http://sports.espn.go.com/sports/boxing/news/story?id=3209744 ONDON -- The long-awaited fight between Bernard Hopkins and Joe Calzaghe will take place in Las Vegas on April 19. Six years after Calzaghe's camp tried to set up a matchup with Hopkins, the unbeaten Welshman's handlers announced Wednesday that the fighters will meet as light heavyweights at the Thomas & Mack Center. The bout for Hopkins' Ring magazine light heavyweight championship will be Calzaghe's first fight at light heavyweight after 21 consecutive world title defenses at super-middleweight. After unifying three world titles by taking the WBA and WBC titles from Mikkel Kessler on Nov. 4 to move his record to 44-0, Calzaghe knew he had to move up a division to take on Hopkins. "He definitely needs a facelift and I'm going to sort him out," Calzaghe said at a London news conference. "I just hope he's not going to run." Hopkins, who is 48-4-1, last fought in July last year when he scored a victory over Ronald "Winky" Wright. Before fighting Wright, Hopkins had retired in 2006 after a career highlighted by 21 straight middleweight title defenses and a stunning win over Antonio Tarver at light heavyweight. The 43-year-old Hopkins has built a big reputation with some stellar performances in the United States, unifying the world middleweight titles with a ninth-round knockout of Oscar De La Hoya in September 2004. The 35-year-old Calzaghe, meanwhile, has struggled to make a name for himself outside of Britain despite beating all the major contenders at the super-middleweight division. Calzaghe took the WBO title from Chris Eubank in 1997 and, after a series of routine but unspectacular defenses, impressively beat both Jeff Lacy and Kessler. He has overcome concerns about his suspect left hand, which he has broken or damaged several times during his career. "I have new goals, new things to achieve," Calzaghe said. "With the Kessler fight I achieved everything I wanted to achieve with regards to the super middleweight division. I've also got to fight in the States before I retire." Calzaghe, who will turn 36 before the Hopkins fight, said he hopes to take two more bouts. "I could go until I'm 40, but in boxing it's easy to take one fight too many," he said. "There are very few that retired undefeated at the right time."' The fight, expected to draw 18,000 fans at the Las Vegas arena, will be televised by HBO in the United States. "I'm going in with an American referee and three American judges and that's a challenge in itself," Calzaghe said. I hope thats not a typo, and it's HBO and not HBO PPV
snore... Hopkins wins by decision. It will be on regular HBO, because no one is going to pay to watch this fight.
If hopkins can lose to Jermaine taylor he can lose to Calzaghe. Calzaghe is a very good fight, he beat kessler pretty pad.
I am not taking anything away from Calzaghe I am just saying he isn't going to beat Hopkins by decision in the U.S. If they were overseas then it would be a different story.
I dont know man, Calzaghe throws blows for 12 rounds, hes not going to run around the ring. I think hes going to make Hopkins bring out the best in him, or whatevers left.
I am actually hoping Calzaghe beats Hopkins to setup the inevitable matchup between him and Pavlik (if Pavlik beats Taylor again, which I think he will) in a sick PPV fight.
