Calzaghe's king of Las Vegas

Apr 20 2008 by Delme Parfitt in Las Vegas, Media Wales

Hopkins on Calzaghe

BERNARD HOPKINS launched into one of his infamous rants after his defeat to Joe Calzaghe, saying that the decision was an injustice.

Hopkins could not bring himself to give Calzaghe a shred of credit in the aftermath and claimed that he had not been hurt at all throughout the 12 rounds.

Some of his spiel had the audience of journalists squirming at times, as the American began to sound like a spoilt child.

His first line of argument was that his facial features were completely undamaged and so he could not possibly have taken enough punishment to warrant defeat.

But he failed to notice that the only marks on Calzaghe’s face were those from the butts he threw while the pair were at close quarters, a tactic referee Joe Cortez failed to clamp down on.

Hopkins swanned on stage and opened up by cracking: "I’ve been having my picture taken for the front cover of a magazine!"

He then claimed that deeper analysis of the fight on television would convince people he was the true victor.

"People can sit back and analyse it themselves and all I can say is look at me," he continued.

"Do I look like I have been in a fight? I feel good.

"I should look like the elephant man right now if he landed more than 200 punches. It’s common sense I shouldn’t look like this."

And he flat out refused to accept his role as the beaten fighter, showing an appalling lack of dignity and justifying Calzaghe’s labelling of his attitude later as "sour grapes".

"Can’t you offer Joe any credit whatsoever?" asked one exasperated London-based journalist.

"No I can not," replied Hopkins, "because I don’t believe I lost the fight."

He added: "I believe I won the fight decisively.

"Yes, I got beat but it wasn’t by Joe Calzaghe and I can deal with that because there’s nothing I can do about it.

"You saw a craftsman at work tonight, I fought like a young man when I am 43."

While Hopkins tired visibly against the Calzaghe barrage as the fight wore on, he dismissed suggestions of tiredness.

"I wasn’t slowing down I was pacing myself because that is what my trainer Freddie Roach told me to do," he said.

"Our plan was to have him run into my shots and I think that worked.

"I think I made it look easy and that I controlled the pace and the style of the fight.

"To me it was an old school execution.

"I don’t think he landed with many of his shots at all, if he threw five or six and only landed with one or two he was lucky.

"If you call that landing shots then that’s up to you.

"The fans know what happened, I took him to school and made him fight my fight.

"He wasn’t in my league I made him look like an amateur.

"I don’t blame Joe because he is not the judges, but he got a decision in the United States after a knockdown.

"I would never have got that in Wales, never in a million years. That should tell you something."

If you have tired of Hopkins’ version of things then you will not have to put up with it for longer.

He says he is now off for an extended break away from boxing.

"Now maybe I will sit back and enjoy life," he said.

"Trust me, I am fine. I have been through so much in my personal life that I can deal with this.

"I’m off to enjoy some time with my eight-year-old daughter in my new house that I haven’t been able to enjoy because I have been away in camp."