Calzaghe v Hopkins
Calzaghe Hopes to Hop over Hatton's Heartache in Vegas
Las Vegas, USA, Joe Calzaghe v Bernard Hopkins (light-heavyweight). Sunday 20 April from 0300 BST.
Little will be stirring in Britain at 3am on Sunday morning, but across the pond in the furnace of Las Vegas the UK's finest boxer of his generation will be taking on one of America's most feared fighters.
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Hatton, however, has backed his compatriot to go a step further, telling BBC Sport: "Joe can't do any wrong in my eyes - as a boxer he's the complete package. Whether the fight be in Wales or America, Joe is just the better man."
The Italian Dragon – Calzaghe is half Welsh and half Italian – is current WBO, WBC, WBA and Ring Magazine world super middleweight champion – and is now taking on Hopkins at light heavyweight level. While the Newport-based boxer's record across 44 fights is flawless, making him the longest reigning title holder in any class, no greater challenge will face him than the man who ruled as undisputed middleweight champion for a full ten years, losing only four times and drawing once while notching up 48 victories.
A second career draw for Hopkins is 18/1, but the hard-hitting fighter will be aiming to deal out some of the same treatment to Calzaghe as to his previous southpaw victims: the pride of Philly has recorded wins over former world champions and left-handers Antonio Tarver and Ronald "Winky" Wright in his last two fights.
Meanwhile Hatton's surrender in Vegas will be hanging over the Welshman, with Hopkins 8/1 to consign Calzaghe to Hatton's tenth round Las Vegas fate by winning on KO or TKO.
But for Calzaghe the prospect of following in Hatton's footsteps is in fact an incentive. He said: "Seeing Ricky getting thousands of fans on the other side of the world was incredible and gave me a real buzz. I wanted to get a bit of that before I retired because it is the only thing missing from my record.
"After I beat Mikkel Kessler I thought, 'How am I going to better this moment?' I wanted something that got me excited and going out and watching Hatton was something I loved. I'm going outside my comfort zone. He's a 'golden boy' fighter so I have to not just go in there and win, but I have go in there and dominate and that is a difficult task against Hopkins."
Calzaghe was pushed to the limit last time out in his 21st defence of his WBO belt against great Dane Mikkel Kessler, winning over 12 thanks to a strong performance in the middle rounds: odds of 11/1 have 4-6 as the winning group of rounds in Calzaghe's favour this time, while 10/1 puts rounds 7-9 in the Welshman's grasp.
His last bout against an American came in his previous fight at the Millenium Stadium, where reality TV star-turned-boxer Peter Manfredo Jr was beaten by the third round: he is 33/1 to hit Hopkins with a round three victory, but at 4/5 is more likely to beat the American over the long haul on points.
Can Calzaghe crown his career by crushing Hopkins in Vegas?
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