Hopkins looked GREAT in his fight vs Winky!

[BITCH ASS]

I don't understand why so many people are picking Calzaghe by dominating UD.

This is going to be a difficult fight for Calzaghe.

Hopkins is the smartest fighter in the game and he takes angles and uses subtle movements and feints to throw off his opponents gameplan.

Not only that, but he'll employ a tactic that involves him using his left arm to clinch over the top of Calzaghe's right arm so Hopkins can use his right hand in the inside and limit the use of Calzaghe's right, and especially his jab.

Calzaghe obviously employ's a similar tactic by using his right arm to clinch over the top of his opponent's left arm, but I feel that Hopkins is the stronger guy, and he'll use everything in his disposal, (elbows and forehead), to win the battle on the inside.

Hopkins is also very hard to tag effectively from the outside. He made Winky Wright look like an amateur. I don't think I've ever seen Winky miss that much before.

He also managed to cut Winky's workrate down to nothing.

While I feel Calzaghe may be the second smartest fighter in boxing and he has the advantage in speed, and likely from the outside, this will still be an incredibly difficult fight.

Hopkins is a live body, and because of Calzaghe's lack of THUDDING power, expect Hopkins to engage Calzaghe often on the inside.

Hopkin's legs are still there, and this is a tough fight.

Don't count him out.

[KayEpps]

I pick B-Hop by UD.

You make a lot of good points.

[BITCH ASS]

Agreed Winky can make anyone look bad...but let the Euro-schmucks keep talking up "Average Joe"...I have a feeling the odds will only improve for those betting on Hop!

Don't get me wrong, Calzaghe is a GREAT fighter.

[ocelot]

Agree 100%. I'm a Calzaghe fan, but I think Hopkins' ring savvy and experience are going to win out. He'll neutralize many of Calzaghe's strengths.

[Andre]

Agree 100%, people shouldn't count Bernard out based on the Winky fight, lets face it beating Winky Wrights never going to look pretty. I feel Hopkins will fight a different fight and it will be alot harder for Calzaghe than peole think, i honestly cant pick a winner yet.

[Claypole]

Joe won't be as fat as Winky, though!

[KayEpps]

Joe won't be as fat as Winky, though!

Tarver wasn't as fat as Winky - but he was a Southpaw.

I think Joe will put up a very good fight - but I think B-Hop will walk away with the win.

[Hrak]

Its pretty clear to me that Calzaghe will win via a dominating UD. Hopkins is a safety first fighter, atleast his older version is. He proved this in both of his fights against Taylor. He talked a good game before the second fight with Taylor, but when it came time to show for it in the ring, he went into a shell and allowed JT to take the rounds. Also taking in consideration that Hopkins has a low punch output and lacks serious power tells you that Hopkins offers nothing that will seriously stop Calzaghe from doing what he does. So thats why I say Calzaghe will win via UD.

[faisal]

calzaghe by KO, your going to see hopkins show his age in this fight, the pace of the fight will be too much for hopkins IMO

[Punisher33]

You must remember if Hopkins feels like he's getting beat up, he will use rough house tactics to even the score and slow Clazaghes workrate. Hopkins will not be knocked out or stopped like some may suggest, especially by a pretty light punching Calzaghe, if Tarver or Jones couldnt do it, I cant see how Calzaghe will. This will also be his first fight in the US, which will be a bigger factor than some may think.

I do give the advantage to Calzaghe 60/40, just on youth and workrate alone, but this will easily be Calzaghe's hardest fight.

[Caliboxing]

Hopkins is stronger than Calzaghe and has fought superior opposition. This is also the first time Calzaghe is fighting in America and it will be tougher than in his back yard. Although I favor Calzaghe, Hopkins should not be underestimated because he's crafty enough to find a way to win.

[Sweet Pea]

Calzaghe by UD. It will not be as one-sided a fight as people assume, but his workrate and speed should get the job done convincingly.

[BITCH ASS]

For the record, I think Calzaghe will win this fight.

