B. Hopkins still bitter after close loss to Calzaghe

[url]http://sports.yahoo.com/box/news;_ylt=AjjMZUPEtvXBK7qzo2e4.QaUxLYF?slug=txcalz aghehopkins&prov=st&type=lgns[/url]

Hopkins bitter after loss
Apr 20, 11:06 am EDT

LAS VEGAS (Ticker) - Joe Calzaghe battled his way back from a
first-round knockdown to win a split decision over Bernard Hopkins at
the Thomas & Mack Center, but the final bell did not spell the end of
a fight week full of acrimony.

Hopkins fiercely protested the 116-111, 115-112, 113-114 verdict in
favor of the Welshman, who had been sent to the canvas from a jolting
right hand and struggled to combat the 43-year-old in the early
rounds.

With the victory, Calzaghe stretched his unbeaten professional record
to 45 fights and assumed the position of the world’s number one
light-heavyweight in his debut at the weight. But it was a coronation
bitterly opposed by Hopkins.

“I believe I won the fight,” Hopkins said. “I know questions will be
asked and it was close. But when all is said and done history will
reflect well on Bernard Hopkins. I got beaten tonight but it wasn’t by
Joe Calzaghe.”

Perhaps it was not quite the conclusive style in which Calzaghe
dreamed of winning his first fight in Las Vegas in front of a phalanx
of A-list celebrities and almost 10,000 roaring Welsh supporters.

But Calzaghe gradually got to grips with the 43-year-old’s rough-house
tactics, circled away from his most potent weapon and came on strongly
to claim victory in a dominant second half of a grueling fight.

Calzaghe, who bled from the bridge of his nose in the opening round
and was harshly penalized for a supposed low blow in round 10 from
which panting Hopkins was given three minutes to recover, was in no
mood for niceties.

“Hopkins was head-butting me, hitting me with low blows and cheating,”
Calzaghe said. “He was holding me with one arm on the blind side of
the referee and he was sticking his head in my face. He basically
cheated and had five minutes off in the 10th round. He stopped my
momentum by turning his back on me and feigning injury. It was
ridiculous because I know I didn’t touch him.

“I had to keep my composure because I knew that if I retaliated I
might get a point knocked off. He came to steal the fight and he was
just trying to survive. He was knackered and there was no low blow.”

Hopkins’ refusal to accept his loss was predictable, but the verdicts
allowed Calzaghe to pick up the nominal 175-pound ‘Ring’ magazine
title to go with the undisputed super-middleweight crown he still
owns.

Calzaghe is now likely to see his future at the higher weight. But he
might have been having second thoughts when he swallowed a succession
of early right hands, one of which sent him toppling back onto the
canvas.

Calzaghe did not appear hurt and soon scrambled back onto his feet.

“When I went back to my corner my dad was wanting and raving and I
told him I slipped, but I don’t think he bought that,” Calzaghe said.
“I knew Hopkins was a good counter-puncher and I fell straight into
the trap. I didn’t see the punch. I was momentarily stunned but I just
got back to my business and fought more carefully.”

Calzaghe landed his first punch of note with a left hand in the second
round, but he had an early points deficit to retrieve and only began
showing signs of making inroads when he found his range late in round
three.

Calzaghe began unloading towards the end of that third round, banging
home a fine right hand as the American was backed against the ropes,
but Hopkins again responded with rights to the body before the bell.

By the fourth, the Welshman was making Hopkins miss with his rights
and landing accurate lefts in the increasingly fractious exchanges.
With the fight in balance, the cleaner work in each round would prove
crucial.

Hopkins, beginning to tire, increasingly sought refuge by skirting the
rules. Round six ended with Calzaghe wrestled illegally to the canvas,
and a jolting right on the bell to end round seven reminding the
Welshman of the dangers.

When Hopkins went down in the 10th, doubling over in a neutral corner
and protesting at length about the alleged low blow which replays
suggested had never come, it seemed the desperate actions of a tired
man.

But after a three-minute break, with furious Calzaghe briefly lured
into a dangerous close-quarters tear-up, Hopkins arguably did enough
to shade the round and leave the verdict still in the balance.

Hopkins tried to take another breather in the 11th but was ordered to
fight on immediately by Cortez, again prompting another wild barrage
by Calzaghe who slammed home a right hand which seemed to hurt Hopkins
for the first time.

At the final bell, both men raised their arms to proclaim victory but
it was Calzaghe who had done enough to add the best chapter yet to his
remarkable career, and reign over two different divisions.

“The one thing missing from my record was to come to the US and beat
one of the biggest names,” Calzaghe said. “It would have been easy to
stay at home, have a few more fights and retire.

“I fought at a new weight for the first time and I was put down in the
first round but I still managed to win. I showed the true heart of a
champion. It hasn’t sunk in yet, but I’m sure it will in the next few
days.”

Meanwhile Hopkins looks likely to head back towards temporary
retirement, but there are few indications he will call it a day for
good after holding back the years once again despite defeat.

“There comes a point where I know where I am in history,” Hopkins
said. “Why keep pushing the envelope when you’ve accomplished
everything? But I came back and made $20 million from my last three
fights. There are a lot of things I am doing besides boxing and I have
an eight-year-old daughter who wants me home more than away. I think
it’s deserving that I give my only child some time.

“But the reason I came back after the two Jermain Taylor fights was to
make history and prove I had a lot left. I have done that, and tonight
you saw a true craftsman at work.”

