to reduce Joe Calzaghe down to what I want him to do. I don't care how many punches he throws, I will win the fight.

" Joe Calzaghe is not like Winky Wright, who I called the turtle because of his guard. Joe throws lots of punches and that will be his weakness.

" I'm 43-years-old and a living legend, the best fighter ever. Calzaghe has never seen anything like me before or my style, and I'm going to reduce him to a typical European fighter.

" 30 million people will watch me execute the British guy. I'm going to show you what greatness is."

Calzaghe, 44-0, who has continually shrugged off the worst of Hopkins' excesses, said: "He can talk all he wants, but I don't think he'll be running his mouth after I've kicked his butt on April 19.

" He's trying to get under my skin, but I've been a world champion for more than a decade and I've seen it all before.

" The harder the fight, the more pressure there is, the better I perform. Agreeing to fight me was the biggest mistake he's ever made."

Calzaghe and Hopkins will meet head to head for a third and final time in the States with a Las Vegas press conference on Thursday.

Can Hopkins neutralize Calzaghe’s high punch volume?

By Geoffrey Ciani: Prior to his bout with Carlos Quintana, many observers (including me) had a very high opinion of Paul Williams. After all, what’s not to like about a freakishly tall welterweight with a piston-like jab and an obscenely high work rate? Following his impressive victory against Antonio Margarito, many felt that Williams might be the next best thing in the division. As it turns out, after his lackluster performance against Quintana, he seems much less impressive than me and many others had previously thought.

One thing that was so remarkable about Williams’s win over Margarito was the sheer volume of punches thrown. In that contest, Williams threw more than 1,200 punches (including over 600 jabs) for an average of over 100 per round—an astounding number by any measurable standard. The fact that he was able to throw so many punches against a feared puncher like Margarito was an absolute marvel, but despite being known for his ferocious power, it probably should have been noted that Margarito was a fairly easy target who is not especially known for defensive wizardry.

Against Quintana, Williams’s high punch volume was neutralized by good defensive movement and accurate counter-punching. In fact, Quintana was so successful on the defensive that Williams threw less than half as many punches (under 600) as he had against Margarito. This goes to show that there are various ways to slow down a fighter with a notoriously high work rate. As I watched Quintana’s brilliant defensive display unfold, I could not help being reminded of another fighter with an extremely high punch volume—Joe Calzaghe.

In the upcoming mega-bout between Calzaghe and Bernard Hopkins, most observers inexplicably seem to be favoring Calzaghe. Indeed, the majority of fans and writers believe Calzaghe will prevail, and even the odds-makers share this view, having made Joe the betting favorite. The most common reason cited by those who believe Calzaghe will reign supreme is punch volume. Countless observers have bellowed a similar sentiment: “‘Old Man Popkins’ will not be able to contend with Calzaghe’s exceptional work rate!” Apparently, I am amongst the minority who believes Hopkins will be triumphant.

Perhaps some observers will change their opinion in light of what happened to Paul Williams. This is not to say that Williams is deserving of a comparison with a proven commodity like Calzaghe. However, there is surely something to be said about the fact that good defense and accurate counter-punching have a way of negating high volume punching. After all, it is easy to look good against someone who is not especially concerned with avoiding punches, as Williams proved against Margarito.

Calzaghe has long been celebrated for his tremendous stamina and his ability to throw punches and bunches throughout the entire duration of a twelve round contest. In his most recent high profile match-ups, Calzaghe landed 351 of 952 punches against Jeff Lacy and 285 of 1,010 against Mikkel Kessler (according to compubox numbers). These are extremely impressive numbers in terms of output, but do they really spell certain doom for Hopkins, as so many members of the boxing community seem to believe? I am not convinced.

Hopkins is a crafty veteran with an uncanny ability for disrupting an opponent’s rhythm and taking him out of his game. A master of versatility, Hopkins can do this in numerous ways, often adapting different strategies to accomplish this goal. Against Felix Trinidad and Oscar De La Hoya, he utilized his ability to box from the outside behind the jab, whereas, against Keith Holmes and Winky Wright, he focused on smothering tactics and in-fighting. He can box or brawl, he can fight passively or aggressively, and he can lead or counter. Additionally, he has a tremendous knack for bending the rules in his favor without getting caught—a tactic which has successfully taken many a weary opponent by surprise, oftentimes enabling Hopkins to wear his opponent down mentally before breaking him down physically.

