In a recent article by Andrew Wake of eastsideboxing.com, an exasperated Joe Calzaghe said in an interview “Mikkel Kessler is a better fighter than Bernard Hopkins. Hopkins is just a name that would look good on my resume.” This is in regards to Calaghe’s frutration of trying to line up a fight with the elusive 42 year-old Hopkins, whom has of late been hinting that he’d prefer to fight the winner of the Felix Trinidad vs. Roy Jones jr. bout instead of Calzaghe. This, of course, could be a case of Hopkins being Hopkins, trying to get Calaghe even more desparate to fight him so that he can jack up the price for the fight. However, Calzaghe has a point: Kessler, 28, is probably better than Hopkins, a lot better, it seems to me.
Kessler does everything well – He’s hard to pin down, as he moves to the side when attacked, which would prevent someone like Hopkins from attacking him with flurries as he did against his recent opponents Antonio Tarver and Winky Wright. Kessler likewise has an excellent uppercut and very quick hands, both which would come in handy if Hopkins was to try punch and grab like he usually does in his bouts.
To be honest, Kessler would have an easy time against Hopkins, and would make him look old and over the hill. I’d rate Kessler as a level above Jermain Taylor, and we witnessed already how Taylor was too big, fast and powerful for Hopkins to beat. Against Kessler, it would be much worse, and Calzaghe is keen enough to see it as well.
Hopkins’ trainer Nazim Richardson, is particularly interested in fighting the winner of Jones vs. Trinidad, and would like for Hopkins to retire after that bout. As you would guess, it appears that Richardson wants Hopkins to go out on a winning note, and knows that Calzaghe would be a bit more than Hopkins could handle at this stage in his career. Calzaghe, however, is almost obsessed with Hopkins, wanting to badly get a win over him to add to his resume.
Calzaghe needs to back off and let him be, that way Hopkins will turn around. Believe me, when Hopkins wants to fight a particular fighter, he’s the one that makes the effort to make the fight happen, and I think it’s perhaps either scaring him to see Calzaghe so interested or he’s trying to milk it for what it’s worth. The bout, however, has little interest to most boxing fans, many of which see it for what it is – a big payday for Calzaghe.
There’s little suspense, because most people are wise enough to look at the two fighters age difference, as well as their offensive style, and correctly come to the conclusion that it’s going to be a cake walk for Calzaghe. For his part, Calzaghe is blind to all of that and only sees Hopkins name, thinking that it will somehow make him more relevant as a fighter. What he doesn’t understand is that know one will give him much credit if he beats Hopkins, because of Bernard’s advanced age.
The way it will be looked at is that Calzaghe beat an old man, and it won’t impress anyone other than himself. I see Calzaghe ending up disappointed when he doesn’t get the positive press that he assumes he’s going to get after beating Hopkins.
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