This is more BS from Bernard Bumkins! It's not like it was a robbery
or even a bad decision! The great majority of the people who saw the
fight thought Calzaghe won. Manny Steward, Lederman and Kellerman
thought Calzaghe won. Hopkins lost. Period.

On Fri, 25 Apr 2008 00:55:17 GMT, [email]darlene8566@home.net[/email] (Darlene
Kinley) wrote:

>[url]http://sports.yahoo.com/box/news;_ylt=AjjMZUPEtvXBK7qzo2e4.QaUxLYF?slug=txcalz aghehopkins&prov=st&type=lgns[/url]
>
>Hopkins bitter after loss
>Apr 20, 11:06 am EDT
>
>LAS VEGAS (Ticker) - Joe Calzaghe battled his way back from a
>first-round knockdown to win a split decision over Bernard Hopkins at
>the Thomas & Mack Center, but the final bell did not spell the end of
>a fight week full of acrimony.
>
>Hopkins fiercely protested the 116-111, 115-112, 113-114 verdict in
>favor of the Welshman, who had been sent to the canvas from a jolting
>right hand and struggled to combat the 43-year-old in the early
>rounds.
>
>With the victory, Calzaghe stretched his unbeaten professional record
>to 45 fights and assumed the position of the world’s number one
>light-heavyweight in his debut at the weight. But it was a coronation
>bitterly opposed by Hopkins.
>
>“I believe I won the fight,” Hopkins said. “I know questions will be
>asked and it was close. But when all is said and done history will
>reflect well on Bernard Hopkins. I got beaten tonight but it wasn’t by
>Joe Calzaghe.”
>
>Perhaps it was not quite the conclusive style in which Calzaghe
>dreamed of winning his first fight in Las Vegas in front of a phalanx
>of A-list celebrities and almost 10,000 roaring Welsh supporters.
>
>But Calzaghe gradually got to grips with the 43-year-old’s rough-house
>tactics, circled away from his most potent weapon and came on strongly
>to claim victory in a dominant second half of a grueling fight.
>
>Calzaghe, who bled from the bridge of his nose in the opening round
>and was harshly penalized for a supposed low blow in round 10 from
>which panting Hopkins was given three minutes to recover, was in no
>mood for niceties.
>
>“Hopkins was head-butting me, hitting me with low blows and cheating,”
>Calzaghe said. “He was holding me with one arm on the blind side of
>the referee and he was sticking his head in my face. He basically
>cheated and had five minutes off in the 10th round. He stopped my
>momentum by turning his back on me and feigning injury. It was
>ridiculous because I know I didn’t touch him.
>
>“I had to keep my composure because I knew that if I retaliated I
>might get a point knocked off. He came to steal the fight and he was
>just trying to survive. He was knackered and there was no low blow.”
>
>Hopkins’ refusal to accept his loss was predictable, but the verdicts
>allowed Calzaghe to pick up the nominal 175-pound ‘Ring’ magazine
>title to go with the undisputed super-middleweight crown he still
>owns.
>
>Calzaghe is now likely to see his future at the higher weight. But he
>might have been having second thoughts when he swallowed a succession
>of early right hands, one of which sent him toppling back onto the
>canvas.
>
>Calzaghe did not appear hurt and soon scrambled back onto his feet.
>
>“When I went back to my corner my dad was wanting and raving and I
>told him I slipped, but I don’t think he bought that,” Calzaghe said.
>“I knew Hopkins was a good counter-puncher and I fell straight into
>the trap. I didn’t see the punch. I was momentarily stunned but I just
>got back to my business and fought more carefully.”
>
>Calzaghe landed his first punch of note with a left hand in the second
>round, but he had an early points deficit to retrieve and only began
>showing signs of making inroads when he found his range late in round
>three.
>
>Calzaghe began unloading towards the end of that third round, banging
>home a fine right hand as the American was backed against the ropes,
>but Hopkins again responded with rights to the body before the bell.
>
>By the fourth, the Welshman was making Hopkins miss with his rights
>and landing accurate lefts in the increasingly fractious exchanges.
>With the fight in balance, the cleaner work in each round would prove
>crucial.
>
>Hopkins, beginning to tire, increasingly sought refuge by skirting the
>rules. Round six ended with Calzaghe wrestled illegally to the canvas,
>and a jolting right on the bell to end round seven reminding the
>Welshman of the dangers.
>
>When Hopkins went down in the 10th, doubling over in a neutral corner
>and protesting at length about the alleged low blow which replays
>suggested had never come, it seemed the desperate actions of a tired
>man.
>
>But after a three-minute break, with furious Calzaghe briefly lured
>into a dangerous close-quarters tear-up, Hopkins arguably did enough
>to shade the round and leave the verdict still in the balance.
>
>Hopkins tried to take another breather in the 11th but was ordered to
>fight on immediately by Cortez, again prompting another wild barrage
>by Calzaghe who slammed home a right hand which seemed to hurt Hopkins
>for the first time.
>
>At the final bell, both men raised their arms to proclaim victory but
>it was Calzaghe who had done enough to add the best chapter yet to his
>remarkable career, and reign over two different divisions.
>
>“The one thing missing from my record was to come to the US and beat
>one of the biggest names,” Calzaghe said. “It would have been easy to
>stay at home, have a few more fights and retire.
>
>“I fought at a new weight for the first time and I was put down in the
>first round but I still managed to win. I showed the true heart of a
>champion. It hasn’t sunk in yet, but I’m sure it will in the next few
>days.”
>
>Meanwhile Hopkins looks likely to head back towards temporary
>retirement, but there are few indications he will call it a day for
>good after holding back the years once again despite defeat.
>
>“There comes a point where I know where I am in history,” Hopkins
>said. “Why keep pushing the envelope when you’ve accomplished
>everything? But I came back and made $20 million from my last three
>fights. There are a lot of things I am doing besides boxing and I have
>an eight-year-old daughter who wants me home more than away. I think
>it’s deserving that I give my only child some time.
>
>“But the reason I came back after the two Jermain Taylor fights was to
>make history and prove I had a lot left. I have done that, and tonight
>you saw a true craftsman at work.”
sloppy joe calslappy did not land 1 telling punch in the whole fight

You guys been a fan of Hopkins for years and been telling me how I"m all
wrong about the guy. Well, I still don't see it your way.

