You be the Judge - Joe Calzaghe v Bernard Hopkins by British Boxing Apr 17th 2008

In the first of an exciting series, two writers go head-to-head in the Britishboxing.net courtroom to decide who will win a big fight. Terence Dooley QC opens with the case for the prosecution - a Hopkins victory.  Law Lord James McDonnell offers a stout case for the defence - a Calzaghe win. Who wins?  You be the Judge!  Leave a comment at the bottom of the article. THE CASE FOR THE PROSECUTION - BERNARD HOPKINS WILL WIN - by Terry Dooley QC Given that Hopkins is the fighter with the acknowledged defensive intelligence it would have seemed likely that this writer would be mounting a defence of Hopkins' ability to win this fight rather than vice versa. It could be that the perception of the fight has shifted subtly, initial consensus pointed to an emphatic Calzaghe win over ‘old-man' Hopkins. As the night draws ever closer it seems that James' claims for Calzaghe are in need of defending. Thus far in their careers Hopkins, and his general attitude towards fighting, needs no defence. Born in 1965, Hopkins aggressively hurtled towards a premature manhood on the mean streets of Philadelphia. When I was 13 I got my first ever computer, a Commodore 64. When Hopkins was 13 he was stabbed in the lung in a subway somewhere in Philly. Medics say the knife narrowly missed Hopkins' heart; in truth his heart is probably so big and mean it scared that knife away. After surviving the attack, Hopkins made what was probably a logical insight into life on the streets of Philadelphia - the young Bernard realised that it was better to be the man doing the intimidating, rather than a boy being intimidated at knifepoint. At the age when a growing number of people are passing through college, Hopkins passed into the American prison system. Many descriptions, often brilliant, have been used to describe this systematic breakdown of humanity, to paraphrase: Hopkins had his soul put on ice at a tender age for most people, the age of 17 to be exact, a period when we discover the world, rather than being locked away from it. The five-year stint in prison opened Hopkins' mind up to many things, the most pressing thing, which underpinned all other concerns, was his desire not to repeat this experience. Since then he has been the darker underside of the American success story, a bad man who did things his own way, and they have led him into what to him is merely another fight in a storied career. Hopkins had a hard road in his early days and unlike ABA wunderkind Calzaghe Hopkins did not take high hopes and backing into his pro career. Calzaghe claims that he often wondered how he would pay the mortgage in his early days; in contrast Hopkins did not know what the next fight would bring him, if anything.  In his fifth fight, against Jovin Mercardo, Hopkins came in at five hours notice, this despite the fight taking place in Philly. Hopkins was the ‘opponent' in his hometown, a man fighting to shift perceptions of what he was about. Hopkins did just that, buckling down he learned his trade; in the early days he was all flashing fists and combinations. Over time he would crank the pace back a little, his boxing becoming more methodical as he learned that you could simultaneously negate and deflate your foe. Breakout victories against the likes of Felix Trinidad and Oscar De La Hoya, this at a time when Calzaghe was facing the likes of Will McIntyre, turned Hopkins into a star. By this point Hopkins already held a win over a man Joe was desperate to face in Glen Johnson, not only that but Hopkins had annihilated Johnson: questions of greenness and size should be put aside, Hopkins dominated Johnson with his class that night. Now the time has come for Hopkins to bring it all to bear on Calzaghe, Hopkins is not about to let everything go against a ‘Joey come lately', Joe has only just begun to cut his teeth at a level higher than terminal drift, this a level Joe was content to fight at for some time.  There is nothing in Joe's career thus far to prepare him for this type of fight, it may seem a strange statement to make, after all Joe reassures us, or himself maybe, that when the bell rings a ring is a ring anywhere in the world, in which case why refuse to fight your long-term rival Sven Ottke in Germany.  