BLH Fight Day & Night: Hopkins-Calzaghe, Bell-Adamek, Diaconu-Henry
It's a big day at Bad Left Hook. We're going to cover three fights today -- Diaconu-Henry starting at 1:30 PM ET on DonKingTV.com, Bell-Adamek starting at 6:00 PM ET on ESPN Classic, and Hopkins-Calzaghe starting at 9:45 ET on HBO. Join us for all day boxing fight coverage, scoring, and all-around good times.
MAIN EVENT
For The Ring Magazine Light Heavyweight Title
9:45 PM ET - HBO
BERNARD HOPKINS
Ring Magazine Light Heavyweight Champion
(48-4-1, 32 KO, Philadelphia, PA)
versus
JOE CALZAGHE
Ring Magazine/WBC/WBA/WBO Super Middleweight Champion
(44-0, 32 KO, Newbridge, Wales)
IBF Cruiserweight Title Eliminator
6:00 PM ET - ESPN Classic
O'NEIL BELL
Ring Magazine No. 3 Contender
(26-2-1, Atlanta, GA)
versus
TOMASZ ADAMEK
(33-1, 22 KO, Gilowice, Poland)
For the Interim WBC Light Heavyweight Title
1:30 PM ET - DonKingTV.com
ADRIAN DIACONU
Ring Magazine No. 8 Contender
(24-0, 15 KO, Montreal, PQ, by way of Ploesti-Prahova, Romania)
versus
CHRIS HENRY
Ring Magazine No. 10 Contender
(21-0, 17 KO, Houston, TX)
Picks:
Calzaghe UD Hopkins -- tough fight
Bell TKO-7 Adamek -- Bell's power overwhelms
Diaconu UD Henry -- think this'll be an exciting fight, and I do think Henry has a good chance
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Comments
Prediction
No in all seriousness, Hopkins by UD or Calzaghe by controversial Decision. However, I am leaning much more towards Hopkins.
by CRAZEDANG1280 on Apr 19, 2008 9:50 AM EDT 0 recs
still haven't gotten to Diaconu-Henry
by SC on Apr 19, 2008 3:21 PM EDT 0 recs
pretty good fight
by SC on Apr 19, 2008 3:30 PM EDT 0 recs
Glen Johnson's on commentary
by SC on Apr 19, 2008 3:31 PM EDT 0 recs
Diaconu-Henry in moments
by SC on Apr 19, 2008 3:34 PM EDT 0 recs
can't hear Sheridan over the music at all
by SC on Apr 19, 2008 3:44 PM EDT 0 recs
man
by SC on Apr 19, 2008 3:46 PM EDT 0 recs
Asked same question
by CRAZEDANG1280 on
Apr 19, 2008 3:54 PM EDT
up
0 recs
excellent
Now a playing of "O Canada"? Man, come on. Let's fight. I'm stoked that Hopkins and Calzaghe decided to not play the anthems. I mean, I get it and all, but it really has nothing to do with anything.
by SC on Apr 19, 2008 3:49 PM EDT 0 recs
My Eyes
by CRAZEDANG1280 on Apr 19, 2008 3:51 PM EDT 0 recs
Mike Griffin is the ref
by SC on Apr 19, 2008 3:51 PM EDT 0 recs
Diaconu-Henry R1
First half of the round is very much a feeling-out process. Henry wants to jab, and then go to the right hand, and Diaconu looks like he wants to work OFF of the power shots. Diaconu with a nice flurry, but Henry survives just fine and fires back with a good right hand.
Chopping right by Henry misses, and two more rights miss after that. Diaconu misses a couple. Once someone really lands some of these shots that are being thrown, it's going to blow up.
Henry's boxing out-did Diaconu this round.
Henry 10-9
by SC on Apr 19, 2008 3:56 PM EDT 0 recs
Diaconu-Henry R2
Nice right from Diaconu, and Henry comes back with one. There's some more from Diaconu including a good body shot. There's a right from Henry over the top, and he goes back to the jab. Diaconu has a mouse under his right eye.
Body shot from Henry follows a shot upstairs from Diaconu. Henry eats a very solid right hand and that one might have hurt him a little. Shot to the body. Henry with a nice jab.
Diaconu with a low shot, borderline, and gets a warning. This one was Diaconu's round, clearly.