Hopkins was under strict orders from Organized Crime Gambling, Not to win this fight.
Hopkins could easily have knocked out Calzaghe with his advantage in speed and skill.
And Hopkins is one of the least skilled champions ever to be champion in boxing --
a guy who wins mainly through fouls.
Hopkins is about as low as another disgrace to the sport -- Marvin Hagler.
Hagler who himself fixed his fight with Sugar Ray Leonard.

Perhaps the scariest thing that happened to Hopkins on this night was
when he knocked down Calzaghe in the first round, with a relatively
light single punch.
If Calzaghe had not beaten that 10 count, Organized Crime Gambling
might have put Hopkins on their Hit List.

From that punch on, Hopkins did not throw another direct straight punch
at Calzaghe's head. From then on, for a disgraceful boring charade of
12 full founds, it was roundabout, slaps, pattycake.
The whole event was a disgrace to boxing.

The problem is that many of the people who watched that fight either did not
recognize that it was Fixed, or watched it like a Pro Wrestling match
or some other TV soap opera.
That widespread ignorance is the great tragedy for boxing and that is
what is killing the sport.
Perhaps has already killed the sport.

Those people who did not recognize that this fight was fixed, if you read
about the fight from your favorite boxing reporter, and he failed to tell
you that the fight was a sham, you should consider that deceit the next
time you consider paying for that crooked reporter's sports reports
in the future.

Joe Calzaghe-Bernard Hopkins 2008.
Yet another disgrace to Boxing.

John

================================================== ===============
"Darlene Kinley" <darlene8566@home.net> wrote in message news:48112ba9.504690046@news.easynews.com...
> [url]http://sports.yahoo.com/box/news;_ylt=AjjMZUPEtvXBK7qzo2e4.QaUxLYF?slug=txcalz aghehopkins&prov=st&type=lgns[/url]
>
> Hopkins bitter after loss
> Apr 20, 11:06 am EDT
>
> LAS VEGAS (Ticker) - Joe Calzaghe battled his way back from a
> first-round knockdown to win a split decision over Bernard Hopkins at
> the Thomas & Mack Center, but the final bell did not spell the end of
> a fight week full of acrimony.
>
> Hopkins fiercely protested the 116-111, 115-112, 113-114 verdict in
> favor of the Welshman, who had been sent to the canvas from a jolting
> right hand and struggled to combat the 43-year-old in the early
> rounds.
>
> With the victory, Calzaghe stretched his unbeaten professional record
> to 45 fights and assumed the position of the world's number one
> light-heavyweight in his debut at the weight. But it was a coronation
> bitterly opposed by Hopkins.
>
> "I believe I won the fight," Hopkins said. "I know questions will be
> asked and it was close. But when all is said and done history will
> reflect well on Bernard Hopkins. I got beaten tonight but it wasn't by
> Joe Calzaghe."
>
> Perhaps it was not quite the conclusive style in which Calzaghe
> dreamed of winning his first fight in Las Vegas in front of a phalanx
> of A-list celebrities and almost 10,000 roaring Welsh supporters.
>
> But Calzaghe gradually got to grips with the 43-year-old's rough-house
> tactics, circled away from his most potent weapon and came on strongly
> to claim victory in a dominant second half of a grueling fight.
>
> Calzaghe, who bled from the bridge of his nose in the opening round
> and was harshly penalized for a supposed low blow in round 10 from
> which panting Hopkins was given three minutes to recover, was in no
> mood for niceties.
>
> "Hopkins was head-butting me, hitting me with low blows and cheating,"
> Calzaghe said. "He was holding me with one arm on the blind side of
> the referee and he was sticking his head in my face. He basically
> cheated and had five minutes off in the 10th round. He stopped my
> momentum by turning his back on me and feigning injury. It was
> ridiculous because I know I didn't touch him.
>
> "I had to keep my composure because I knew that if I retaliated I
> might get a point knocked off. He came to steal the fight and he was
> just trying to survive. He was knackered and there was no low blow."
>
> Hopkins' refusal to accept his loss was predictable, but the verdicts
> allowed Calzaghe to pick up the nominal 175-pound 'Ring' magazine
> title to go with the undisputed super-middleweight crown he still
> owns.
>
> Calzaghe is now likely to see his future at the higher weight. But he
> might have been having second thoughts when he swallowed a succession
> of early right hands, one of which sent him toppling back onto the
> canvas.
>
> Calzaghe did not appear hurt and soon scrambled back onto his feet.
>
> "When I went back to my corner my dad was wanting and raving and I
> told him I slipped, but I don't think he bought that," Calzaghe said.
> "I knew Hopkins was a good counter-puncher and I fell straight into
> the trap. I didn't see the punch. I was momentarily stunned but I just
> got back to my business and fought more carefully."
>
> Calzaghe landed his first punch of note with a left hand in the second
> round, but he had an early points deficit to retrieve and only began
> showing signs of making inroads when he found his range late in round
> three.
>
> Calzaghe began unloading towards the end of that third round, banging
> home a fine right hand as the American was backed against the ropes,
> but Hopkins again responded with rights to the body before the bell.
>
> By the fourth, the Welshman was making Hopkins miss with his rights
> and landing accurate lefts in the increasingly fractious exchanges.
> With the fight in balance, the cleaner work in each round would prove
> crucial.
>
> Hopkins, beginning to tire, increasingly sought refuge by skirting the
> rules. Round six ended with Calzaghe wrestled illegally to the canvas,
> and a jolting right on the bell to end round seven reminding the
> Welshman of the dangers.
>
> When Hopkins went down in the 10th, doubling over in a neutral corner
> and protesting at length about the alleged low blow which replays
> suggested had never come, it seemed the desperate actions of a tired
> man.
>
> But after a three-minute break, with furious Calzaghe briefly lured
> into a dangerous close-quarters tear-up, Hopkins arguably did enough
> to shade the round and leave the verdict still in the balance.
>
> Hopkins tried to take another breather in the 11th but was ordered to
> fight on immediately by Cortez, again prompting another wild barrage
> by Calzaghe who slammed home a right hand which seemed to hurt Hopkins
> for the first time.
>
> At the final bell, both men raised their arms to proclaim victory but
> it was Calzaghe who had done enough to add the best chapter yet to his
> remarkable career, and reign over two different divisions.
>
> "The one thing missing from my record was to come to the US and beat
> one of the biggest names," Calzaghe said. "It would have been easy to
> stay at home, have a few more fights and retire.
>
> "I fought at a new weight for the first time and I was put down in the
> first round but I still managed to win. I showed the true heart of a
> champion. It hasn't sunk in yet, but I'm sure it will in the next few
> days."
>
> Meanwhile Hopkins looks likely to head back towards temporary
> retirement, but there are few indications he will call it a day for
> good after holding back the years once again despite defeat.
>
> "There comes a point where I know where I am in history," Hopkins
> said. "Why keep pushing the envelope when you've accomplished
> everything? But I came back and made $20 million from my last three
> fights. There are a lot of things I am doing besides boxing and I have
> an eight-year-old daughter who wants me home more than away. I think
> it's deserving that I give my only child some time.
>
> "But the reason I came back after the two Jermain Taylor fights was to
> make history and prove I had a lot left. I have done that, and tonight
> you saw a true craftsman at work."