The truth is that, as we saw with Clinton Woods last week, a provincial attitude can be counter-productive in a fight at this level. Therefore, as a regional fighter his whole career, it is absurd to say Joe will be fine on this night.  Early indications seem to suggest that at some point Joe went from seeing Hopkins as a clown to seeing the real bad man that is Bernard Hopkins. Their first head-to-head began jovially only for Hopkins to suddenly seem physically intimidating.  Hopkins loomed larger than he should do, he did not pale in physical comparison with Joe, mentally, also, Hopkins seems sure that he has seen the signs of nervousness in Calzaghe, who seemed so cool before the Lacy and Kessler fights, fighters brought to his door, on his terms. This time, though, Calzaghe goes out into the bad world of boxing, away from home, and he is wandering into the neighbourhoods where Hopkins preys. Writing about Hopkins' life and mindset is almost enough to tip one into melodramatic expression: you can almost imagine Bernard spending the winter secreted away in his subterranean lair, working on a plan to derail Calzaghe's strengths, a plan to be brought to light like dark flowers blooming in the dazed mind. Although Hopkins recently bristled at suggestions he is merely a tactician. He feels that his craft is his gameplan. Joe repeats his “thousand punches a fight” mantra in the hope that it may ward off the fact that Hopkins, on past form, can make his opponent miss many shots. Every one of those thousand shots will present a chance for Hopkins to slip, block, cover distance, hold, smother, foul, before slipping in the eye-catching shots. Calzaghe cuts also; it is out there in the public domain. Butts have caused some of the cuts; but given that Hopkins butts there is clear scope for Joe cutting in this fight. We could see Joe fighting with blood in his eyes and, as we saw in his fight with Sakio Bika, Joe fighting with blood in his eyes spells rich pickings for a guy good enough to land right hands.  Calzaghe sets for a flurry, lifts his chin and trusts in his reflexes, which let him down in the Bika and Kessler fights, Hopkins may be a forty something but Joe himself carries the hands of a 90 year-old typist, when he has to crack they break, he will have to crack to keep Hopkins honest, therefore we can expect either his weak hands or his cut-prone skin to conspire against him, this means that all bets are off. Calzaghe's biggest boon is also a massive foe for him. Hopkins loves fighting southpaws. Calzaghe prides himself on a unique style. Hopkins has the antidote for that, in taking in a plethora of southpaw styles he can quickly sift through their differing make-ups and find the exemplar of Joe's style. Hopkins was taught to fight southpaws by a southpaw in John David Jackson. Hopkins repaid this help in the only way he knows how; he beat the hell out of Jackson in defence of his IBF middleweight title. Hopkins does what anyone should do against a southpaw, make the action messy then pick your shots; even Kabary Salem did this against Calzaghe, flooring Joe to boot. Hopkins will sometimes line himself asymmetrically before his southpaw foe, before closing the space and landing his shots, then negating until the break. My opponent may talk about Hopkins' age and whatnot but that ability to beat southpaws is not a gift of youthful reflexes; it is down to the knack of fighting a southpaw.  If Hopkins can beat a southpaw with a tighter defence than Joe in Winky Wright, plus Wright threw 618 shots in their fight, then Hopkins can beat Calzaghe, who has a leaky defence. Joe must bear in mind that, in every aspect, Bernard will come correct, showing Calzaghe respect whilst negating the Welshman's flurries, and movement, with every understated step.  You can throw a KO win for Joe out of court also. In recent years Joe has had the finishing ability of an anorexic girl sitting before an 18-ounce steak, it is not happening. Hopkins would have to hit 60 before Joe could muster an attack to stop him. Joe could barley get Peter Manfredo out of there and Manfredo's chin presented itself as subtly as Jennifer Lopez's derrière, in a basque. So, no KO for Joe: do you really feel 100% sure of Joe with those Vegas judges deciding the outcome of the fight? For this writer the signs are that British boxing, like the world economy, went far beyond its means in recent years. Clinton Woods has already come crashing down to Earth, in a fight that showed Antonio Tarver's scalp, worn by Hopkins, is better than many thought.  