[PhillyShell]

hopkins didn't look great against winky. he looked like a clinchy bitch. winky was fat and slow and didn't fight anything at all like his normal self, so yeah, i supposse in that sense, hopkins looked great by not being overweight.

[Antwuan Maxx]

Hopkins and Winky both looked like old fighters to me.

[196osh]

He did not look "great" he was fighting a Winky that was not the same guy that was so good at 154.He should have beaten Winky much more convincingly with his natural size advantage.

I had the fight 6-5-1 Hopkins.

[TRUEBELIEVER 66]

Hopkins BARELY beat Winky i had it 6-6, and there was to much grabbing and hugging, no way in hell Hops beats Cali! Joe will outwork him and win A UD:yep

[klion22]

Yes, Hopkins did look great against Wright. People who claim it was close don't know what they are watching. You had to pay attention to the exchanges in the inside to know that Hopkins was landing the harder and cleaner shots. Not to mention his right hand leads that are subtle and hard to see sometimes land.

Hopkins made Wright look like a C class fighter that night. And that's saying a lot.

[BoxingGuru]

I am american, but anyone picking old potshotkins over Calzaghe is ignorant, or a hugger, or knows nothing about boxing.

There's a simple way to pick this fight.

Hopkins throws 10 punches per round and fights 5 rounds of a fight.

Calzaghe fights 12 rounds of every fight and throws 1000 punches.

Go ahead and pick PopShotkins, makes total sense because he beat shitty Tarver and shitty Winky.

[BoxingGuru]

I don't understand why so many people are picking Calzaghe by dominating UD.

This is going to be a difficult fight for Calzaghe.

Hopkins is the smartest fighter in the game and he takes angles and uses subtle movements and feints to throw off his opponents gameplan.

Not only that, but he'll employ a tactic that involves him using his left arm to clinch over the top of Calzaghe's right arm so Hopkins can use his right hand in the inside and limit the use of Calzaghe's right, and especially his jab.

Calzaghe obviously employ's a similar tactic by using his right arm to clinch over the top of his opponent's left arm, but I feel that Hopkins is the stronger guy, and he'll use everything in his disposal, (elbows and forehead), to win the battle on the inside.

Hopkins is also very hard to tag effectively from the outside. He made Winky Wright look like an amateur. I don't think I've ever seen Winky miss that much before.

He also managed to cut Winky's workrate down to nothing.

While I feel Calzaghe may be the second smartest fighter in boxing and he has the advantage in speed, and likely from the outside, this will still be an incredibly difficult fight.

Hopkins is a live body, and because of Calzaghe's lack of THUDDING power, expect Hopkins to engage Calzaghe often on the inside.

Hopkin's legs are still there, and this is a tough fight.

Don't count him out.

Seriously that was one of the worst fights I have EVER seen in my life. No matter what you say.

[Lance_Uppercut]

I don't understand why so many people are picking Calzaghe by dominating UD.

This is going to be a difficult fight for Calzaghe.

Hopkins is the smartest fighter in the game and he takes angles and uses subtle movements and feints to throw off his opponents gameplan.

Not only that, but he'll employ a tactic that involves him using his left arm to clinch over the top of Calzaghe's right arm so Hopkins can use his right hand in the inside and limit the use of Calzaghe's right, and especially his jab.

Calzaghe obviously employ's a similar tactic by using his right arm to clinch over the top of his opponent's left arm, but I feel that Hopkins is the stronger guy, and he'll use everything in his disposal, (elbows and forehead), to win the battle on the inside.

Hopkins is also very hard to tag effectively from the outside. He made Winky Wright look like an amateur. I don't think I've ever seen Winky miss that much before.

He also managed to cut Winky's workrate down to nothing.

While I feel Calzaghe may be the second smartest fighter in boxing and he has the advantage in speed, and likely from the outside, this will still be an incredibly difficult fight.

Hopkins is a live body, and because of Calzaghe's lack of THUDDING power, expect Hopkins to engage Calzaghe often on the inside.