Few would deny the fact that Hopkins is the most technically gifted fighter Calzaghe has ever faced. In addition to his tactical prowess, he is additionally the most versatile fighter Joe was ever matched with. I, for one, am flabbergasted by this commonly held belief that Calzaghe is going to enter the ring and simply beat Hopkins by outworking him!

Calzaghe’s unorthodox style is often described as ‘awkward’ by both victims and analysts alike. As a result, he often finds himself off-balance which leaves him wide open for counters. To date, he has not faced someone capable of exploiting these weaknesses, but then again, he has never faced someone as capable as Hopkins—a fact which seems to be going unnoticed by all too many.

I believe that Hopkins defensive nature combined with impeccable counter-punching capabilities will certainly keep Joe on his toes. Calzaghe will need to be much more careful than he was against one-dimensional fighters like Lacy, and he will need to be much more tactical in his planning than he was against someone without a back-up plan like Kessler. Hopkins is a multi-dimensional fighter whose adaptability inside the ring makes him difficult to ‘figure out’. No doubt the seasoned vet will have a few tricks up his sleeve.

Paul Williams looked sensational against a defensive misfit like Margarito, but when pitted against an opponent who could move and counter, he looked mediocre. Likewise, Calzaghe also looked sensational when pitted against offensive-minded fighters like Kessler and Lacy. How will he look when he squares off against the much more defensively talented Hopkins? I cannot say for sure, but I feel we will see a greatly reduced punch output on the part of Calzaghe. I am not saying that this analogy is by any means perfect, but I certainly believe it helps highlight my point—there are ways of slowing down fighters with high work rates.

In fact, Calzaghe himself probably realizes that it will take more than work rate alone to get the best of Bernard Hopkins. Calzaghe is a very intelligent fighter who is much too smart to rely on such a poor strategy. He also probably has a better idea of what he is up against than do the majority of fans, pundits and odds-makers. Expect him to fight a much more tactical bout than we are accustomed to seeing, and expect him to pick and choose his punches much more carefully. Otherwise, we may see a one-sided exhibition from ‘Old Man Popkins’.

Calzaghe vs Hopkins: The Breakdown

By Ted Sares: Joe Calzaghe will take on Bernard Hopkins at the Thomas and Mack Centre in Las Vegas on April 19. Calzaghe, 44-0 (32), will make his debut both in America and at 175 pounds having unified the super-middleweight division by adding Mikkel Kessler's WBA/WBC titles to his own WBO crown in November of last year. Hopkins, who is 43, is a former undisputed middleweight world champion with an impressive 48-4-1 (32) record. The fight is presented by Golden Boy Promotions, Frank Warren's Sports Network and Planet Hollywood Resort & Casino.

Now let’s break it down:

Profile: Hopkins had 20 title defenses at middleweight before stepping up two divisions. He is headed to the Hall of Fame. Calzaghe has been undefeated for 17 years. With his aggressive, fast-punching style, he is arguably the best active world champion today..

Contrasting styles: Calzaghe uses great punch volume backed by uncanny ring smarts, great stamina and movement, and takes good directions from his corner to overwhelm his opponents. While a quasi slapper rather than a heavy handed puncher, he can slug when he wants to. However, the one thing hs does better than 99% of the today’s fighters is that he let’s his hands fly and thereby dictates the action. And if he senses a weakness, he will exploit it quicker than you can say “Sugar Ray Leonard.”

Hopkins, like his opponent, has excellent skills, movement, punching power, shoulder rolls, subtle inside stuff, and versatility (he can fight aggressively or counterpunch). But it doesn’t stop there. He also has deceptive hand speed, accurate combinations, old school toughness and durability, and strength. He is always in top shape, has great defensive skills, and achieved success at the highest levels of competition. Bernard Hopkins may be the best throwback fighter in the game. What more is there to say? If he beats a fighter like Joe Calzaghe, he will only seal his already firm legacy. As well, he can alter his style depending on the opponent. If it’s a tired Antonio Tarver, he will be aggressive using combos and sharp body work to break him down. If it’s a frustrated “Winky” Wright, he will tie him up and roughhouse him in-close to take him out of his game. Hopkins is a genius in the ring and just may be that 1% higher than the very savvy Calzaghe.