Saturday will see another British fighter fall at the highest level, Hopkins is too smart, Calzaghe is analogous to a man whistling before a danger he does not understand, he says Hopkins is similar to Mary Poppins in terms of danger posed (an insult Hopkins turned by saying Joe is already calling him ‘Poppy'). It seems to me that Joe has completely misread the fight and this will be shown on Saturday night. THE CASE FOR THE DEFENCE - JOE CALZAGHE WILL WIN - by Law Lord James McDonnell Hopkins beat Calzaghe, no way Bernard. The names make you think it's possible. Hard ‘Nard, the executioner; but the truth of the matter is, he simply cannot and will not win and this is why. THE MENTAL ASPECT Some would have you believe that it is in the mental aspects of this fight, that the deciding factor in this fight is to be found. We are to believe that a combination of the huge occasion and Hopkins' glowering presence at press conferences and finally in the ring, will conspire to rob Calzaghe of his conviction and level of performance necessary to prevail. Why is it that so many people, even people who have backed Calzaghe all along, have fallen for Hopkins' bluster and bravado yet again, despite the fact that he has lost two of his last four fights and is 43 years old. What is it they see that makes them believe? Look at the pre-fight press conferences. What do you see? Calzaghe grinning from ear to ear as Hopkins rants and raves like the proverbial madman, as he has done at every press conference during his career, save for the fight with Oscar De La Hoya, his now business partner/employer. Calzaghe's response when asked what he thought about Hopkins intentionally inflammatory comment of “I'll never lose to a white boy?” “It was embarrassing for himself. He made himself look an idiot….I'm not offended because I know what's going to happen…....It is just a stupid comment from an adult. It doesn't get under my skin at all because when he gets in the ring he's going to get beaten full stop." There's no anger there, no malice, no talk of killing, maiming or disfiguring his opponent; in fact, Calzaghe is almost piteous of Hopkins' brash statement. Hardly the words of a man overwhelmed by the occasion . Forget Hopkins jail-talk; seeing men being raped and hanged might not be something you regularly see during a trip to Newbridge, at least not before sundown, but it's got no bearing on the result of this fight, no more than it did in his fight with Jones Junior, or two fights with Taylor. Hopkins might gee himself up with such bluff talk, but Calzaghe clearly doesn't give; if you will excuse my vernacular, a fiddler's fart what Mr Hopkins has seen. Another aspect of the ‘mental advantage' Hopkins supposedly carries into the fight, and the next argument I shall debunk is the idea of the much cited ‘home advantage.' This is one of the most nebulous advantages in the world of boxing. I'm never quite sure what precisely people really mean when they say that. What it comes down to is this; Will the fighter be unsettled by the occasion and/or setting? Will the judges favour the home fighter? Of course Calzaghe has hardly been the Alan Whicker of boxing, with his jaunts abroad being confined to European ventures in Denmark, Scotland and Germany in a 15-year professional career. However, he seems to have carried his confidence with him to America, and seems to be genuinely relishing the opportunity to showcase his stuff on the big stage in Las Vegas. Calzaghe has always been a big occasion fighter, reserving his best performances for his most dangerous opponents, from his absolute pasting of a battle-hardened (if weight drained) Eubank in his first massive step up in class to his drubbing of left-hook clubber Lacy, and his masterful display against the technically sound and hungry Kessler. Of course, his resolve may melt under those bright Vegas ring lights, or be drowned out by all the ballyhoo and hoopla, but I just cannot see it. Of course, it's not all down to what Joe does, there's another man in the ring with him that night, and that man is a future hall of famer, two weight world champion, who went unbeaten at Middleweight for over a decade. Like Calzaghe he's also a man possessed of extraordinary self-belief, the sort of self-belief which allowed him to think that at the age of 42, he had not just the