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Joe Calzaghe <Joe-Calzaghe-Boxer>

	Calvaghe vs. Bernard Hopkins Confirmed For Las Vegas, April 19th	Il y a 670 jours
	Joe Calzaghe's super-fight with Bernard Hopkins will take place in Las Vegas on 19 April, it has been confirmed. The non-title bout will see undisputed super-middleweight champion Calzaghe, 35, step up to light-heavyweight and fight in America for the first time. Hopkins, 43, is widely regarded as the best in the world at the 175lb limit. "This is a dream come true. People always ask me 'when are you going to America?' and now they've got their answer," said Calzaghe. "I won't be taking Hopkins lightly, but I believe I have the tools to beat him." The fighters, who will meet at the Thomas and Mack Centre, squared up in Vegas last month at the weigh-in for the Ricky Hatton versus Floyd Mayweather contest. Pound-for-pound great Hopkins said he "would never let a white boy beat me" as he tried to taunt 10-year champion Calzaghe, who laughed off his boasts. Calzaghe said the atmosphere generated by the many thousands of Hatton fans in Las Vegas persuaded him to seek a debut fight on American soil. "I owe to the fans and myself to have at least one fight in America before I retire," Calzaghe told BBC Sport. "That's the only thing missing from my record. I've been wondering for years if it would happen and finally it is going to happen. "I've taken a big leap and I'm looking forward to going there. I wouldn't take this big leap if I didn't think 100% in my heart I would win the fight." Calzaghe's promoter Frank Warren last week confirmed the deal had been done to bring his man and Hopkins together. "It's taken a lot of hard work but I'm delighted that we have a deal," said Warren at a media conference to announce the date and venue for the fight on Wednesday. "I've always wanted Joe to fight Hopkins, because I believe he has the beating of him. "We've seen in the past how many British fight fans have gone to America to see fights involving our guys, and I'm sure people will go in their thousands again." New York had been suggested as a host city, with Yankee Stadium and Madison Square Garden mooted as venues. But the extra glitz and capacity offered by the super-hotels and casinos of Las Vegas has won the day. Newbridge-born Calzaghe has long been after a super-fight against former middleweight king Hopkins. The Welshman has won all of his 44 fights, with 32 knockouts, and in his last outing he beat Mikkel Kessler to add the WBC and WBA titles to his WBO belt. Hopkins, known as 'The Executioner', has a record of 48 wins, four defeats and one draw, and is one of only seven men (including Calzaghe) to have held world titles for 10 years. The American's last two fights have been at light-heavyweight, where he secured unanimous points victories over Ronald Wright (July 2007) and Antonio Tarver (June 2006). All of Calzaghe's fights have been at super-middleweight, but he believes the extra weight will benefit rather than hinder him. "My biggest strength is my speed and I don't believe that will be blunted," said the 2007 BBC Sports Personality of the Year. "Even at 12st 7lb (light-heavyweight limit) I'll be struggling to get down to that weight - 12st (super-middleweight limit) only takes away my strength and punching power. "So I believe the extra seven pounds will add to my strength and punching power. It's not a case of building up to light-heavyweight, it's just a case of not killing myself so much."
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	Calzaghe vs. Jermain Taylor is possible	Il y a 712 jours
	Former world middleweight champion Jermain Taylor is the latest name to show interest in facing Joe Calzaghe, the world super-middleweight champion. Taylor lost his WBO and WBC belts to Kelly Pavlik in September, but has a non-title rematch at super-middleweight in Las Vegas in February. His promoter Lou DiBella says the Welshman would be next on his wishlist. "It's hard to look past this fight but, knowing Jermain, if he wins, Joe would be the fight he wants," said DiBella. "If he succeeds in this rematch I would be very surprised if he didn't say 'Go pursue Calzaghe'," said the promoter. "At this point in time I think anyone who knows boxing knows that the second best fighter in the world is Calzaghe and that's only because Floyd Mayweather is out there. "I think Calzaghe has had a tremendous year and has stamped his status as one of the great super-middleweights of all time. I'm not confident that the Hopkins fight will happen because I'm not confident they can make a business deal with Bernard Taylor's promoter Lou DiBella "So if I know Jermain and he beats Pavlik, that's where he sends me looking." Calzaghe's preferred option for 2008 remains a showdown with Bernard Hopkins at light-heavyweight, with the Welshman's promoter claiming that a deal is very close to being made. Ronald 'Winky' Wright is also keen to face Calzaghe, the newly crowned BBC Sports Personality of the Year, and DiBella's comments will only boost Warren's hand at the negotiating table. "I'm not confident that [the Hopkins] fight will happen because I'm not confident they can make a business deal with Bernard," said DiBella, who helped develop Hopkins as a fighter before an acrimonious parting of the ways. "But I don't even think it's competitive. That's no disrespect to Hopkins who was one of the great fighters of all time, but I just don't see Calzaghe losing to a 43-year-old man who can't punch. "I think Hopkins can frustrate him and maybe win a few rounds, but Calzaghe has too much and is too young."