Strategy: If Joe is allowed to fight his fight, he will win a decisive UD. However, if Bernard fights him like he did against Winky, he will make it close. Trying to out skill Jermaine Taylor turned out to be a mistake, though the two decisions could have gone either way. Hopkins needs to fight Calzaghe differently; he needs to do whatever it takes to take him out of his game.

Level of opposition: Clearly, “The Executioner” has fought a higher level including Roy Jones Jr, Jermaine Taylor, Wright, Tarver, Trinidad, De La Hoya, John David Jackson, Glen Johnson (whom he KOd), Simon Brown, Robert Allen, Antwun Echols, Howard Eastman, William Joppy, and many others.

Yes, “The Pride of Wales" beat Mikkel Kessler, Sakio Bika, Jeff Lacey and an aging Chris Eubank, but many of his opponents have been just that--opponents. Guys like Mger Mkrtchian, Kabary Salem, Tocker Pudwill, Evans Ashira and Peter Manfredo Jr. do not compose a particularly daunting list of fighters.

Intangibles

1) Age: Clearly on Calzaghe’s side. The question here is whether Hopkins, 43, grows old overnight, as he showed some signs in his fight with Wright. This is the single most important factor in this bout and Joe’s big edge just might offset any edge that Hopkins has.

2) Location of fight: Hopkins is the “House Fighter.” Many criticize German decisions, but are they any worse than those rendered in Las Vegas? Calzaghe, 35, has never tasted defeat, but then again, he has never fought in Las Vegas.

3) Roughhousing: Here, a head butt in an early clinch can turn the tide in Hopkins’s favor. He knows all the tricks and “The Prince” has never been in with someone like that, though Bika’s head can sometimes get in the way. Can it nullify speed and 100-punch-a- round style?

4) Weight: Joe comes up while Hopkins remains comfortable. That usually favors the guy who does not come down.

5) Corners: JC’s has never failed him and there is an obvious symbiosis that works to his advantage. Hopkins sometimes can be stubborn while listening to corner instructions.

6) Calzaghe’s hands: He has had trouble in the past and if he should injure one early in the fight, look for Hopkins to exploit it immediately.

7) Hype: Forget it. It’s only done to generate ticket sales, nothing else.

8) The Referee: If it’s a referee like Steve Smoger, advantage will go to Hopkins, but if it’s one who likes to take early control like Joe Cortez, that will favor Calzaghe.

9) Ring Size: A big ring favors “The Prince” while a smaller one favors Hopkins.

The predicted outcome: Hopkins will make this an ugly fight from the start and will frustrate the more aggressive Welshman who likes to swarm his opponents with fast combinations of never-ending punches. The “Executioner” will try to get “The Prince of Wales” to fight off the ropes where he can alternate with sharp counters and clinches. In so doing, he will be warned for low punches and butts and may well lose points.

By the late rounds, I would not be surprised for the crowd to begin calling for more action, but these two are too smart to let crowd noise bother them.

Going into the championship rounds, I believe Calzaghe will hold a slight lead based on his superior, but less than normal, punch volume. At this point, Hopkins may simply not have enough left in the tank to pull it out, but his rough and perhaps even dirty style will put the outcome it in doubt.

In the end, it likely will boil down to age, age and age offsetting a lot of pro-Hopkins intangibles.

I see Calzaghe winning a majority decision, but I would not be surprised by a DRAW.

Hopkins: The Air Unapparent

By “Old Yank” Schneider: Imagine yourself in a locked vault with only a limited amount of oxygen to breathe. If you thought someone would open the window long before your air ran out, you would do little to conserve your limited supply. But when no one opens a window, your last full breath won’t end your life, it will only weaken you until your inevitable gasps slowly arrive.

You will not even be cognizant of the inevitable end; your lungs will simply fill with the false hope of nothing but un-breathable air. A career in boxing is too often exactly like that. And at 43 years-old, Bernard “The Oxygen Burner” Hopkins is about to find out that this is the inevitability of his career too. No one is going to open a magic window in the stale-air vault called the career of Bernard Hopkins.