right, but the might to enter the ring at a new higher weight division, and take on Antonio Tarver the IBO and (roughly) lineal champion at the time. So let's just say both men have egos the size of planets or at least Pluto. One final point on this area; considering that Calzaghe has yet to lose in his professional career, surely, if anyone, surely he's the one with the greater self belief? As for the judges favouring the home fighter, well, where is home precisely? Ask an American where they're from, and they'll most likely name their home town or their home state; America is a big place, and Hopkins is from Philadelphia, where he's a blue collar hero, but boxing aficionados and major sports fans aside, Hopkins is hardly considered a crowd pleaser in Las Vegas, or anywhere else for that matter. Despite his tag of the executioner, it's the fans who are at risk most, not his opponents, of dying of abject boredom during his fights. Vegas crowds love action. Plain and simple. I heard them booing Marquez for boxing Pacman to a standstill in their first fight, and that was after he'd been decked three times a few rounds back! People flock to Vegas to witness a ‘big fight' Hopkins was booed during the Eastman fight and at points in the Winky Wright fight……in Vegas. In a close fight, the judges will if anything favour Calzaghe, who is almost certain to be the aggressor throughout. This isn't Hopkins against similarly negative opponents like Winky Wright or Antonio Tarver who barely showed up. This is Joe Calzaghe, who even when he was totally in control and heading for victory, still went for it in the last two rounds against Kessler. THE PHYSICAL ASPECTS Others would have you believe, that Calzaghe's move up in weight against a man as experienced as Hopkins, who has already fought twice at the weight, is foolhardy, but let's have a closer look at the facts. Hopkins has fought only twice at light heavyweight; his most recent outing was against Winky Wright, a fleshy career 154 lber! That's about as relevant as Hatton fighting at Light Middleweight against Nate Campbell and then saying he was ‘proven' at the weight. Of course, Hopkins has fought a genuine Light Heavyweight former and now current champion in Antonio Tarver. However, the Tarver that beat Clinton Woods and the Tarver who lost to Hopkins that night were two different men, I barely even recognised Tarver as he entered the ring against Woods, so different did he look. Tarver was no longer ring rusty, distracted by filming Rocky Balboa, or losing over 40 pounds in weight to get in the ring. In any case, Joe Calzaghe is an utterly different fighter to Clinton Woods or the often lackadaisical Tarver. To cap it all, Tarver has never been a great fighter, merely an opportunist champion. Of course Calzaghe is unproven at the weight, but he has campaigned eight pounds north of the 160 lb limit that Hopkins fought at for his entire career. As a result he won't be ‘bulking up' to make weight, as Hopkins did with Mackie Shilstone, but simply not boiling down to make 168 as he usually does. He will be fresher and healthier than he has ever entered the ring before. Finally we come down to the old adage, ‘styles make fights' and the notion that Calzaghe just isn't prepared for what Hopkins is going to bring; for me, this is a faintly ridiculous assertion. What precisely does Hopkins have in his well worn bag of tricks that suggests a victory over the Welsh Wizard? For me, not a lot, and bar Joe suddenly becoming overcome with feelings of inadequacy and being intimidated by Bernard at the stare down, a scenario which is as likely as Heather Mills doing backing vocals on a reformed Beatles on tour, I just cannot see what he is going to do to win. Much has been made of Bernard's right hand, as being the weapon which could derail Calzaghe, and yes, it is true that Calzaghe throughout his career has been open to the straight right. That being the case, it was wild right hooks respectively from Byron Mitchell and Kabary Salem which accounted for the sole knockdowns on his ledger. Hopkins is not noted especially for his right hook, and in fact these days, is noted more for his shots to the hips, holding, mauling and generally spoiling than any punches he throws. I don't think Hopkins stopping Calzaghe is a real concern, as Bernard hasn't knocked out even a decent fellow middleweight, let alone light heavyweight since