Assuming Joe beats Mikkel Kessler of course. That said, if Calzaghe saw this fight, I think he'd be itching to get in the ring with Hopkins. I think he'd beat him pretty bad right now.
LET SEE IT THEN!!!! :bears: **IMO Hopkins will always find a way to beat his opponents...but Hopkins if he continue boxing(hope not ZZZZzzz) should not sit idle for another 8-9 months till the Calzaghe fight happens...should have an easy fight then the Winner of Claslappy vs. Kessler...
dsimon writes: I havent thought about it completely but a couple of things occur to me: 1) Calzighe is not much younger than Hopkins 2) Who has Joe fought that can fight to the body? Hopkins may be the best inside fighter around. 3) What other basis is there for saying Calzighe would beat Bernard?
I'd pick Calzaghe, no doubt. Hopkins wouldn't move Calzaghe around like he did move Wright and Calzaghe punches harder and faster, he's also bigger and taller. I'm confident he'd win. Even though he won, I don't think Hopkins looked that good tonight.
Calzaghe would alway's rape Hopkins at any time of his career. Say what you want about Calzaghe,but he trully is/was one of Boxings most wasted talent's. The guy had every tool to be one of the greats,but pissed it all away by lack of desire to fight the best. Sort of in the same way Jones did.
Its definitely very possible. But I do think Joe's hand speed, footwork, and experience are something Kessler might not be ready for.
Kessler has shown the ability to adapt to a range of different styles better than Calzaghe ever has,.. if Calzaghe meets an uncompliant style, he makes it a rough, gruelling affair like he did against Bika and Salem, during of which he doesn't look anything like a p4p fighter or a world champion,..Kessler on the other hand, has barely ever lost a round, has fought near equal the competition,...and has taken on stink to the proportions of Anthony Mundine, who does that illegal shoulder-roll shit, and possesses quicker hands than Calzaghe. I truelly think it's Calzaghe, who will be the one, that can't adapt to Kessler.
Calzaghe EASILY Decisions the BHop that REED Saw Tonight...He Won't STOP him & Will BARELY Hurt him,but Calzaghe is MUCH Faster than the BHop that REED Saw Tonight...Calzaghe Wins an 8-4,9-3 Decision... Perhaps it was Winky's Style,but BHop Looked WORSE Tonight than he Did vs Taylor,N REED's Opinion... REED
I thought Winky gave every chances to Hopkins to look good. He brought the fight to him. Hopkins tied a lot.
Calzaghe will win, but not easily. Hopkins is an old man...but still crafty. Winky Matches up better with Calzaghe at the moment, I think the Wink takes him but loses the decision.
dsimon writes: I see where you are going with this... I think. I agree with the caveate: from the outside. But in the trenches (the inside game) Hopkins has finess and strength that neither Winky not Calzighe possess. Joe as far as I can see has never really been beat up like Hopkins does in the trenches... Even when he had a gut check and had to come up big with a KO (forget the opponent) it was against pressure from the outside. You have to think in three dimensions Sly, Hop's inside fighting changes Joe's outside game considerably. Joe never gets off any combos and is malled. Now keep in mind Sly I am also using your logic: I agree that from most vantage points Winky matches up better against Joe. And look at how Hopkins handled Winky? Same sort of fight really. Hopkins has broken down virtually all his opponents this way. He had Taylor broken down and Taylor is physically strong as fuck. Joe gets broken the same way, no doubt in my mind. If these two fight I am betting a bit because I am calling it for the old man from Philly.
The pace Sloppy Joe fights it will be too much for old man Hop to handle. Bernard will simply get outworked, and beat to the punch. The Hopkins of 6 years would have beat the shit outta Joe, but not now.
i'm picking Joe, but not for that argument. Hopkins, like Floyd and Roy...DICTATES the pace of his fights. People argued that Winky would outwork Bernard, with the exact same "logic" but look what happened: Bernard still won.
That's because they underestimated how well Hopkins uses angles, and other tactics, to decrease opponent's work-rate. Wright's too predictable coming forward...plus he's never had great hand speed.
Not only is Calzaghe bigger and stronger than anyone Hopkins has fought....but Calzaghe will offer 12 rounds of sustained attacks...there will be no breather. I can't see Hopkins keeping Calzaghe off him for that long....i'd almost be inclined to pick a late stoppage win for Calzaghe. I hope the fight happens for Joe's sake....if he can add Kessler to Lacy, then he has beaten the 168 young contenders/pretenders....but Hopkins will be the p4p fighter and the legend that Calzaghe will need to cement his legacy as perhaps the best european fighter of his generation
VERY Astute Point,Brother Sly... The STORY of the Fight is that Bernard THREW as Many Punches as Winky did... The Last Few Years,Winky has Been a VOLUME Puncher,but Bernard MATCHED his Volume,According to Punchstats... REED
Lets not forget that for every 10 punches Calslappy throws....8 of them are slaps..He won't keep Hopkins on the ropes or in a corner with those pitty slaps he was throwing against Manfredo.... I say Hopkins takes him....
Fuck that white penis tongued raven,..everybodies saying "Calzaghe Calzaghe Calzaghe"..little does your racist suction of a skull realise, Kessler is going to slam the lid down on Joe's toy chest, and incribit his dark career which is scruffled deep with spurious artifacts. Hopkins is quite good at fighting fellow OLD grizzled, nibble legged stewskipping brackish hybrids, similar to the way Tarver carefully selected his short-shrivelled reign, but if you want to see one fighter bug-eyed ugly and propensly frightenned of another the way Fraud - Margarito went, watch the tale of Hopkins reactions when someone sayz the name Chad Dawson, u wench :nono: .