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	Calzaghe v Hopkins - Possible in 2008.	Il y a 714 jours
	Promoter Frank Warren says there is no reason why new BBC Sports Personality of the Year Joe Calzaghe should not fight American Bernard Hopkins in 2008. Undisputed super-middleweight champion Calzaghe, 35, says he is ready to step up to light-heavy to face Hopkins. "Both boxers want the fight, I want the fight, the fans want the fight and HBO want the fight, so there's no reason for it not to happen," said Warren. "I'll be sitting down with Joe this week to discuss things." Calzaghe has been in Las Vegas to support Ricky Hatton as the Manchester fighter lost in the tenth round to Floyd Mayweather on Saturday. Welshman Calzaghe was involved in a slanging match with Hopkins at the MGM Grand last week after they went head-to-head at the weigh-in for Hatton v Mayweather. "Coming face-to-face with Hopkins over the weekend made me want the fight even more," said Calzaghe. "I'll go to America and take the fight, no problem at all. Bernard's a great fighter, but he's not as good as me. "2007 has been a fantastic year for me, what with beating Kessler and then winning the BBC award on Sunday night. "I've got my fingers crossed that 2008 will be even better, with a fight against Hopkins, and a win that will finally show everyone in America that I deserve all the praise I get."
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	Hopkins taunts 'white' Calzaghe	Il y a 717 jours
	American Bernard Hopkins insisted he "would never lose to a white person" when he came face-to-face with Joe Calzaghe in Las Vegas on Friday. Calzaghe, 35, beat Mikkel Kessler to become undisputed super-middleweight champion last month and is keen to fight Hopkins, 42, next year. And the pair almost came to blows at the MGM Grand ahead of Ricky Hatton and Floyd Mayweather's weigh-in. "I would never let me a white boy beat me," Hopkins said five times. "You can print that. I would never lose to a white person. He said on record that he's going to take the fight and that's all you need to hear. "I haven't ducked nobody in my career, my credibility is intact. Kessler is not in my league, man. Who is Kessler? You think Kessler was a true warrior?" Calzaghe and Hopkins caused such a commotion in the MGM Grand media centre that former world heavyweight champion Lennox Lewis broke off an interview nearby to listen, as dozens of journalists circled the pair. "He ducked me four years ago," said Welshman Calzaghe. "He thinks he's a legend but he lost to Jermain Taylor twice and, believe me, he will lose to me. "He will not beat me throwing 12 punches a round. I throw 1,000 punches a fight. He'll get his arse kicked, full stop. "I'm undefeated for 17 years - look at his face and look at mine. He's all mouth. When he fights he doesn't fight, he holds. "He's 42 and can't throw the punches like me, and if we do fight he's going to get beat." Former middleweight king Hopkins, now campaigning at light-heavy, has a career record of 48 wins, four losses and a draw from 54 fights. Promoter Frank Warren confirmed an offer had been made to Hopkins and he was awaiting a reply. He said: "We know Bernard wants the fight in America and we're happy with that. We've made him a good offer and we'll make it happen."
