Via Ken Hissner: When WBO, WBA and WBC Super Middleweight Champion Joe “Pride of Wales” Calzaghe made his US debut, he went 44-0 with 32 knockouts against former world middleweight champion Bernard “The Executioner.” Hopkins, then 48-4-1, in April 2008 in Las Vegas, Nevada, as a light heavyweight.
Hopkins issued a statement, “not a single white boy can beat me, or I can’t go back to the hood.” Southpaw Calzaghe strode as he entered the ring. After the first minute of inning, Hopkins took an immediate lead to put Calzaghe on goal. He got up and gave it to Hopkins, who used every trick in the book, holding, spinning him around, backing up behind him, butting, and whatever let Calzaghe down.
In the fourth round, Hopkins moved behind Calzaghe, hitting him with a punch to the face. Later in the round, Calzaghe was once again spun around with Hopkins behind. Calzaghe hit the right back, prompting referee Joe Cortez to warn both. It was one of the few times Cortez warned Hopkins about anything.
From the fifth to the seventh round, Calzaghe had a slight advantage. In the eighth round, he defeated Hopkins, who would hit him after the bell. Calzaghe turned back to his corner. In the ninth round, Calzaghe nailed Hopkins with a lead that was left on his chin. Hopkins is back with a right of his own. When Calzaghe combined hit him, Hopkins immediately tied him up.
Between rounds, Enzo, Calzaghe’s father, urged him and shouted to get him to Hopkins. During the tenth round, Calzaghe spun Hopkins around, using his body to push Hopkins down from behind. Hopkins took the time to re-coup as if he were in pain when referee Cortez gave him five minutes to start getting back into action.
Calzaghe started jumping up and down with his arms raised, much to the excitement of the crowd. Hopkins turned to use his head while hugging Calzaghe. Calzaghe’s hand speed is slowing down, and when the bell rings, Hopkins hits him again after the bell.
At this point, Richie Woodhall, the commentator, was 95-95. In the eleventh round, Hopkins faked a low, buying time. He landed well shortly after, and Calzaghe turned to use his hand speed to continue. During the twelfth and final round, every time Calzaghe bested Hopkins, the second would grab him. Before the bell rang, Calzaghe, with his arms raised, jumped on the rope in triumph. Woodall has it 115-113 Calzaghe.
Awaiting a decision, Calzaghe rose once more to the cheers of the crowd. Judge Adalaide Byrd, originally from Philadelphia, gave it 114-113 Hopkins, Chuck Giampa 116-111, and Ted Gimza 115-112 to Calzaghe, as did this writer.
“He caught me in the first round even though I thought I failed. It was hard to push him down, so I had to let go. I know it won’t be pretty, but I want to thank God for the win. He’s a great fighter, but I think the pressure brought him down. (When asked who he wants next) I believe I am the legendary killer and want Roy Jones, Jr. next.
“I wanted to take him into deep water. I was unmarked looking at his face (small cut on his nose), and I thought I won. The fans knew it, and I brought the undefeated boxer to school. They saw a 43-year-old bring this boxer to school,” said Hopkins.
Hopkins would continue to fight for eight more years until he was fifty-one, winning the light heavyweight belt, so he didn’t cross the hill against Calzaghe.
In Calzaghe’s case, he will end his career in his next match at Madison Square Garden when he defeats former world champion Roy Jones, Jr., 52-4, who will go on to fight further. ten years from now.
“I can remember walking into Madison Square Garden thinking this would be my last fight,” Calzaghe said.
In the first round, Calzaghe would deliver punches after Jones countered him with a right until the final thirty seconds when Jones landed a powerful jab followed by a fist primarily with his forearm. at her side, let go of Calzaghe, who got up and went back to fighting with all his might. In the second inning, Calzaghe let Jones fend off unreturned punches. Calzaghe’s nose started bleeding towards the end of the round. In the third round, Calzaghe started flaunting, dropping punch after punch as Jones raised his hand, parrying some of those punches.
In the fourth and fifth innings, Calzaghe once again pitted Jones against the ropes for most of the time. In the sixth round, it was all Calzaghe until Jones landed smoothly with his chin in the final seconds of the round. Commentator Harold Lederman raised the score to 4-2 in the half for Calzaghe. In the seventh round, Jones, with his hands at his side, played well until he was slashed in the left eye by Calzaghe from a Calzaghe right hook.
In the eighth round, Jones started holding more. Calzaghe began moving forward with his sidearm (commentators say it was the first time Jones was cut in his career) using his superior hand speed to overwhelm Jones when making the cut. In the ninth inning, Jones continued to be upended by Calzaghe against the rope. Between rounds, Jones asked his angle if his left eye was closed.
Lederman raised the score to 7-2 in the final innings of the game.
In the tenth round, Jones kept moving forward with his arms raised, not allowing to let go. The cut clearly annoyed Jones with blood running down the side of his face.