Carl Daniels in 2002. Trinidad, a blown up welterweight was in 2001. Approaching a decade ago. Calzaghe also has a boxing brain on him, and he is going to be well aware that the right hand is the danger shot, and as a southpaw can shove to his right and bring his own left hook or cross to bear. His speed of hand will allow him to keep Hopkins more than busy. The man who came closest to beating Calzaghe, Robin Reid, did indeed possess a good right hand, but Reid was young and in his prime. others who gave him some problems, (Woodhall, Starie), possessed a better workrate than old man ‘Nard has now. The closest we have probably seen to recent times to the kind or problems Hopkins will present was the ugly mess Calzaghe got into with Sakio Bika, who should have had a glove on his head he fought so dirty. Calzaghe did get drawn into a brawl, but he emerged the winner by a mile, and, more importantly, knows that Hopkins is too cagey a fighter to get dragged into a similar streetfight with Hopkins. Of course Bika is nowhere near the fighter Hopkins is, but he was also younger, fresher and physically more imposing, and Calzaghe is more focussed in his big fights than he ever is against the likes of Bika. Hopkins bluster has people forgetting that he was beaten twice by Jermain Taylor. Now I know, I know, styles make fights, but what did Taylor beat Hopkins with; workrate. What is Calzaghe's possibly greatest asset? Oh yes, workrate. And remember, Taylor is hardly the Eveready bunny himself. Remember this is the same Taylor who fought as if Kassim Ouma, and Cory Spinks, had dynamite in their feather-fists. Who gassed against Pavlik, after flattening him, and got flattened himself, and then and lost a rematch. Remember him? Taylor was fighting for breath after two rounds against Ouma, and even at a catchweight could not fight at a pace for 12 hard rounds. Yes, Taylor has a different style to Calzaghe; Joe doesn't fight from range by default, but he has a great stick and move game when he wants to. It was really Taylor's willingness to press Hopkins, and the fact he showed him less respect than previous opponents which allowed him to prevail. Joe will give Hopkins neither quarter nor respect. Hopkins has to pace himself as carefully as a 90-year-old marathon runner these days; Calzaghe simply won't allow him the time or luxury. Against Calzaghe, Hopkins is in against someone who not only has the fitness to fight at a frantic pace for the whole 12 rounds, but has superlative boxing skills, skills which he showed to great effect against the two young pretenders to his throne, Jeff Lacy and Mikkel Kessler, both were soundly outboxed as well as outfought.  Calzaghe tortured lacy with his jab and lateral movement, and likewise took the initiative away from Kessler by always being one step ahead. He doesn't just stand there whaling on his opponents if he thinks they are a threat. What worked against an unfocused, and erratic talent like Tarver, or a defensively minded Winky Wright, will not suffice against a talent like Calzaghe, who is not going to be standing there waiting to lose the fight, but instead will be on Hopkins like white on rice from the first bell. Calzaghe will box aggressively from the outset, whilst Hopkins tries to nullify him by mauling and fouling and hitting him on the break, making the fight ugly, and stealing the limelight with the occasional eye-catching flurry, but all the way through it will be Calzaghe who is landing the majority of the punches. It won't be pretty, but it will be Bernard who is labouring for breath and hanging in there at the end, not Joe. Hopkins is tough and rough, but it simply won't be enough, and in an ugly fight Calzaghe will emerge the close, but clear winner.

Go back Comment on this article | Send to a friend | Print

Please login before posting comments.

Calzaghe to win - case dismissed Apr 17th 2008, 04:05:30 by bbn kid Great article guys. But the Jury is out on this one and i'm gonna have to go with Calzaghe. Too fast for the ageing 'poppa' and even though Hopkins is more experienced and 'weathered' Joe's hunger will shine through. The Welshman has fought a fighter who tried to rough him up in Sakio Bika, as mentioned, and the result was emphatic. And plus Joe has shown his class time and time again. He can even win fights with one hand. A points victory for over 'The Executioner' will cement his legacy.