My partner in crime Tim summed up Joe Calzaghe’s victory over Bernard Hopkins in the previous two posts but I wanted to share some thoughts on the fight as well as some other fistic offerings this weekend. Calzaghe Un-masks The Executioner You knew that Calzaghe was the favorite to win but you have to admit that Hopkins had you thinking twice about laying money on the Welshmen. Still it was clear that Calzaghe’s hand speed would prove to be a very serious problem for the 43 year-old Hopkins and give Calzaghe credit for overcoming some rough patches early on in finding his rhythm. Some quick thoughts:
- I often liken Bernard Hopkins to the San Antonio Spurs and Detroit Pistons of the NBA, generally only purists get excited in watching them. Hopkins was never the most exciting fighter to watch. In fact you could make a claim that he is damn near unwatchable to the causal fight fan but the fact remains that the subtleties in his style are one of a kind. Hopkins has a bag of tricks that would leave Felix the cat envious and the trained eye could bare witness to a bevy of them Saturday night. From leading in with his head when shooting the straight right to the repeated low blows he snuck in while Joe Cortez’s line of sight was impaired, Hopkins displayed them all.
- Speaking of tricks…let’s be honest those “low blows” that Hopkins withered in pain from were simply a ploy to but time. I understand the pain associated with catching a punch in the nards can be quite excruciating but what we witnessed was an Oscar worthy performance from Hopkins to simply buy some time to catch his breath. I don’t doubt that he got hit there and that it probably hurt a lot but it was apparent that these breaks in the action were timed to disrupt Calzaghe’s rhythm.
- This in not to say that Hopkins was fighting “dirty” the whole night. Hopkins has exquisite skill and timing. The right hand that he dropped Calzaghe with in the first round was a thing of beauty. The way he feinted as if he were going for hold and then let go a laser accurate right hand when Calzaghe lowered his guard for a nanosecond was brilliant. Hopkins is the epitome of a classically trained fighter one that does not have to rely on pure athleticism to win but has the far less recognized mentality of a master in the sport. You could see his mind formulating various plans of attack against Calzaghe. Just a remarkable fighter.
- Credit to Calzaghe for eventually getting into his rhythm and taking the it up a notch when it was clear that Hopkins was getting gassed in the later rounds. Calzaghe has proven himself to all doubters time and time again and with this masterful performance the US media and fans should give the man his due credit. The man is sure fire Hall of Famer and possibly the greatest super middleweight of all time.
- It’s a shame that a fight of this magnitude was a box office bomb. Much like the movie Cinderella Man this fight had all the drama and historical relevance that you could ask for but because it lacked the blood and glossy story line failed miserably at the gate. I understand that the Planet Hollywood wanted to make a splash in the Las Vegas fight scene. It seems they banked to much on a multitude of British fight fans making the trip across the pond to spend their coveted pounds on some Vegas debauchery. Of course just because Calzaghe sells out 50,000 seat arenas in his native Wales does not mean his fans will travel to see him. After all for as popular Calzaghe is in the U.K. he is no Ricky Hatton because as the song reminds us, “there’s only one Ricky Hatton”. And only Hatton can elicit such fans to travel thousands of miles to another country to see him. I also hate to see that so many celebs where on hand to witness such a fight. Of course you know that they all just showed up for the main event missing some decent action on the undercard.
- Good God! Ray-J’s rendition of the National Anthem has to rank up there with one of the worst performances of all time right? I mean the list should look like this in order: Rosanne Barr, Carl Lewis, R-Kelly’s “step rendition” before Taylor-Hopkins II, and now Ray-J. I agree with Tim, Wales gets Tom Jones in all his tanned glory and we get a C-level star who clearly has been working with a backing track his whole career. I mean I could almost feel his PR people cringing as their eardrums bleed. This has to rank up there with his stint on Moesha and the Kim Kardashian sex tape (a disturbing video if only because he seems to be the only one enjoying himself) on the “Most Embarrassing Ray-J Moments”.
- So where do Calzaghe and Hopkins go from here? For Calzaghe there are probably a number of intriguing high profile matches that can be made including a possible showdown with Roy Jones in Wales. Such an event would be huge. For Hopkins, I would rather see him quit. What is there left to prove? You are already one of the greatest fighters in the modern era with a Scrooge McDuck level bank account. Sure you could make a rematch with Tito Trinidad but for what? Money? There first fight was a classic and there is no sense in sullying its memory with another fight at this stage of each fighters career.
Adamek Rings Bell’s Bell Kudos to ESPN Classic for showing this IBF cruiserweight eliminator from Poland. Not only was it a relevant scrap but we were treated to the British international feed commentators! A spot on cracking good time! As for the fight itself, despite Bell being accompanied to the ring with the dancers from Coming to America the Jamaican by way of Atlanta seemed disinterested in the fight and was clearing not in top form. Of course this is not to belittle the accomplishments of Adamek who looked as sharp as I have seen him. I will admit that I was never that high on the Polish fighter. He seemed to fight in that classic “European” stand-up style that American pugs feast on. Even after relocating to New Jersey to work on his skill he still seems a bit robotic in the ring. The new and improved Adamek still refuses to use any sort of head movement but he has added some subtle defensive skill to his arsenal that enabled him not to eat a flush Bell right hand. In fact the man eating right hands was Bell who was out classed from the opening bell. Though never really hurt Bell inexplicably quite on his stool at the end of the 7th. Just not a good outing for him at all. What’s Next: For Adamek it is a crack at IBF cruiserweight Steve Cunningham. That fight has action written all over it but unfortunately will probably end up back in Poland where the fighters would probably get more money. It’s a shame to Cunningham who is a good fighter that he cannot truly showcase his talents in his own country. For Bell, he needs to quit taking these year long hiatuses between fights. Ring rust was evident and it is no secret that his worst showings come after such periods of inactivity. Johnson Has Jab and A Mouth, Little Else In the various press releases and build up to heavyweight hopeful Kevin “The Kingpin” Johnson’s Friday Night Fight showcase against Terry Smith the loquacious pug would tell all within earshot that he was new and approved with a crowd pleasing new style. As you can imagine it was all lip service and Johnson’s showcase fight featured little in the way of sustained action and a lot in the way of jab, hold, and posture to the crowd. Johnson has a great jab, in fact it is one of the finest jabs in all the land, but his lack of pop makes him an unwelcome commodity with fight fans and network execs. Sure Ali fought – and talked – in similar fashion but then again he was THE GREATEST! Also let us not forget that Ali has some decent power when he sat down on his punches. Johnson not so much. But perhaps the most frustrating thing is that you want Johnson to succeed in this division. His personality would bring a lot to the tepid waters of the division and his boxing skills are top notch. He just seems to compensate for his lack of one punch excitement by constantly clowning and talking in the ring. I like to say that you have to earn the right to do such antics in the ring and Johnson’s resume in no way qualifies him to carry on like that. After all, Johnson was fighting limited opposition until recently and should very well have more then six knockout victories to his credit. All in all against Smith he had his moment to shine and instead he bored viewers to tears.