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	Calzaghe-Woods talks 'under way'	Il y a 729 jours
	Clinton Woods says talks have opened over a British super-fight between himself and Joe Calzaghe in 2008. Sheffield's Woods, the IBF light-heavyweight champion, said he would be ready for a match in March. "There's been talks and money's been offered. I could be ready in March or April," Woods told BBC Sport. "I'd be a massive underdog, but I'd fancy my chances against him. And for the British public, it's far bigger than Calzaghe against Bernard Hopkins." Calzaghe's promoter Frank Warren told PA Sport it was too soon after the Welshman's victory over Mikkel Kessler to say who he will fight next. "That fight was only a few weeks ago and I haven't had chance to sit down with Joe yet," he said. "There have been some preliminary talks (with Woods' camp) but there's nothing at the moment." Undisputed super-middleweight champion Calzaghe, 35, targeted American legend Hopkins following his victory over Dane Kessler earlier this month. Warren apparently opened talks with Hopkins' representatives, Golden Boy Promotions, over a possible match in New York in the spring. But Hopkins, a notoriously tough negotiator, has been told by his trainer to forget about a fight with Calzaghe and instead seek a rematch with old rival Roy Jones Jr. Fellow American Jones Jr beat Hopkins at middleweight in 1993 before the latter embarked on a 12-year unbeaten run in that division. And Woods added: "Calzaghe's not going to prove anything by beating a 42-year-old Hopkins. "The British public aren't worried about the Hopkins fight. He lost two against Jermain Taylor [in 2005], who's just been beaten by Kelly Pavlik. "I think Roy Jones would be a better fight for Hopkins because there's still a bit of needle between them. I still think Roy Jones is a force to be reckoned with, in his last two fights he's looked very good." However Woods, who has made four defences of his IBF belt, is aware that a clash with Calzaghe is far from being set in stone, especially as the Welshman allegedly turned down an offer to fight Woods last year. "There are negotiations going on between [Woods' promoter] Dennis Hobson and Frank Warren for the Calzaghe fight. "But I don't really listen to what they're saying until I know for definite. You know boxing - it's on, it's off, it's on, it's off again, so I'm just waiting for them to finally set a date. "I need to improve 20-30% from the last fight [a unanimous points win over Julio Cesar Gonzalez in September], but I know I can beat him. I wouldn't fight him if I didn't know I can beat him. "Financially I'm all right but I just want to fight the best. We're both 35 and he wants to win a light-heavyweight title. "I don't know how many fights I'm going to have before I retire, but I feel fresh as a daisy. I've started running and I'm not even a stone above my weight." Woods added that he is likely to fight WBC light-heavyweight champion Chad Dawson if a fight with Calzaghe does not come off.
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	Hopkins advised to snub Calzaghe......TWATS	Il y a 729 jours
	American great Bernard Hopkins has been told to ignore the challenge of Joe Calzaghe in favour of settling an old score with Roy Jones Jr. Hopkins lost a middleweight fight with Jones in 1993 before embarking on a 12-year unbeaten run in that division. His trainer, Nazim Richardson, ideally wants the 43-year-old to retire, but he says a re-match with Jones would mean more than a clash with Calzaghe. "It's the fight which the US would prefer to see," said Richardson. "Bernard has accomplished everything he needs to accomplish in this sport and I have been telling him for a long time that he should stop fighting. "But I can see why a fight against Roy Jones would mean so much to him. It is all about settling the score after their fight in 1993." Hopkins has already vowed to give Calzaghe a "free facelift" if a proposed fight goes ahead at light-heavyweight next year. Undefeated Welshman Calzaghe, 35, called out Hopkins after beating Mikkel Kessler in Cardiff earlier this month to become the undisputed world super-middleweight champion. Calzaghe's promoter Frank Warren has already opened talks with Hopkins' representatives, Golden Boy Promotions, over a possible super-fight across the Atlantic in the spring. The notoriously tough negotiator Hopkins has already ruled out coming to Britain to fight, and cited New York's Yankee Stadium as his venue of choice. "Bernard does not see any reason why he should travel to Calzaghe's back yard," added Richardson, who has been training Hopkins for the past two years. "He is the great fighter and he has earned the right over the years to make his choice. "Calzaghe is a good fighter but there is a big difference between the two of them. "Everyone built up Kessler but who had he really beaten? Where are the living legends on Calzaghe's record? "The mark of an all-time great fighter is the fights he has had against other living legends. Bernard has fought Jones and beaten Felix Trinidad and Oscar De La Hoya. He is a class apart." THE FUCKING WANKERS! THEY SAY CALZAGHE ISNT GOOD BECAUSE HE HASNT FOUGHT ANY LEGENDS, THATS BULLSHIT, AND THE REASON HE HASNT FOUGHT ANY 'YANKEE LEGENDS' IS BECAUSE THEY ARE TO SCARED OF HIM, FUCKING HYPOCRITS. THEY ARE SCARED