Hopkin's legs are still there, and this is a tough fight.

Don't count him out.
Because of work rate and speed both favoring Joe C. Of course everybody knows that Calzaghe will throw as many punches as usual, and Hopkins as little. Things like that NEVER change once the fight starts right? :roll:

Good points BTW Cap. I think I am swaying some towards Joe C winning, but I sure as hell would not be surprised by a clear UD for Hops.

[gambleer]

Hopkins BARELY beat Winky i had it 6-6, and there was to much grabbing and hugging, no way in hell Hops beats Cali! Joe will outwork him and win A UD:yep
I agree, Hopkins barely beat Winky. I had 7-5 for Hopkins.

[Bodysnatcher]

I agree Hopkins still has plenty to offer and I hope that in the event of a Calzaghe victory, all those who pick Hopkins will give Joe full credit and won't once say things like `he shoulda' fought Chad Dawson` or `beat an old man, means nothing`.

I hope that'll happen but I have a feeling the old Lacy amnesia (now a medically recognised disease) will kick in and none of them will ever remember saying Hopkins had a chance.

Calzaghe by UD, but made to look bad and work hard for it.

[PH|LLA]

there was never a doubt as to who would win that fight and i thought Hopkins beat Winky fairly easily in a typical Hopkins fight.

People think he struggled but the fact is that he really didn't.

Still Calzaghe is a damn good fighter and I would expect him to win but not be as dominating as people think he will be. However i have underestimated Calzaghe in the past (against Kessler) so we will see.

[liljp361]

I honestly think itll be an undramatic fight with a few good exchanges...

[liljp361]

Best thing Calzaghe has goin for him IMO is that he throw so many damn punches...

[BITCH ASS]

Seriously that was one of the worst fights I have EVER seen in my life. No matter what you say.

I think Hopkins put on a textbook boxing exhibition.

That's how you do it.

[Dorfmeister]

Hopkins still was the man that night, but unfortunately not the man he used to be. That was the 3rd time in the last 4 bouts that he's had a DEAD MAN in front of him for the last few rounds, and seemingly enough strength and energy to put him away or force a stoppage. But he just can't come up with the motivation anymore, he only seems interested with showing off all that cutie stuff.

I walked away feeling a little sad that most casual fans who didn't follow Hopkins from before 2002 will only remember him this way and not for the monster he was the previous 10 years.

Nevertheless, I had Hopkins winning 8:4. He stole the even first round with a couple of heavy shots. I thought Winky clearly won 2,3 & 4 as most of his pitty-pat punches were landing and for some reason Hopkins wouldn't just punch with him. The 5th was a pretty solid Hopkins round based on the power and taking control of the tactical advantage. Then 6,7, 8 were real ugly and not really definitive, but I gave hem all to Hopkins cause he took almost everything away from Wright, and his infrequent punches were moving and hurting Wright regardless of wether they landed clean or not. The 9th was even uglier, I gave it to Winky mostly on a coin toss, maybe he seemed to get in a few more pokes.

In the last 3 rounds, Wrights unstable legs and declining punching technique confirmed that Hopkins had got the better of the first 9 rounds punishment wise. The home stretch was all about Hopkin's strengths and power and Wright was merely willing himself to the finish line, assisted by the apparent retirement of Hopkin's killer insitinct.

[daprofessor]

the bhops/winky fight was one of the ugliest in recent memory. he can't beat joe throwing 10-15 punches a round.

[BITCH ASS]

the bhops/winky fight was one of the ugliest in recent memory. he can't beat joe throwing 10-15 punches a round.

But what happened to Winky's workrate?

[BITCH ASS]

bump

[Amsterdam]

Please, Wright wasn't nearly as effective at 160 as he was 154 and he looked terrible at 170. Wright can't deal with a mover historically anyway, prime for prime Hopkins would have nearly shutout Wright because of this reason.

Yet, Winky still made him work hard for it, with his flat footed, guard defensive style.