Diaconu 10-9
19-19
Oh right, this fight has the dreaded open scoring. Ugh.
by SC on Apr 19, 2008 4:00 PM EDT 0 recs
Diaconu-Henry R3
Jab, jab, right hand misses by Henry. That was his corner instruction. Jab and throw the right hand or the uppercut. Henry is doing the stalking in this fight. Diaconu with a hard right hand that hurts Henry, and "The Shark" smells blood. Henry survives again. One of those rights that he's getting hit with are going to put him down if he doesn't adjust. Diaconu has landed that same punch two or three times, and that time was big.
Diaconu 10-9 -- not just the bigger punches, but he neutralized Henry for most of the round
Diaconu 29-28
by SC on Apr 19, 2008 4:04 PM EDT 0 recs
B.A.D.
by CRAZEDANG1280 on Apr 19, 2008 4:08 PM EDT 0 recs
re:
by SC on
Apr 19, 2008 4:09 PM EDT
up
0 recs
Diaconu-Henry R4
Diaconu flurries again with some good shots, totally outdoing Henry, landing square shots with power. Wild right misses for Diaconu. His round again.
Diaconu 10-9
Diaconu 39-37
by SC on Apr 19, 2008 4:08 PM EDT 0 recs
Diaconu-Henry R5
Henry caught with a counter left and stopped in his tracks again. I don't know why Henry isn't trying to adjust yet and get something else working. Maybe force Diaconu to come to him and try to counter-punch the way he was doing in the first round. Diaconu, of course, probably saw that himself and adjusted. But Henry is losing this fight right now, and the undertow that's pulling him down isn't slowing.
Well, there's the uppercut, finally, and Henry is starting to catch him. Lots of booing from the crowd, which only means that Henry is winning the round, really. Diaconu complained about low shots, I think. Nope -- behind the head shot.
A Henry round. Inching closer to even.
Henry 10-9
Diaconu 48-47
by SC on Apr 19, 2008 4:12 PM EDT 0 recs
Diaconu-Henry R6
Heads collide, doesn't look like anything comes out of it.
Henry goes to work to the body, pinning Diaconu against the ropes. Good body shot when they get back to the center of the ring. Diaconu warned for a low blow now.
Left hook and a right to the body by Diaconu. Henry missing straight rights, and now Diaconu loads up on two rights upstairs. Mostly blocked, by those are big shots anyway. Heads collide again slightly. Again, nothing big.
Digging right to the body by Henry, and some uppercuts that mostly miss. Diaconu fires back, and these two are FIGHTING this round. That early Diaconu shot turned this round into a brawl.
Diaconu 10-9
Diaconu 58-56
by SC on Apr 19, 2008 4:16 PM EDT 0 recs
Diaconu-Henry R7
Bob Sheridan tries to explain the light heavyweight title picture to us, which makes him sound bad because it's all pretty stupid, and at no point have they mentioned Bernard Hopkins.
Henry is chipping away at Diaconu and may have hurt him, because Adrian isn't fighting as hard right now. Holy Lord, Chris Henry swings with a massive right hand and misses.
Henry fights back with another good round and keeps this one close. He needs to put together round after round.
Henry 10-9
Diaconu 67-66
I think Bob Sheridan and myself have the same exact score, which is a big improvement on his Spinks-Phillips card.
by SC on Apr 19, 2008 4:21 PM EDT 0 recs
That sucks
by CRAZEDANG1280 on Apr 19, 2008 4:22 PM EDT 0 recs
Diaconu-Henry R8
45 seconds to go and Henry would need some huge shots to win this round. Instead, Diaconu tags him with a wicked left to the body and a searing shot upstairs. And again, he steals momentum right back from Chris Henry. Two big rights and a flurry send Henry staggering into the bell.
Whoa, Diaconu nails him a couple times after the bell, but I don't think you can blame him. Griffin didn't get proper control of the situation, and I doubt they heard the bell over the crowd.
Sheridan thinks it was a 10-8 round. I can't say the same, but I could see it. And I'm liberal with my 10-8 rounds.
Diaconu 10-9
Diaconu 77-75
by SC on Apr 19, 2008 4:25 PM EDT 0 recs
Diaconu-Henry R9
The one thing I don't like about The Colonel is he tends to call a fight based on nothing BUT his scorecard. Which is why he had such an awful night with Spinks-Phillips. He was seeing a fight that apparently no one else did.
