come on joe
Posted: Sun Apr 20, 2008 11:53 am
Calzaghe wins light-heavyweight title
Eurosport - Sun, 20 Apr 03:47:00 2008
Briton Joe Calzaghe won the light-heavyweight title from American Bernard Hopkins by split decision at the Thomas and Mack Center in Las Vegas.
Calzaghe was put down after barely a minute of the first round, caught by a straight right from Hopkins, but recovered to chase the defensive 43-year-old around the ring over 12 rounds and win over the judges.
"To be honest I found it really hard," he said afterwards. "He caught me in the first round - I think I slipped.
"Bernard is a great fighter and I had to let my punches go. I was wary of his right hand - he was defensive and I had to be patient.
"I knew it wasn't going to be pretty. It's only the third time in my career that I've been on the floor. I got up and did what great champions do - I came back.
"He didn't catch me cleanly and after that I wasn't really hurt."
Calzaghe was penalised for a low blow in the 10th round and Hopkins took several minutes to recover, something he also looked for and was refused in the 11th.
"He's a wily old character," Calzaghe reflected. "The pace was getting to him so he did what he could to take a rest.
"It was one of toughest fights of my career. He was holding on the inside and he's been around so many years."
Calzaghe was unable to find his trademark flurries of punches, although as the fight wore on he landed more and more with his opponent tiring.
Hopkins preferred to circle around the ring and step in when the opportunity arose, picking his punches. However he will not have curried favour with the judges for repeatedly clinching and wasting seconds in the later rounds.
He seemed relatively unmarked while Calzaghe sported a cut on his nose from that initial blow and also a bit of bruising around his eyes.
But ultimately the Welshman, 10 years a champion at super-middleweight, was rewarded for his attacking style ahead of Hopkins's defensive approach.
Both fighters thought they had won it at the end, and Hopkins claimed later that the watching fans knew who the real winner of the bout was.
But after the first judge had awarded it to the Philadelphia puncher, the remaining two saw it in favour of the Newbridge southpaw - and his unbeaten record remains intact with one more fight to come.
"I'm the legend killer. I just finished Bernard Hopkins - maybe Roy Jones will be my last fight," he hinted.
"I will take some time out and see what the next step is from there."
- - - -
Eurosport - Sun, 20 Apr 03:47:00 2008
Briton Joe Calzaghe won the light-heavyweight title from American Bernard Hopkins by split decision at the Thomas and Mack Center in Las Vegas.
Calzaghe was put down after barely a minute of the first round, caught by a straight right from Hopkins, but recovered to chase the defensive 43-year-old around the ring over 12 rounds and win over the judges.
"To be honest I found it really hard," he said afterwards. "He caught me in the first round - I think I slipped.
"Bernard is a great fighter and I had to let my punches go. I was wary of his right hand - he was defensive and I had to be patient.
"I knew it wasn't going to be pretty. It's only the third time in my career that I've been on the floor. I got up and did what great champions do - I came back.
"He didn't catch me cleanly and after that I wasn't really hurt."
Calzaghe was penalised for a low blow in the 10th round and Hopkins took several minutes to recover, something he also looked for and was refused in the 11th.
"He's a wily old character," Calzaghe reflected. "The pace was getting to him so he did what he could to take a rest.
"It was one of toughest fights of my career. He was holding on the inside and he's been around so many years."
Calzaghe was unable to find his trademark flurries of punches, although as the fight wore on he landed more and more with his opponent tiring.
Hopkins preferred to circle around the ring and step in when the opportunity arose, picking his punches. However he will not have curried favour with the judges for repeatedly clinching and wasting seconds in the later rounds.
He seemed relatively unmarked while Calzaghe sported a cut on his nose from that initial blow and also a bit of bruising around his eyes.
But ultimately the Welshman, 10 years a champion at super-middleweight, was rewarded for his attacking style ahead of Hopkins's defensive approach.
Both fighters thought they had won it at the end, and Hopkins claimed later that the watching fans knew who the real winner of the bout was.
But after the first judge had awarded it to the Philadelphia puncher, the remaining two saw it in favour of the Newbridge southpaw - and his unbeaten record remains intact with one more fight to come.
"I'm the legend killer. I just finished Bernard Hopkins - maybe Roy Jones will be my last fight," he hinted.
"I will take some time out and see what the next step is from there."
- - - -