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	Hopkins Ready for Calzaghe	Il y a 743 jours
	America's Bernard Hopkins says fighting Britain's undisputed super-middleweight world champion Joe Calzaghe could be the crowning moment of his career. But the 42-year-old, who defended the world middleweight title 20 times, is wary of the Welshman's pedigree. Hopkins, now a light-heavyweight, said: "Of all the things I have accomplished, that would be a profound testimony to the legacy I will leave behind. "But I will be 43 for a fight against a man who has dominated for many years." Calzaghe defeated Denmark's Mikkel Kessler on points on Saturday night in Cardiff to tie up the super-middleweight division and immediately issued a challenge to Hopkins at light heavyweight. But the former undisputed world middleweight champion has been accused of running scared by Calzaghe's promoter Frank Warren. However, Hopkins and his team are eager for the fight to take place and even have a venue in mind. "Whether they are serious or not, days will tell," he continued. I'll go to Las Vegas or Madison Square and sort him out Joe Calzaghe "Richard Schaefer (CEO of Golden Boy Promotions) is in casual negotiations with them. "Hopefully it will land at Yankee Stadium which will close after 2008," he added talking about New York's iconic baseball park which is due to be torn down and replaced. "I would like to walk through history's footsteps, Joe Louis and Sugar Ray Robinson (two champions who fought at the stadium). "It's risky all around the board for everyone - that's what's kept boxing alive for over one hundred years." Meanwhile, Calzaghe has continued to goad Hopkins about their proposed super fight. "He claims to be a legend but to be a legend you have to beat the top fighters - who has he beaten?" questioned the 35-year-old Welshman. Calzaghe believes Antonio Tarver was "over the hill" when he met Hopkins and said his other opponents, such as Oscar De La Hoya and Felix Trinidad were "little men". "He should fight a proper fighter who will fight back," he continued. "I'm happy to go over there (to America) to fight him. I'll go to Las Vegas or Madison Square and sort him out." Hopkins pulled out of a 2003 fight with Calzaghe after rumours he increased his purse demands at the 11th hour.
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	Warren Cools Heat Over Possible Hopkins Fight	Il y a 748 jours
	Hopkins said he would "love" to fight Calzaghe following the Welshman's defeat of Mikkel Kessler on Sunday. But Warren suggested Hopkins, 42, would rather not face Calzaghe, 35, even in the United States, because he might be scared of losing. "Hopkins knows he will be beaten by Joe. That's why I feel that it will be a struggle to get him," said Warren. Warren added that he had came close to securing a fight with the former middleweight king before, but that the fight had fallen through because of Hopkins' purse demands. "We did a deal with Bernard Hopkins. It took us 30 minutes to do the deal five or six years ago," said Warren. It would be a tough challenge but, listen, Hopkins is 42 - it's a tough challenge for him Joe Calzaghe "We agreed terms, the lawyers were on the telephone, everything's done. Twenty-four hours later Hopkins demanded double the amount of money." Warren called on American network HBO to force Hopkins to take the Calzaghe fight rather than a proposed rematch with Winky Wright, the fighter he beat on points in July. "We talked our heads off yesterday and the ball's in his court," Warren said. "But I'm not going to push his name any more. What has he got in front of him? He has a rematch with Winky Wright which I'm sure the people who make Prozac and Mogadon will be queuing up to sponsor. "Bernard keeps saying what a big name he is but is he a big name fighter? Let's get the fight on and we will do it in the States but it's about Joe getting well paid." Meanwhile, Hopkins insisted he would "love" to fight Joe Calzaghe but that the bout would have to be in the USA. "I have no interest in going there. He has to bring his butt here to fight the living legend Bernard Hopkins," said the consensus light heavyweight king. "I think he understands now and Frank Warren understands that he needs that final stamp of approval from the American boxing writers and the fans. "He doesn't have that name of that elite opponent from America on his resumé. "Bernard Hopkins is the guy that Calzaghe and Frank Warren believe they have to defeat to get that stamp of approval over here in America." On Monday, Calzaghe said he was happy to fight Hopkins wherever the Philadelphian wanted. "It may mean me going to somewhere like Madison Square Garden," the Newbridge man told BBC Sport. "That would be a fantastic way to end my career. "It would be a tough challenge but, listen, Hopkins is 42 - it's a tough challenge for him. I've just proved to everybody, even at this stage of my career, I'm still at my peak. "I had to be at my peak to beat Mikkel Kessler. He's 28, a tremendous fighter, world champion, and after six or seven rounds I was pulling away with the fight. "I was the one who was fittest at the end. That's testimony to my fitness and my dedication to the sport."