Open scores: 78-74, 77-75, 78-74 all for Diaconu. God I hate open scoring.
What I'm saying is that Sheridan is harping on the idea that Henry NEEDS to knock Diaconu down. Not really. It'd certainly be a good idea, but Bob thinks his 77-74 card is definitive.
Diaconu hits the mat on...something. This is getting pretty sloppy on his part. Honestly, he looks pretty tired. And I think Henry took this round in a nice comeback. End of the round, Henry comes on strong.
Really crap round for Diaconu. I'm wondering about his conditioning to be frank. Henry does hit hard enough to knock him out.
Henry 10-9
Diaconu 86-85
by SC on Apr 19, 2008 4:29 PM EDT 0 recs
Diaconu-Henry R10
Time called to fix Henry's glove.
And with that, the stream goes black.
by SC on Apr 19, 2008 4:33 PM EDT 0 recs
so that's great
by SC on Apr 19, 2008 4:36 PM EDT 0 recs
yeah they're having all kinds of problems
by SC on Apr 19, 2008 4:38 PM EDT 0 recs
actually
Guess we won't be finishing Diaconu-Henry.
by SC on Apr 19, 2008 4:39 PM EDT 0 recs
It's the Bell/Adamek undercard
by schraubd on Apr 19, 2008 4:47 PM EDT 0 recs
wow
by SC on
Apr 19, 2008 4:52 PM EDT
up
0 recs
I wonder when we'll figure out who won?
by schraubd on Apr 19, 2008 4:54 PM EDT 0 recs
I know right?
by SC on
Apr 19, 2008 5:00 PM EDT
up
0 recs
Screwed the Fans
by CRAZEDANG1280 on Apr 19, 2008 5:10 PM EDT 0 recs
come on, man
Don King deserves a lot of credit for presenting these fights for free. He took a major hit to the wallet for Spinks-Phillips (I'd expect partially because nobody came to see it) and he bought the rights to Diaconu-Henry, a good, interesting fight, to give back to fight fans. I can't begrudge the dude in this case.
by SC on
Apr 19, 2008 5:12 PM EDT
up
0 recs
re:
by SC on
Apr 19, 2008 5:26 PM EDT
up
0 recs
do they have any commentary for this?
by SC on Apr 19, 2008 6:04 PM EDT 0 recs
Fight
by Matt Miller on Apr 19, 2008 6:08 PM EDT 0 recs
wow, this is terrible so far, too
Not a great day for production.
by SC on Apr 19, 2008 6:11 PM EDT 0 recs
uuh
Come the fuck on. I understand a webcast, but this is bush league.
by SC on Apr 19, 2008 6:12 PM EDT 0 recs
This sucks
And I'm a big Adamek fan too. Bummer.
by Matt Miller on Apr 19, 2008 6:12 PM EDT 0 recs
Bell-Adamek R1
Feeling out for a minute, both guys look loose. Right to the body from Bell. Right-left combo from Adamek, Bell hits the canvas! His knee touched, and there he went. Being out for a year could have something to do with that.
So that's a knockdown for Adamek, but Bell not hurt much.
Big right from Adamek, he seems by far the sharper of the two right now. Bell doesn't look comfortable offensively.
Adamek 10-8
by SC on Apr 19, 2008 6:18 PM EDT 0 recs
Bell-Adamek R2
Now they mix it up a little with Adamek going to the body. Adamek with a left hook, Bell counters with a right. This hasn't popped off yet, Adamek is controlling the pace of the fight with a more refined style. Right from Adamek. He's totally dictating this fight. Bell isn't getting anything going at all. I still like his power, but he's going to have to land it.
Bell tries to load up with Adamek against the ropes, but nothing big. Bell looks flustered.
Adamek 10-9
Adamek 20-17
by SC on Apr 19, 2008 6:22 PM EDT 0 recs
Bell-Adamek R3
There they mix up, and Bell lands what I see as the harder blow, a shot between the gloves that countered a good body shot from Tomasz.
Much more chess match-y than I expected and hoped for, but this matchup is still volatile. Bell will eventually press hard. After a year off and some bad business moves, he badly needs this win.
Bell is taking this round before Adamek lands a sharp left hand, then pops him with a right. Close round, and Bell finally looked like he got a sense of himself in there.