John Shocked wrote:

> Hopkins is about as low as another disgrace to the sport -- Marvin Hagler.
> Hagler who himself fixed his fight with Sugar Ray Leonard.
>

Now we're talking! I always knew Hagler lost that fight so the fix must
have been in. Uh, wait a minute there.....

On Apr 25, 11:02*am, "John Shocked" <jshoc...@hotmail.com> wrote:
> Hopkins was under strict orders from Organized Crime Gambling, *Not to win this fight.
> Hopkins could easily have knocked out Calzaghe with his advantage in speedand skill.
> And Hopkins is one of the least skilled champions ever to be champion in boxing --
> a guy who wins mainly through fouls.
> Hopkins is about as low as another disgrace to the sport -- Marvin Hagler.
> Hagler who himself fixed his fight with Sugar Ray Leonard.
>
> Perhaps the scariest thing that happened to Hopkins on this night was
> when he knocked down Calzaghe in the first round, with a relatively
> light single punch.
> If Calzaghe had not beaten that 10 count, Organized Crime Gambling
> might have put Hopkins on their Hit List.
>
> From that punch on, Hopkins did not throw another direct straight punch
> at Calzaghe's head. *From then on, for a disgraceful boring charade of
> 12 full founds, it was roundabout, slaps, pattycake.
> The whole event was a disgrace to boxing.
>
> The problem is that many of the people who watched that fight either did not
> recognize that it was Fixed, or watched it like a Pro Wrestling match
> or some other TV soap opera.
> That widespread ignorance is the great tragedy for boxing and that is
> what is killing the sport.
> Perhaps has already killed the sport.
>
> Those people who did not recognize that this fight was fixed, if you read
> about the fight from your favorite boxing reporter, and he failed to tell
> you that the fight was a sham, *you should consider that deceit the next
> time you consider paying for that crooked reporter's sports reports
> in the future.
>
> Joe Calzaghe-Bernard Hopkins 2008.
> Yet another disgrace to Boxing.
>
> John
>
> ================================================== ===============
>
>
>
> "Darlene Kinley" <darlene8...@home.net> wrote in messagenews:48112ba9.504690046@news.easynews.com.. .
> >[url]http://sports.yahoo.com/box/news;_ylt=AjjMZUPEtvXBK7qzo2e4.QaUxLYF?sl[/url]....
>
> > Hopkins bitter after loss
> > Apr 20, 11:06 am EDT
>
> > LAS VEGAS (Ticker) - Joe Calzaghe battled his way back from a
> > first-round knockdown to win a split decision over Bernard Hopkins at
> > the Thomas & Mack Center, but the final bell did not spell the end of
> > a fight week full of acrimony.
>
> > Hopkins fiercely protested the 116-111, 115-112, 113-114 verdict in
> > favor of the Welshman, who had been sent to the canvas from a jolting
> > right hand and struggled to combat the 43-year-old in the early
> > rounds.
>
> > With the victory, Calzaghe stretched his unbeaten professional record
> > to 45 fights and assumed the position of the world's number one
> > light-heavyweight in his debut at the weight. But it was a coronation
> > bitterly opposed by Hopkins.
>
> > "I believe I won the fight," Hopkins said. "I know questions will be
> > asked and it was close. But when all is said and done history will
> > reflect well on Bernard Hopkins. I got beaten tonight but it wasn't by
> > Joe Calzaghe."
>
> > Perhaps it was not quite the conclusive style in which Calzaghe
> > dreamed of winning his first fight in Las Vegas in front of a phalanx
> > of A-list celebrities and almost 10,000 roaring Welsh supporters.
>
> > But Calzaghe gradually got to grips with the 43-year-old's rough-house
> > tactics, circled away from his most potent weapon and came on strongly
> > to claim victory in a dominant second half of a grueling fight.
>
> > Calzaghe, who bled from the bridge of his nose in the opening round
> > and was harshly penalized for a supposed low blow in round 10 from
> > which panting Hopkins was given three minutes to recover, was in no
> > mood for niceties.
>
> > "Hopkins was head-butting me, hitting me with low blows and cheating,"
> > Calzaghe said. "He was holding me with one arm on the blind side of
> > the referee and he was sticking his head in my face. He basically
> > cheated and had five minutes off in the 10th round. He stopped my
> > momentum by turning his back on me and feigning injury. It was
> > ridiculous because I know I didn't touch him.