In the eleventh inning, Calzaghe started to show when he let Jones back into a corner. Calzaghe began to separate Jones as he was fighting with his left eye closed. In the twelfth and final round, Calzaghe mid-round knocked Jones out a hard lead. At the last minute, Calzaghe began to brag, feeling that he had won the fight. Lederman had it 117-110.
The scores are Roth, Lederman and O’Connor, all 118-109 for Calzaghe with this writer being 117-110. It will be Calzaghe’s last game at the age of 36 due to an injured hand. He is improving his record to 46-0. He will be inducted into IBHOF 5 years later.
Revisiting Calzaghe’s first career in October 1996, he fought for his first title, winning the British crown in his fourteenth match stopping Stephon Wilson, 11-1 in eight innings. fight. In April 1996, in his only title defense, he defeated Mark Delaney 21-0 in five rounds.
In October 1997, Calzaghe won the vacant WBO World title by defeating Chris “Simply the Best” Eubank of Great Britain, 45-2-2, over 12 rounds.
“I was going to meet Steve Collins, who won 21-0 with 20 knockouts but Eubank was picked (by the WBO) instead. I know it’s a more dangerous fight because when he’s back against the ropes, he’s more dangerous,” Calzaghe said. He will defend the title 21 times. Some of the defeated were Juan Carlos Gimenez, 51-8-3, Robin Reid 26-1-1, Dave Starie, 22-1, Omar Sheika, 20-1, Richie Woodhall, 26-2, and Mario Veit, 30 -0.
In Calzaghe’s first game out of Great Britain, he stopped Will McIntyre, 29-2, of America in Copenhagen, Denmark. In his next bout, he defeated former IBF Super Middleweight champion from the US Charles “The Hatchet” Brewer, 37-8. In May 2005, in a rematch, but this time in Germany, he stopped Mario Veit, 45-1, in six rounds. In March 2006, in a unification match, he defeated IBF champion Jeff “Left Hook” Lacey 21-0.
In November 2007, in Calzaghe’s final match in the United Kingdom, he defeated Mikkel “Viking Warrior” Kessler of Denmark, 39-0, for the WBC and WBA titles, over 12 innings. fight. This has earned him WBO, IBF, WBA and WBC world titles. Next will be his victory over Hopkins and Jones.
When talking about his past, he said, “I lost my father in September 2018 and my mother six months later. When I was in school, I was asked by my teacher what I would do when I graduated and I told her I would be world champion.”
Calzaghe won 22-0 as he claimed the title and before the game against Eubanks, who said he would take him somewhere he had never been. Calzaghe said he was exhausted after four rounds. He was supposed to fight Steve Collins, but it was changed to Eubanks. The fight didn’t begin until almost midnight, and he fought with his father for hours.
Calzaghe’s dad always told him, “always train like you’re the challenger!” Calzaghe talks about being the underdog in his fight with Jeff Lacy. His father told him that he could hit him with one hand. Then he will go to America and fight the best. He knew his hands were in bad shape two weeks before the game and wanted to pause it but couldn’t. He is thirty-three years old and will eventually be recognized by the people in America.
Here’s a show with James English where Calzaghe talked about injecting his hand for a while. He had to start working at speed due to the pain from knocking people down. He talked about coming from a small club as an amateur and not being selected to try for the Olympics, and Robin Reid having to win a Bronze Medal.
Calzaghe talked about being rowdy in the third or fourth round against Mikkel Kessler, saying he was tough. He had to lose 36 pounds in the five weeks before the bout when he learned he had ended up in super middleweight.
Next came to America to fight Hopkins. At a press conference where Ricky Hatton took on Floyd Mayweather, Hopkins and his entourage said, “I don’t lose to a white boy,” and that was all he needed to cheer me up. . It was a great night winning that war. It’s annoying with him grabbing me all the time. It’s important to keep that zero. I didn’t think about money by going on and on. Even my kids ask when I will stop fighting.
Calzaghe knew Hopkins would go backwards but liked it when an opponent came up to him. Even though he was an old man by then, he had almost fifty times won the world title. He is faking low shots. Then there was the fight with Jones, and he cut corners like he skipped practice, knowing it would be his last fight despite not telling the press.
He knew it was time to quit. Financially, he knew he was secure. He talks about how his dad has always been his best friend. He knew after being hit with his forearm by Jones and knocked out; that will be his last fight. He talked about being truly blessed.
He talks about not focusing on the past and living in the present instead of the future and the past. Earlier, he talked about how Mickey Duff ripped him off going pro, giving him £300 to sign and £300 a week which he later learned was a loan that he didn’t pay. he has to pay it back. Then he signed with Frank Warren and that all changed. He said it’s important to exercise, eat well and not drink alcohol.
Who knows how many more games Calzaghe would have taken his 46-0 record without hands and without losing motivation to keep going.
