Fight breakdown: Hopkins-Calzaghe
LAS VEGAS – Bernard Hopkins, the universally recognized light heavyweight champion, meets unbeaten super middleweight champion Joe Calzaghe Saturday at the Thomas & Mack Center for supremacy at 175 pounds. Here is what each man must do to win:
Keys to victory | ||
HOPKINS' KEYS | CALZAGHE'S KEYS | |
1. Slow the pace:Hopkins can't let Calzaghe get off 80 punches a round, so he needs to keep the fight at a measured pace. | 1. Distance: Calzaghe needs to create distance so he can get off his punches and not be smothered by Hopkins. | |
2. Attack the body:Calzaghe tends to stand square to his target with his hands high, leaving his body vulnerable. Hopkins needs to take advantage by working over Super Joe's midsection. | 2. Use the left: Calzaghe has to remember to finish his combinations with a powerful left at the end of them. | |
3. Physical fight: Hopkins is one of the game's most physical fighters and should make certain to keep that up against Calzaghe. | 3. Up the middle: As Hopkins moves in to clinch him, Calzaghe should take a half-step to his right and throw a left uppercut up the middle. | |
4. Await the charge: Calzaghe is most effective when his opponent is moving forward. Hopkins should not arbitrarily move into Calzaghe's punching range, but should force Calzaghe to initiate. | 4. Finish strong:Hopkins will undoubtedly try to 'steal' rounds by flurrying in the last 20-30 seconds. Calzaghe needs to be ready for this and to combat it with flurries of his own. | |
Rating the fighters Comparison of Bernard "The Executioner" and "Super" Joe Calzaghe on a rating of 1 to 10 in several categories: | ||||||
CATEGORY | HOPKINS | CALZAGHE | IOLE’S SKINNY | |||
Punching power | 9 | 9 | Neither has one-punch power, but each does damage when they land a good shot. | |||
Jab | 8 | 9 | Hopkins uses his jab mostly as a range-finder. | |||
Body attack | 10 | 8 | Hopkins is a punishing body puncher. | |||
Speed and | 7 | 9 | Calzaghe is exceptionally fast-handed for a guy his size. | |||
Defense | 10 | 8 | Opponents throw and land far fewer punches against Hopkins than they do against other men. | |||
Chin | 10 | 8 | Hopkins has never been stopped. | |||
Stamina | 9 | 10 | Calzaghe can throw a high-volume of punches and still be fresh. | |||
Ring smarts | 10 | 10 | Hopkins is one of the most crafty fighters ever. | |||
Corner | 9 | 10 | Hopkins has an all-star cast, but Calzaghe and his father, Enzo, have been together all their lives and work seamlessly. | |||
Intangibles | 8 | 10 | It's the biggest fight of Calzaghe's career, but it's not the biggest of Hopkins'. | |||
Total | 90 | 91 | The result will hinge on Hopkins' ability to neutralize Calzaghe's two-fisted attack. Calzaghe is younger and quicker and should be able to throw enough punches to win a close decision. But it will be so close that the loser undoubtedly will complain of being robbed. | |||