Few use-up more oxygen in a room than Bernard Hopkins. His voice can even be heard over that of a keynote speaker at a convention. He can steal the microphone from anyone’s press conference more quickly then a rottweiler puppy can snatch an ice-cream cone from the fist of a three year-old. His sense of self-importance is so large that he even believes that his racial slurs should unapologetically go unnoticed. But just as quickly as he can consume all the oxygen in the room of a public forum, he has a breathing problem in the ring and he knows it.

Few conserve oxygen in a ring more than Bernard Hopkins. If a failure to react to stimuli is a sign that oxygen in a ring is being depleted, then the boring, slow-paced, low-output spectacles of the last several bouts involving Hopkins is all the proof anyone should need that the air is getting thin – real thin. Bernard’s breath is getting choked. He’s gasping for air and he knows it. If he tries to move in the ring like he does in the public forum, he will vent his last few breaths too quickly. If he tries to move like he once did in the ring, he will not last six rounds. He has to conserve his air and he has to sell us on a story that this is not the case.

So the answer has been packaged as a “style”. Smother, clinch, wrestle, dirty-it-up and hug, but don’t expend energy, it will burn too much oxygen; even head butt, hold and low-blow if you have to. He calls it “slick” and that’s what he’s sellin’; and that’s what you’re buyin’. And the slick public “oxygen-to-burn” Hopkins has got his fans and the press bamboozled into believing that this is a legit style; a style legitimate enough to carry the title of light heavyweight champion of the world. The title once held by the likes of Gene Tunney, Archie Moore, Billy Conn and Bob Foster. This is what a pound-for-pound champion is supposed to fight like?

Well I’m not buyin’ it!

This I can assure you. There is not enough oxygen in a ring for both Joe Calzaghe and Bernard Hopkins to breathe at the same time. And you better decide quickly; who is going to get the last lungful of air before the end comes?

If I were a betting man I’d want to place an oxygen meter in the vault that Hopkins is sitting in before I risked any of my green presidents wagering on a positive outcome for Hopkins. Here is a reasonable oxygen meter for you; Hopkins’ last several bouts. Well aren’t they a reasonable meter? If not, why not? How about that bore fest called Wright/Hopkins? Between the two of them did they throw any punches at all between the clinches? Compubox counted 132 clinches between the two of them; 74 of them initiated by Hopkins and 53 of them initiated by Wright. Can you say, “Pitiful”?

How about Hopkins/Tarver? Hopkins landed a whopping 11 punches per round and Tarver came in at single digits. Does it get any worse than this? Yes it does! In two bouts against Taylor, Hopkins averaged landing less than 10 punches per round. This is the very same Taylor who followed Cory Spinks around the ring as if Spinks was pulling a hotdog on a string for a hound to sniff out. This is the very same Taylor who could not put a hurting on the all-too-hittable Kassim Ouma (a junior middleweight at that). This is the very same Taylor who got knocked out by Kelly Pavlik.

Does this “oxygen meter” need to sniff out the air of the stinker called the over-the-hill Eastman against Hopkins or the to-small De La Hoya against Hopkins? Ladies and gents keep your green presidents away from wagering on Hopkins – you should have all the air quality readings you need to know better!

Joe Calzaghe has faced young men in their mid to late-twenties in his last four bouts; Mikkel Kessler, Peter Manfredo, Sakio Bika and Jeff Lacy. Is it fair to argue that at least two of these three were not stellar performers despite their youth? Of course it is! But then try to argue that Calzaghe did not average throwing 80 or more punches per round and landed 35% or more of them. Calzaghe has landed nearly three times as many punches per round against young men then Hopkins has landed against old men (save Taylor)! Do you need to be placed in a vault and starved of oxygen to get what’s going on here?

There is an HEIR apparent to the light heavyweight throne. His name is Joe Calzaghe. If you have difficulty trying to get your hands around this, then think about the hands that are around the throat of Bernard Hopkins. Hopefully you will be reminded of the “air unapparent” as you welcome the heir apparent.