>
> > "I had to keep my composure because I knew that if I retaliated I
> > might get a point knocked off. He came to steal the fight and he was
> > just trying to survive. He was knackered and there was no low blow."
>
> > Hopkins' refusal to accept his loss was predictable, but the verdicts
> > allowed Calzaghe to pick up the nominal 175-pound 'Ring' magazine
> > title to go with the undisputed super-middleweight crown he still
> > owns.
>
> > Calzaghe is now likely to see his future at the higher weight. But he
> > might have been having second thoughts when he swallowed a succession
> > of early right hands, one of which sent him toppling back onto the
> > canvas.
>
> > Calzaghe did not appear hurt and soon scrambled back onto his feet.
>
> > "When I went back to my corner my dad was wanting and raving and I
> > told him I slipped, but I don't think he bought that," Calzaghe said.
> > "I knew Hopkins was a good counter-puncher and I fell straight into
> > the trap. I didn't see the punch. I was momentarily stunned but I just
> > got back to my business and fought more carefully."
>
> > Calzaghe landed his first punch of note with a left hand in the second
> > round, but he had an early points deficit to retrieve and only began
> > showing signs of making inroads when he found his range late in round
> > three.
>
> > Calzaghe began unloading towards the end of that third round, banging
> > home a fine right hand as the American was backed against the ropes,
> > but Hopkins again responded with rights to the body before the bell.
>
> > By the fourth, the Welshman was making Hopkins miss with his rights
> > and landing accurate lefts in the increasingly fractious exchanges.
> > With the fight in balance, the cleaner work in each round would prove
> > crucial.
>
> > Hopkins, beginning to tire, increasingly sought refuge by skirting the
> > rules. Round six ended with Calzaghe wrestled illegally to the canvas,
> > and a jolting right on the bell to end round seven reminding the
> > Welshman of the dangers.
>
> > When Hopkins went down in the 10th, doubling over in a neutral corner
> > and protesting at length about the alleged low blow which replays
> > suggested had never come, it seemed the desperate actions of a tired
> > man.
>
> > But after a three-minute break, with furious Calzaghe briefly lured
> > into a dangerous close-quarters tear-up, Hopkins arguably did enough
> > to shade the round and leave the verdict still in the balance.
>
> > Hopkins tried to take another breather in the 11th but was ordered to
> > fight on immediately by Cortez, again prompting another wild barrage
> > by Calzaghe who slammed home a right hand which seemed to hurt Hopkins
> > for the first time.
>
> > At the final bell, both men raised their arms to proclaim victory but
> > it was Calzaghe who had done enough to add the best chapter yet to his
> > remarkable career, and reign over two different divisions.
>
> > "The one thing missing from my record was to come to the US and beat
> > one of the biggest names," Calzaghe said. "It would have been easy to
> > stay at home, have a few more fights and retire.
>
> > "I fought at a new weight for the first time and I was put down in the
> > first round but I still managed to win. I showed the true heart of a
> > champion. It hasn't sunk in yet, but I'm sure it will in the next few
> > days."
>
> > Meanwhile Hopkins looks likely to head back towards temporary
> > retirement, but there are few indications he will call it a day for
> > good after holding back the years once again despite defeat.
>
> > "There comes a point where I know where I am in history," Hopkins
> > said. "Why keep pushing the envelope when you've accomplished
> > everything? But I came back and made $20 million from my last three
> > fights. There are a lot of things I am doing besides boxing and I have
> > an eight-year-old daughter who wants me home more than away. I think
> > it's deserving that I give my only child some time.
>
> > "But the reason I came back after the two Jermain Taylor fights was to
> > make history and prove I had a lot left. I have done that, and tonight
> > you saw a true craftsman at work."- Hide quoted text -
>
> - Show quoted text -


Are you related to Michelle Shocked?

"(Anchored down in) Anchorage..............."
An all-time fave song by an otherwise ordinary
artist.