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	Calzaghe vs. Kessler, The Fight	Il y a 750 jours
	The Dane had learnt from his opponent’s previous big fights and refused to be immediately drawn into the sort of slug-fest where Calzaghe’s hand speed would be untouchable. Instead, he stepped back, waiting for the Welshman to leap in before picking him off with a straight, technically sound style. Every ram-rod shot from the 28-year-old sent perspiration flying from Calzaghe’s body, the thud producing winces from those at ringside. When Calzaghe finally got going with a trademark flurry of punches in the second, the young lion showed the speed to compete, and the power to drive back his swarming opponent. The site of their champion in retreat had stunned the 50,000 Cardiff crowd, and when Calzaghe tried again in the fourth the Dane threw a devastating right uppercut into the mix, jerking back Calzaghe’s head and draining his momentum. So how does an ageing 35-year-old react? Well, if you’re an undefeated, 10-year world champion who has not tasted defeat since a dodgy amateur decision in Prague in 1990, you look deep within yourself and find a way to win. "Enzo Calzaghe trains us to fight what's in front of us and adapt on the night," said Joe's stablemate Enzo Maccarinelli after his win earlier in the night. Calzaghe came out for the fifth peppering his opponent with the southpaw jab that gradually began to close Kessler’s left eye. But as the Millennium Stadium crowd began to regain confidence in their fighter, Kessler rammed two more huge rights into the Welshman’s face to claim the seventh round. Again Calzaghe looked to himself, and again he produced the subtle switch in tactics to confound his foe. Whilst sticking to the jab, the Welshman also began to target the body, and the variety, speed and work-rate finally proved the key to unlocking Kessler. “I trained for 12 rounds, but when he hit me in the stomach in the eighth it took my breath away,” said the Dane. “I didn’t want to go on, he has crushed my dreams.” Kessler did battle on, showing the heart of a champion and mustering a sustained 12th-round onslaught, but Calzaghe’s always-faultless preparation left him with the strength to see the job through. This was not the flawless, sustained genius of Calzaghe’s performance against Jeff Lacy, nor the wild excitement of the Byron Mitchell fight. But to produce such a combination of guts, boxing nous and skill at the age of 35 makes this Calzaghe’s defining moment as a champion.
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	Calzaghe planning 168lb farewell	Il y a 845 jours
	Joe Calzaghe says his unification bout with Mikkel Kessler on 3 November will be his last at super middleweight. The 35-year-old WBO title holder says beating Kessler, the Danish WBA and WBC champion, would leave the Welshman without further challenges at 168lbs. "This will be my last fight at super middleweight," Calzaghe told BBC Wales. "Win against Kessler and I'd have all the belts and I'd have beaten the best fighter out there, so what else could I achieve at super middleweight?" Victory against Kessler, in his prime at 28 and like Calzaghe undefeated, is by no means a certainty. But the Newbridge southpaw has no doubt he will emerge victorious, secure his place among the finest light middleweights in boxing history and then go hunting the likes of Bernard Hopkins at light heavy.
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