Joe Calzaghe will beat Bernard Hopkins via a unanimous decision. If you bet the other way, don’t ever say you were not warned! The warning is as clear as the air you breathe!

Hopkins-Calzaghe: The Impending Domination of a Living Legend

By Stephan Hawkes: On April 19th, Ring Magazine Light Heavyweight Champ Bernard Hopkins will face his most dangerous opponent of the last 15 years when he squares off against undisputed Super Middleweight Champion Joe Calzaghe at the Thomas & Mack Center in Las Vegas. This intriguing match up of linear champions is one that finds boxing fans divided as ever.

Overtones of national pride (similar to the build-up of Mayweather-Hatton) have already infiltrated boxing message boards and there is no doubt that this will become more prevalent leading up to the fight. Add to this a not-so-subtle racial suggestion by Hopkins himself and you find the boxing public divided even further. Regardless of all this conjecture and posturing there should be little doubt as to the outcome of this Mega-Fight.

In this article I will outline that for almost every category one might use to judge this contest, the clear winner of this bout will be Joe Calzaghe. I understand that he will more than likely be the betting favorite come fight night, but we all know that Bernard prefers the underdog role in his big fights. People will point to his victories against Antonio Tarver and Felix Trinidad as a good reason not to count the old man out. Unfortunately for Hopkins, this fight is a mismatch in Calzaghe's favor.

WORKRATE:

Hopkins is a methodical counter puncher who loves to fight at a slow pace and Calzaghe loves to fight every minute of every round even when he clearly has a fight won (see Calzaghe-Lacy, 12th round). Calzaghe's non-stop style is FAR more impressive to judges than Hopkins' calculated style. In his two fights with Jermain Taylor, Hopkins could only convince 1 of 6 judges that he deserved the nod. This was largely due to the more visually pleasing style of Taylor and his willingness to push the action. Calzaghe is more pleasing and more action packed that Taylor has ever been and he will not be intimidated by Hopkins the way Taylor was.

CHIN:

Bernard Hopkins might as well be the poster child of the granite chin. Other than his 1994 draw with Segundo Mercado in which he was knocked down twice (largely due to not training at altitude for the fight, which took place in Ecuador) the man knows how to take a punch. Calzaghe's chin would seem to be the weaker of the two, but only by comparison. It should also be noted that Calzaghe has been fighting larger men for his whole career and usually responds to being hit by throwing more punches. Hopkins didn't get anywhere close to knocking out undersized Winky Wright in his last fight and his last knockout was against the much smaller Oscar De La Hoya in 2004. With Hopkins' limited punch output, Calzaghe will most certainly be standing at the
final bell.

STYLE:

People will point to Hopkins ability to fight inside and his effective use of the clinching as reasons that he will beat Joe Calzaghe. The problem is Calzaghe is a brilliant inside fighter and is so fast that he is unlikely to get caught up in the Hopkins clinch. When I picture this scenario playing out in my mind I see Calzaghe getting in and out quickly, landing crisp uppercuts and just to have Hopkins chase him to try and clinch, with Joe landing bunches of clean shots while going backwards. I'm sure that Bernard will try to make it an ugly fight, but Calzaghe knows how to dictate the pace and style of a fight just
as well as Hopkins. Anyone who thinks you can beat Calzaghe by throwing a straight right and clinching has never see Calzaghe fight.

AGE:

This is clearly a category in which the 35 year old Calzaghe has the advantage over the 42 year-old Hopkins. However, it should be noted that neither man has ever endured any kind of serious beating and both men could leave the sport of boxing tomorrow relatively unscathed.

LAST FIGHT:

Anyone who saw Calzaghe's last fight against Mikkel Kessler would have a hard time denying that the man is at the top of his game. He outworked his much younger opponent and elevated his fighting to a new level whenever Kessler tried to take control of the fight. In stark contrast, Bernard Hopkins' last fight against Winky Wright was an ugly and uninspired affair. Hopkins looked sluggish, flat-footed, and old. This fight should be all the proof anyone needs to know that Hopkins will be outworked by Calzaghe.