"Paul Cassel" <pcasselremove2@comremovecast.net> wrote in message news:TbGdnWEW3OgU_o_VnZ2dnUVZ_jSdnZ2d@comcast.com. ..
> John Shocked wrote:
>> Hopkins is about as low as another disgrace to the sport -- Marvin Hagler.
>> Hagler who himself fixed his fight with Sugar Ray Leonard.
> Now we're talking! I always knew Hagler lost that fight so the fix must have been in. Uh, wait a minute there.....

When you start talking about a fight which was clearly fixed, in which
Hagler could easily have knocked out Leonard in any round by simply
throwing hard punches, with the intention that they land,
"bad intentions" in Tyson vernacular,
then you are simply trying to con everyone here.

There is no value to any such fight.
Such fights drive away true boxing fans from the sport and leaves
a smattering of pro wrestling and soap opera fans, who are not committed
to the sport.

Thus, any public relations worker Paid to sit on public forums like
this one and talk up these fixed fights, rather than condemn them,
is doing serious damage to Boxing, and could not possibly be
a true fan of the sport.

John

On Apr 25, 11:02 am, "John Shocked" <jshoc...@hotmail.com> wrote:
>> Hopkins was under strict orders from Organized Crime Gambling, Not to win this fight.
>> Hopkins could easily have knocked out Calzaghe with his advantage in speed and skill.
>> And Hopkins is one of the least skilled champions ever to be champion in boxing
>> -- a guy who wins mainly through fouls.
>> Hopkins is about as low as another disgrace to the sport -- Marvin Hagler.
>> Hagler who himself fixed his fight with Sugar Ray Leonard.
>>
>> Perhaps the scariest thing that happened to Hopkins on this night was
>> when he knocked down Calzaghe in the first round, with a relatively
>> light single punch.
>> If Calzaghe had not beaten that 10 count, Organized Crime Gambling
>> might have put Hopkins on their Hit List.
>>
>> From that punch on, Hopkins did not throw another direct straight punch
>> at Calzaghe's head. From then on, for a disgraceful boring charade of
>> 12 full rounds, it was roundabout, slaps, pattycake.
>> The whole event was a disgrace to boxing.
>>
>> The problem is that many of the people who watched that fight either did not
>> recognize that it was Fixed, or watched it like a Pro Wrestling match
>> or some other TV soap opera.
>> That widespread ignorance is the great tragedy for boxing and that is
>> what is killing the sport.
>> Perhaps has already killed the sport.
>>
>> Those people who did not recognize that this fight was fixed, if you read
>> about the fight from your favorite boxing reporter, and he failed to tell
>> you that the fight was a sham, you should consider that deceit the next
>> time you consider paying for that crooked reporter's sports reports
>> in the future.
>>
>> Joe Calzaghe-Bernard Hopkins 2008.
>> Yet another disgrace to Boxing.
>>
>> John
>>
>> ================================================== ===============
>>
>>
>>
>> "Darlene Kinley" <darlene8...@home.net> wrote in messagenews:48112ba9.504690046@news.easynews.com.. .
>> >[url]http://sports.yahoo.com/box/news;_ylt=AjjMZUPEtvXBK7qzo2e4.QaUxLYF?sl[/url]...
>>
>> > Hopkins bitter after loss
>> > Apr 20, 11:06 am EDT
>>
>> > LAS VEGAS (Ticker) - Joe Calzaghe battled his way back from a
>> > first-round knockdown to win a split decision over Bernard Hopkins at
>> > the Thomas & Mack Center, but the final bell did not spell the end of
>> > a fight week full of acrimony.
>>
>> > Hopkins fiercely protested the 116-111, 115-112, 113-114 verdict in
>> > favor of the Welshman, who had been sent to the canvas from a jolting
>> > right hand and struggled to combat the 43-year-old in the early
>> > rounds.
>>
>> > With the victory, Calzaghe stretched his unbeaten professional record
>> > to 45 fights and assumed the position of the world's number one
>> > light-heavyweight in his debut at the weight. But it was a coronation
>> > bitterly opposed by Hopkins.
>>
>> > "I believe I won the fight," Hopkins said. "I know questions will be
>> > asked and it was close. But when all is said and done history will
>> > reflect well on Bernard Hopkins. I got beaten tonight but it wasn't by
>> > Joe Calzaghe."
>>
>> > Perhaps it was not quite the conclusive style in which Calzaghe
>> > dreamed of winning his first fight in Las Vegas in front of a phalanx
>> > of A-list celebrities and almost 10,000 roaring Welsh supporters.
>>
>> > But Calzaghe gradually got to grips with the 43-year-old's rough-house
>> > tactics, circled away from his most potent weapon and came on strongly
>> > to claim victory in a dominant second half of a grueling fight.
>>
>> > Calzaghe, who bled from the bridge of his nose in the opening round
>> > and was harshly penalized for a supposed low blow in round 10 from
>> > which panting Hopkins was given three minutes to recover, was in no
>> > mood for niceties.