Now Hopkins, almost a year later is going up against a fighter who is a level up in ability for one, hits much harder, has more workrate, is multi-dimensional and extremely aggressive as times, setting a pace most boxers can't operate at.

Hopkins is going to get worn out and stopped, he won't win a single round.

[BITCH ASS]

Please, Wright wasn't nearly as effective at 160 as he was 154 and he looked terrible at 170. Wright can't deal with a mover historically anyway, prime for prime Hopkins would have nearly shutout Wright because of this reason.

Yet, Winky still made him work hard for it, with his flat footed, guard defensive style.

Now Hopkins, almost a year later is going up against a fighter who is a level up in ability for one, hits much harder, has more workrate, is multi-dimensional and extremely aggressive as times, setting a pace most boxers can't operate at.

Hopkins is going to get worn out and stopped, he won't win a single round.

This I definitely disagree with. I think Hopkins is too smart and still has enough pep in his step to get stopped.

While I think Calzaghe will win, Hopkins will cut Calzaghe's workrate down considerably, and engage Calzaghe on the inside as often as possible where I feel Hopkins will have the advantage.

The key for Calzaghe winning this fight will be to keep Hopkins at range and to hit him with pot shots and occasional flurries.

Calzaghe needs to make this like an amateur boxing match.

[Ramshall1]

Hops made it a boring fight, I had it a draw.

[klion22]

Hops made it a boring fight, I had it a draw.

:wall

[Amsterdam]

This I definitely disagree with. I think Hopkins is too smart and still has enough pep in his step to get stopped.

This may be the case, I won't debate it. I just think he's ripe to lose all stamina and get pinned on the ropes or retire in the corner and nobody will care because he's old.

While I think Calzaghe will win, Hopkins will cut Calzaghe's workrate down considerably, and engage Calzaghe on the inside as often as possible where I feel Hopkins will have the advantage.

With what?

His timing has degraded and he lacks the power anyway to stop a full onslaught. Kessler stopped Calzaghe in his tracks several times, but I promise you that he hits much harder than Hopkins.

Hopkins has also always been vulnerable to good jabs and Calzaghe brings that within his workrate.

Last, Calzaghe's absurdly quick feet and in and out movement are already a stylistic issue for Hopkins at any point in his career, much less now.

This is a wipe out in the making.

The key for Calzaghe winning this fight will be to keep Hopkins at range and to hit him with pot shots and occasional flurries.

What he's going to do is jab and swarm, just like Hopkins, Calzaghe is very rough in the clinch and explodes out of the clinch on top of it.

Calzaghe has never been a tactical pot shotter, he always brings the workrate and combination's.


Calzaghe needs to make this like an amateur boxing match.


No, he needs to thrash this old man, Hopkins has just enough left to show if he'd be able to beat a prime Calzaghe in his prime, to do that Hopkins would just need to win a few rounds clean.

Calzaghe completely dominating the fight would show that he'd take a prime/prime match up in a closer fight.

[PrideOfWales]

This I definitely disagree with. I think Hopkins is too smart and still has enough pep in his step to get stopped.

While I think Calzaghe will win, Hopkins will cut Calzaghe's workrate down considerably, and engage Calzaghe on the inside as often as possible where I feel Hopkins will have the advantage.

The key for Calzaghe winning this fight will be to keep Hopkins at range and to hit him with pot shots and occasional flurries.

Calzaghe needs to make this like an amateur boxing match.

I also think you underestimate Calzaghe's ability to fight on the inside. He'll also give shit back to Hopkins when he starts using his head and elbows... except a little bit quicker.

[BITCH ASS]

I also think you underestimate Calzaghe's ability to fight on the inside. He'll also give shit back to Hopkins when he starts using his head and elbows... except a little bit quicker.

Right, but Hopkins is arguably stronger, and while both fighters are intelligent in the clinch, I still think that Hopkins will have the advantage because of his strength and power.

[Amsterdam]

Right, but Hopkins is arguably stronger, and while both fighters are intelligent in the clinch, I still think that Hopkins will have the advantage because of his strength and power.