LOCATION:

This is the only category where Hopkins truly has the edge. The only reason I don't bet my life savings on Calzaghe to win is because of recent horrible decisions rendered at Golden Boy events. Anyone with two eyes knows that Steve Forbes beat Demetrius Hopkins last March and yet the scores were 118-110 (twice) and 117-111 in favor of the Golden Boy fighter Hopkins. In addition there was the November 2007 decision for Joel Casamayor (recently signed to Golden Boy) over Jose Armando Santa Cruz that was embarrassing for the sport to say the least.

Luckily, my prediction for the fight is that Calzaghe will dominate Hopkins so thoroughly that this kind of robbery will not be possible. Calzaghe is a pure fighter and he is arguably the best in the world. His style is almost impossible to beat and when I imagine him fighting other top P4P fighters (based on skill and not size) I don't see him losing to Floyd Mayweather, Manny Pacquiao, or Bernard Hopkins. Floyd (as good as he is) doesn't fight fast paced enough, Manny isn't quite skilled enough, and Bernard is too old and calculated. Come April 19th, expect Joe Calzaghe to embarrass a living legend and put a stamp on his own legacy.


**Side Note** Personally, I hope that Calzaghe unifies the light heavyweight division before retiring and I hope that Hopkins rematches Roy Jones in the final fight of his great career.

Calzaghe Hopkins Official

Matthew Hurley: Undisputed super middleweight champion Joe Calzaghe finally cleared the air in regards to Bernard Hopkins’ now infamous remark that he would “never lose to a white boy.” Hopkins uttered the comment at the weigh in for the Floyd Mayweather – Ricky Hatton fight back in December. The two fighters are now officially scheduled to square off on April 19th at the Thomas & Mack Center in Las Vegas.

“It did piss me off,” Calzaghe said today at a London press conference to announce the fight, “but it was more embarrassing for himself. He made himself look like an idiot. I wasn’t offended because I know what is going to happen. I’m not going to lose to a black guy, a white guy, a purple guy or a green guy. I’m not going to lose full stop. It’s a stupid comment from him. At the end of the day it takes a lot to get under my skin, and that doesn’t get under my skin at all.”

Calzaghe out of Newbridge, Wales, who will be making his American fistic debut when he trades punches with the former undisputed middleweight champion, also reiterated that his career, which now stands at 44-0 with 32 KOs, is coming to its conclusion.

“I could go on until I’m forty years old. It’s so easy to fight on, but there are very, very few fighters who retire unbeaten. I want to be one of the very few who get out at the top still undefeated. Rocky Marciano retired at the right time. I’ll have two more fights. I can say that now easily enough, but hopefully I’ll stick by it and remain undefeated. Money is great but staying undefeated means more to me than money.”

As for his prediction on the outcome of this long anticipated match up Calzaghe was blunt in both his desire to take Hopkins apart and in his anticipation of dirty tactics from the Philadelphia fighter.

“Let’s hope he doesn’t run,” he said. “Let’s hope the ring isn’t as big as the arena. I’ll smash him up and sort him out. I hope he’s not going to spoil it and be dirty. He head-butted Winky Wright twice and got away with it. I’m hoping for a fair fight with a fair referee and fair judges. Hopkins says this is going to be his last fight, so he better enjoy it and come to fight.”

In his recently published autobiography Calzaghe sees a parallel between his career and that of Hopkins.

“I used to look at my situation and compare it to Marvelous Marvin Hagler’s,” he writes. “(He was) a great champion who didn’t have his biggest fights against Roberto Duran, Tommy Hearns and Sugar Ray Leonard until he was in his 30s. The same with Hopkins. His situation was similar to mine. He was a long-reigning titleholder in the middleweight division, not really given a lot of credit. He’d never beaten any great fighters until well into his 30s when he got the big fights against Trinidad and De La Hoya. So I realized, as I reached my 30s, that there was hope. All I could do was fight and keep winning.”

As for a potential showdown with Roy Jones, should Calzaghe defeat Hopkins, the Welsh fighter was non-committal.

“I’m more interested in the winner of Taylor – Pavlik next to be honest. I’d rather fight a guy in his prime. They are the fights I get up for – big, big fights.”

As of the formal announcement for the Calzaghe – Hopkins fight it looks as though it will be broadcast on regular HBO rather than pay-per-view.