>>
>> > "Hopkins was head-butting me, hitting me with low blows and cheating,"
>> > Calzaghe said. "He was holding me with one arm on the blind side of
>> > the referee and he was sticking his head in my face. He basically
>> > cheated and had five minutes off in the 10th round. He stopped my
>> > momentum by turning his back on me and feigning injury. It was
>> > ridiculous because I know I didn't touch him.
>>
>> > "I had to keep my composure because I knew that if I retaliated I
>> > might get a point knocked off. He came to steal the fight and he was
>> > just trying to survive. He was knackered and there was no low blow."
>>
>> > Hopkins' refusal to accept his loss was predictable, but the verdicts
>> > allowed Calzaghe to pick up the nominal 175-pound 'Ring' magazine
>> > title to go with the undisputed super-middleweight crown he still
>> > owns.
>>
>> > Calzaghe is now likely to see his future at the higher weight. But he
>> > might have been having second thoughts when he swallowed a succession
>> > of early right hands, one of which sent him toppling back onto the
>> > canvas.
>>
>> > Calzaghe did not appear hurt and soon scrambled back onto his feet.
>>
>> > "When I went back to my corner my dad was wanting and raving and I
>> > told him I slipped, but I don't think he bought that," Calzaghe said.
>> > "I knew Hopkins was a good counter-puncher and I fell straight into
>> > the trap. I didn't see the punch. I was momentarily stunned but I just
>> > got back to my business and fought more carefully."
>>
>> > Calzaghe landed his first punch of note with a left hand in the second
>> > round, but he had an early points deficit to retrieve and only began
>> > showing signs of making inroads when he found his range late in round
>> > three.
>>
>> > Calzaghe began unloading towards the end of that third round, banging
>> > home a fine right hand as the American was backed against the ropes,
>> > but Hopkins again responded with rights to the body before the bell.
>>
>> > By the fourth, the Welshman was making Hopkins miss with his rights
>> > and landing accurate lefts in the increasingly fractious exchanges.
>> > With the fight in balance, the cleaner work in each round would prove
>> > crucial.
>>
>> > Hopkins, beginning to tire, increasingly sought refuge by skirting the
>> > rules. Round six ended with Calzaghe wrestled illegally to the canvas,
>> > and a jolting right on the bell to end round seven reminding the
>> > Welshman of the dangers.
>>
>> > When Hopkins went down in the 10th, doubling over in a neutral corner
>> > and protesting at length about the alleged low blow which replays
>> > suggested had never come, it seemed the desperate actions of a tired
>> > man.
>>
>> > But after a three-minute break, with furious Calzaghe briefly lured
>> > into a dangerous close-quarters tear-up, Hopkins arguably did enough
>> > to shade the round and leave the verdict still in the balance.
>>
>> > Hopkins tried to take another breather in the 11th but was ordered to
>> > fight on immediately by Cortez, again prompting another wild barrage
>> > by Calzaghe who slammed home a right hand which seemed to hurt Hopkins
>> > for the first time.
>>
>> > At the final bell, both men raised their arms to proclaim victory but
>> > it was Calzaghe who had done enough to add the best chapter yet to his
>> > remarkable career, and reign over two different divisions.
>>
>> > "The one thing missing from my record was to come to the US and beat
>> > one of the biggest names," Calzaghe said. "It would have been easy to
>> > stay at home, have a few more fights and retire.
>>
>> > "I fought at a new weight for the first time and I was put down in the
>> > first round but I still managed to win. I showed the true heart of a
>> > champion. It hasn't sunk in yet, but I'm sure it will in the next few
>> > days."
>>
>> > Meanwhile Hopkins looks likely to head back towards temporary
>> > retirement, but there are few indications he will call it a day for
>> > good after holding back the years once again despite defeat.
>>
>> > "There comes a point where I know where I am in history," Hopkins
>> > said. "Why keep pushing the envelope when you've accomplished
>> > everything? But I came back and made $20 million from my last three
>> > fights. There are a lot of things I am doing besides boxing and I have
>> > an eight-year-old daughter who wants me home more than away. I think
>> > it's deserving that I give my only child some time.
>>
>> > "But the reason I came back after the two Jermain Taylor fights was to
>> > make history and prove I had a lot left. I have done that, and tonight
>> > you saw a true craftsman at work."- Hide quoted text -
>>
>> - Show quoted text -
>
>
>Are you related to Michelle Shocked?
>
>"(Anchored down in) Anchorage..............."
>An all-time fave song by an otherwise ordinary
>artist.

