Apr

17

Bernard Hopkins - Joe Calzaghe

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Bernard Hopkins After being handed a cane (a “gift” from Enzo Calzaghe)…: I’m going to find something to do with it. Something Kinky. This is going to be my third assassination of a southpaw in the last year and a half. There is nothing for me to hype. Even my worst critics have to bow down and admit that I’m in great shape. The times have changes where 43 is not what it used to be. I don’t have days off. I don’t do anything to my temple—my body—that’s why I’m here. It comes from discipline that I got from a dark place 20 years ago.

Being an underdog, that’s not a negative to me. That’s a positive. Everything I have I had to fight for. I was just handling my business and I’m watching the Calzaghe-Kessler fight. And after he wins, what does he say? “I want to fight Bernard Hopkins.” So I put my teeth in, I rocked back in my rocking chair, took a pop of Geritol, and I call Richard Schaeffer and told him to make it happen..

Joe is not a spring chicken. I’m already a senior citizen. He’s knocking on the door.

I’ll be able to show the world how I’ll be missed when I leave the sport. You’re going to see this athlete and man. It’s going to be an eye opener. And every time I’m not supposed to win I step up.

The competition that American and British fighters face is night and day. They get the residue of U.S. fighters.

I’m up for this fight for a lot of personal reasons. For me it’s a cultural fight.

If he throws 1000 punches he’s opening himself up to get hit 1000 times.

Joe Calzaghe

It’s my 11th year as world champion and I finally have arrived in America. Bernard was champion for nearly 11 years. I’m tremendously confident for this fight.

Bernard has never been stopped and that’s something that I think I can do.

I have no respect for my elders come this Saturday night.

I want to be the first person to knock him out and to put him into retirement.

I’m going to cut 1000 punches down to 500 or 600 punches and make them more powerful and punish him.

If I bring my A-game against anyone in the world I win. All I have to do is bring my best.

Bernard had to go to prison to be hard. To me that’s a sign of weakness. I don’t have to go to prison to be hard. He’s been to prison, big deal. In the end you’re going to see a grown man cry.

When I walk in the ring I’m going to be the home fighter…with the support from my fans.

Nazim Richardson

Saturday night you’re going to see a great performance. Bernard is a legend and he’s going to do what legends do.

With the assistant of Mackie (Shilstone) and Freddie (Roach) I was able to sit back and observe Bernard Hopkins. And there are no kinks in his armor.

With all Bernard’s fights you see his punches land. You have seen guys labeled champions, and after they fight Bernard they have never fought the same way.

Live Streaming of Hopkins/Calzaghe Weigh-In on HBO.com

April 16, 2008 – Boxing fans with broadband access can log on to hbo.com/boxing to view live streaming of the Bernard Hopkins – Joe Calzaghe mega-fight weigh-in This Friday! April 18, at 5:30 p.m. ET/ 2:30 p.m. PT. The two accomplished superstars are facing off in the light heavyweight division in one of the year’s most intriguing showdowns.

The live fight takes place on Saturday, April 19 from the Thomas and Mack Center in Las Vegas and will be seen live on HBO at 9:45 p.m. ET/ 6:45 p.m. PT.

The official fight headquarters for boxing fans all week long is hbo.com/boxing where fans can log on for fighter records, bios, exclusives features and profiles, updates and photos from fight week in Las Vegas, podcasts and a host of interactive features

JOE CALZAGHE, boxing’s current longest-reigning world champion, greeted hundreds of fans and media at his grand arrival at Planet Hollywood Resort & Casino in Las Vegas today.

Calzaghe (44-0, 32 KOs), from Newbridge, Wales, the super middleweight champion since October 11, 1997, has successfully defended his title a division-record 21 consecutive times, fourth-best on boxing’s all time list. The only super middleweight champion to have held every major belt, Calzaghe makes his U.S. and light heavyweight debut this Saturday when he challenges Philadelphia’s Bernard Hopkins (48-4-1, 32 KOs), for Hopkins title in a rare battle of The Ring magazine champions..

* “I feel great. I’m 100% confident that I will win on Saturday night. If you compare our records you will see that I have faced better opposition than Hopkins. They have been faster, stronger and younger. I’m getting older and beating younger undefeated champions including Jeff Lacy who held the IBF and IBO titles and Mikkel Kessler who held the WBC and WBA titles when I beat them.”

* “Hopkins will need a respirator if he tries to keep up with me. He talks a bigger game than he fights. He’s a Saint Bernard — all bark and no bite. All of his blathering sounds like he’s trying to convince himself he can beat me, not head games or intimidation. He’ll be leaving the ring with his tail between his legs after I’ve put him through his paces.”

* “Hopkins likes to fancy himself a legend. What kind of legend has four losses and a draw on his record? My title reign is longer than his. I’ve had more successful title defenses. I’m tied for fourth place on the all-time list for title defenses. I dropped him from the top-five forever. I’ve already passed him by. His career is in my rearview mirror. My last two fights each broke European indoor records, with my last event attracting over 50,000 fans! Hopkins couldn’t even pull in 20% of that the last time he fought in Philadelphia, his hometown! He’s not a legend, he’s a B-Side fighter who depends on big name opponents to attract fans to his fights…Trinidad, De La Hoya and me. He should have B-SIDE not B-HOP on the waistband of his trunks.”

* “Hopkins has been able to hand-pick his latest opponents. He took Winky Wright up 10 pounds over his fighting weight and pushed him around. He knew Tarver’s best days were behind him when he challenged him. Before that he lost two straight to Jermain Taylor, a guy who doesn’t even like to fight. What does that tell you? When he fights me, it will be against a younger and more experienced opponent.”

* “I’ve been asked if I’m concerned about his dirty tactics. That’s the easy part. All I need to do is use my speed and my ring intelligence to counter those tactics. The real question for me is, ‘will Hopkins fight?’ I’m coming out to the middle of the ring, I won’t be running a marathon around the ring over 12 rounds. Will he?”

* “We do have similarities in our careers. Despite world title reigns that have lasted longer than most careers, it took a career-defining victory to break through with media and boxing fans outside our borders for international recognition. For Hopkins, it was his victory over Felix Trinidad and for me it was my shellacking of Jeff Lacy. After those victories, things took off for us. I have been a lot more comfortable and relaxed since the Lacy fight.”

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