Hopkins is not a powerful hitter, never has been. Calzaghe is just as good an in fighter, but quicker and the strength may be near the same.

Calzaghe is very strong, never been outmuscled by anybody and he's fought some strong guys. Stronger than former Welter's you know.:yep

[PrideOfWales]

What he said ^

[BITCH ASS]

This may be the case, I won't debate it. I just think he's ripe to lose all stamina and get pinned on the ropes or retire in the corner and nobody will care because he's old.



[QUOTE]
With what?

His timing has degraded and he lacks the power anyway to stop a full onslaught. Kessler stopped Calzaghe in his tracks several times, but I promise you that he hits much harder than Hopkins.

Hopkins has also always been vulnerable to good jabs and Calzaghe brings that within his workrate.


Timing isn't as important when you're engaged within a clinch. Then it's just a matter of making sure you have your opponent in a position where he can't hurt you, yet you can hurt him.

It's true that a fighter like Taylor kept Hopkins tenative because of his style and his accurate, stinging punches, and when Taylor fought Hopkins he still used his jab and footwork to win fights.

While Calzaghe is obviously a much smarter fighter than Taylor, especially recently, his power won't discourage Hopkins from engaging as much as Taylor's power did, and Hopkins is very good at taking away a southpaw's jab by clinching over his opponents right arm.

Calzaghe is no slouch in this department as he often does it to his opponents left arm, but Bika gave him problems because of Bika's strength, akwardness, and inside fighting ability, despite throwing looping, inaccurate punches.

And while it's true that it wasn't the best Calzaghe, Hopkins is on a much higher level than Bika in both his pursuit and in his technique in delivering punches.

My point is, Hopkins is stronger than Calzaghe and will attempt to do everything he can to keep this a dirty fight and take away Calzaghe's jab.


Last, Calzaghe's absurdly quick feet and in and out movement are already a stylistic issue for Hopkins at any point in his career, much less now.


This is a wipe out in the making.


True, but Hopkins has made his living in cutting down the workrate of fighters who throw a lot of punches by making them miss and frusterating them in the early stages, but leaving a window at the final stages of the fight to engage and steal the fight from his opponent.


What he's going to do is jab and swarm, just like Hopkins, Calzaghe is very rough in the clinch and explodes out of the clinch on top of it.

Calzaghe has never been a tactical pot shotter, he always brings the workrate and combination's.


I think he'll be at his best if he's allowed to jab and swarm, but it's likely that Hopkins won't stand still long enough in one place to give him much of an opportunity to do this. Hopkins is THE MASTER at taking angles with Calzage probably at #2 or perhaps #3.

I think that Calzaghe will do best by turning this into a boxing match, much like he did with Kessler because that's the best way he can use Hopkin's age against him.




No, he needs to thrash this old man, Hopkins has just enough left to show if he'd be able to beat a prime Calzaghe in his prime, to do that Hopkins would just need to win a few rounds clean.

Calzaghe completely dominating the fight would show that he'd take a prime/prime match up in a closer fight.


I think he'll beat Hopkins, but I don't think he'll thrash him. And in their primes, I think it's 50/50. Even then I'd probably bet on Calzaghe, but I still wouldn't underestimate old man Hops.

He's not finished yet.

[BITCH ASS]

Hopkins is not a powerful hitter, never has been. Calzaghe is just as good an in fighter, but quicker and the strength may be near the same.

Calzaghe is very strong, never been outmuscled by anybody and he's fought some strong guys. Stronger than former Welter's you know.:yep

I agree that Kessler is more powerful than Hopkins, but Kessler kept the fight on the outside where he could employ his power.

Hopkins fight against Calzaghe will be on the inside in the clinch where whether or not he has power on the same level as Kessler's, which he doesn't, he'll be able to land it.

[albeziel]

This will be a good fight and a very hard one to predict, I'll go with JC by close UD but who knows.

[Ring Master]

Calzaghe by wide UD. too much volume for Hopkins.