When you start talking about a fight which was clearly fixed, in which
Hagler could easily have knocked out Leonard in any round by simply
throwing hard punches, with the intention that they land,
"bad intentions" in Tyson vernacular,
then you are simply trying to con everyone here.

There is no value to any such fight.
Such fights drive away true boxing fans from the sport and leaves
a smattering of pro wrestling and soap opera fans, who are not committed
to the sport.

Thus, any public relations worker Paid to sit on public forums like
this one and talk up these fixed fights, rather than condemn them,
is doing serious damage to Boxing, and could not possibly be
a true fan of the sport.

John

On Apr 25, 3:03*am, skinnysteve <skinnyst...@stringbean.com> wrote:
> On Fri, 25 Apr 2008 00:55:17 GMT, darlene8...@home.net (Darlene
>
>
>
>
>
> Kinley) wrote:
> >[url]http://sports.yahoo.com/box/news;_ylt=AjjMZUPEtvXBK7qzo2e4.QaUxLYF?sl[/url]....
>
> >Hopkins bitter after loss
> >Apr 20, 11:06 am EDT
>
> >LAS VEGAS (Ticker) - Joe Calzaghe battled his way back from a
> >first-round knockdown to win a split decision over Bernard Hopkins at
> >the Thomas & Mack Center, but the final bell did not spell the end of
> >a fight week full of acrimony.
>
> >Hopkins fiercely protested the 116-111, 115-112, 113-114 verdict in
> >favor of the Welshman, who had been sent to the canvas from a jolting
> >right hand and struggled to combat the 43-year-old in the early
> >rounds.
>
> >With the victory, Calzaghe stretched his unbeaten professional record
> >to 45 fights and assumed the position of the world’s number one
> >light-heavyweight in his debut at the weight. But it was a coronation
> >bitterly opposed by Hopkins.
>
> >“I believe I won the fight,” Hopkins said. “I know questions will be
> >asked and it was close. But when all is said and done history will
> >reflect well on Bernard Hopkins. I got beaten tonight but it wasn’t by
> >Joe Calzaghe.”
>
> >Perhaps it was not quite the conclusive style in which Calzaghe
> >dreamed of winning his first fight in Las Vegas in front of a phalanx
> >of A-list celebrities and almost 10,000 roaring Welsh supporters.
>
> >But Calzaghe gradually got to grips with the 43-year-old’s rough-house
> >tactics, circled away from his most potent weapon and came on strongly
> >to claim victory in a dominant second half of a grueling fight.
>
> >Calzaghe, who bled from the bridge of his nose in the opening round
> >and was harshly penalized for a supposed low blow in round 10 from
> >which panting Hopkins was given three minutes to recover, was in no
> >mood for niceties.
>
> >“Hopkins was head-butting me, hitting me with low blows and cheating,”
> >Calzaghe said. “He was holding me with one arm on the blind side of
> >the referee and he was sticking his head in my face. He basically
> >cheated and had five minutes off in the 10th round. He stopped my
> >momentum by turning his back on me and feigning injury. It was
> >ridiculous because I know I didn’t touch him.
>
> >“I had to keep my composure because I knew that if I retaliated I
> >might get a point knocked off. He came to steal the fight and he was
> >just trying to survive. He was knackered and there was no low blow.”
>
> >Hopkins’ refusal to accept his loss was predictable, but the verdicts
> >allowed Calzaghe to pick up the nominal 175-pound ‘Ring’ magazine
> >title to go with the undisputed super-middleweight crown he still
> >owns.
>
> >Calzaghe is now likely to see his future at the higher weight. But he
> >might have been having second thoughts when he swallowed a succession
> >of early right hands, one of which sent him toppling back onto the
> >canvas.
>
> >Calzaghe did not appear hurt and soon scrambled back onto his feet.
>
> >“When I went back to my corner my dad was wanting and raving and I
> >told him I slipped, but I don’t think he bought that,” Calzaghe said.
> >“I knew Hopkins was a good counter-puncher and I fell straight into
> >the trap. I didn’t see the punch. I was momentarily stunned but I just
> >got back to my business and fought more carefully.”
>
> >Calzaghe landed his first punch of note with a left hand in the second
> >round, but he had an early points deficit to retrieve and only began
> >showing signs of making inroads when he found his range late in round
> >three.
>
> >Calzaghe began unloading towards the end of that third round, banging
> >home a fine right hand as the American was backed against the ropes,
> >but Hopkins again responded with rights to the body before the bell.
>
> >By the fourth, the Welshman was making Hopkins miss with his rights
> >and landing accurate lefts in the increasingly fractious exchanges.
> >With the fight in balance, the cleaner work in each round would prove
> >crucial.
>
> >Hopkins, beginning to tire, increasingly sought refuge by skirting the
> >rules. Round six ended with Calzaghe wrestled illegally to the canvas,
> >and a jolting right on the bell to end round seven reminding the
> >Welshman of the dangers.
>
> >When Hopkins went down in the 10th, doubling over in a neutral corner
> >and protesting at length about the alleged low blow which replays
> >suggested had never come, it seemed the desperate actions of a tired
> >man.
>
> >But after a three-minute break, with furious Calzaghe briefly lured
> >into a dangerous close-quarters tear-up, Hopkins arguably did enough
> >to shade the round and leave the verdict still in the balance.
>
> >Hopkins tried to take another breather in the 11th but was ordered to
> >fight on immediately by Cortez, again prompting another wild barrage
> >by Calzaghe who slammed home a right hand which seemed to hurt Hopkins
> >for the first time.
>
> >At the final bell, both men raised their arms to proclaim victory but
> >it was Calzaghe who had done enough to add the best chapter yet to his
> >remarkable career, and reign over two different divisions.
>
> >“The one thing missing from my record was to come to the US and beat
> >one of the biggest names,” Calzaghe said. “It would have been easy to
> >stay at home, have a few more fights and retire.
>
> >“I fought at a new weight for the first time and I was put down in the
> >first round but I still managed to win. I showed the true heart of a
> >champion. It hasn’t sunk in yet, but I’m sure it will in the next few
> >days.”
>
> >Meanwhile Hopkins looks likely to head back towards temporary
> >retirement, but there are few indications he will call it a day for
> >good after holding back the years once again despite defeat.
>
> >“There comes a point where I know where I am in history,” Hopkins
> >said. “Why keep pushing the envelope when you’ve accomplished
> >everything? But I came back and made $20 million from my last three
> >fights. There are a lot of things I am doing besides boxing and I have
> >an eight-year-old daughter who wants me home more than away. I think
> >it’s deserving that I give my only child some time.
>
> >“But the reason I came back after the two Jermain Taylor fights was to
> >make history and prove I had a lot left. I have done that, and tonight
> >you saw a true craftsman at work.”
>
> sloppy joe calslappy did not land 1 telling punch in the whole fight

++ Poor Bernard... he just doesn't have the goods any more... all he
can do is hold and hit and wrestle for position...


P