Bell 10-9
Adamek 29-27
by SC on Apr 19, 2008 6:27 PM EDT 0 recs
Bell-Adamek R4
Adamek slips, back to their feet.
Adamek picks off a left hook, and hits Bell with a couple of decent shots, including a stiff jab. Body shot from Bell near the ropes, but that's all that comes of it. Bell with a long right that doesn't quite get home.
If this keeps up, Adamek is going to wind up running away with this fight on the cards. He's boxing very well from a tactical standpoint, and he's actively keeping O'Neil Bell out of the fight.
Adamek 10-9
Adamek 39-36
by SC on Apr 19, 2008 6:30 PM EDT 0 recs
Bell-Adamek R5
Adamek eats a right, but lands two very good left hooks. Bell again tries to get aggressive, and Adamek quells his advances. Right from Bell as he gets backed into a corner, and Adamek wisely gets away.
Adamek isn't boxing scared of Bell's power. It's not that. He's just completely taking it out of the equation. Bell has not landed one BIG punch in this fight. This is good stuff from Tomasz Adamek. I wasn't sure if he'd really work at cruiser, but if this is any indication, he'll be just fine.
Adamek closes a round he was winning with another good right hand. Bell will need to find answers, and fast.
Adamek 10-9
Adamek 49-45
by SC on Apr 19, 2008 6:35 PM EDT 0 recs
The fight
by CRAZEDANG1280 on Apr 19, 2008 6:36 PM EDT 0 recs
re:
by SC on
Apr 19, 2008 6:39 PM EDT
up
0 recs
Bell-Adamek R6
Adamek with an uppercut. I was reluctant to say so, but after that uppercut and then two left hooks, he is just outclassing O'Neil Bell right now.
Body shot from Bell, but that's all he gets. Adamek stumbles again, then comes back out and keeps ducking long, slow punches from Bell. Bell is starting to just look bad against Adamek. If this keeps up, it's back to the drawing board for Bell, who's not a young man anymore and has singed if not burned a few bridges in his day.
Adamek is winning this with genuine ease. He's not getting hit, scoring with his punches, and keeping Bell from doing a single thing of note.
Adamek 10-9
Adamek 59-54
by SC on Apr 19, 2008 6:39 PM EDT 0 recs
Bell-Adamek R7
Honestly, I can't figure out what Bell and corner are hoping to do with this. They have to do something different, because Adamek is running away wtih this thing.
Adamek with more nice shots, right to the head and a left hook. Adamek wins another round. This was a great round for him.
Adamek 10-9
Adamek 69-63
by SC on Apr 19, 2008 6:42 PM EDT 0 recs
is Bell quitting?
He has just quit. He wouldn't even look the referee in the eye.
Terrible, terrible fight for O'Neil Bell. That might be the end of the road for him. This was a horrendous performance by Bell.
He was considering moving to heavyweight -- that might be his only route anymore.
by SC on Apr 19, 2008 6:44 PM EDT 0 recs
quite disappointing
Tomasz Adamek TKO-7
by SC on Apr 19, 2008 6:45 PM EDT 0 recs
Hmm
I've been a big fan of Adamek's since Kevin and I watched him with his Polish fan base at Rosemont in Chicago on the Valuev/Barrett undercard. The energy was contagious, and the fight far outshone the main event, a predictable KO for Valuev. Adamek was outstanding, a warrior's balance of heart and technique, with credible power and good work rate. Kevin and I both walked out new fans, so I'm glad to see him back in the saddle with this big win. Here's hoping the Dawson fight was a fluke. Go Adamek!
by Matt Miller on Apr 19, 2008 7:50 PM EDT 0 recs
Yeah I like Tomasz too
by SC on
Apr 19, 2008 7:58 PM EDT
up
0 recs
Hopkins-Calzaghe about to go live on HBO!
by SC on Apr 19, 2008 9:46 PM EDT 0 recs
Indeed
by Matt Miller on
Apr 19, 2008 9:50 PM EDT
up
0 recs
still waiting for the intros and all
Here we go with the announcements.
Oh, man, I thought they were going to not do the anthems?
by SC on Apr 19, 2008 10:06 PM EDT 0 recs
we get Ray J.?
by SC on Apr 19, 2008 10:09 PM EDT 0 recs
thank you, Michael Buffer
Although the lineal connection is debatable. Technically Zsolt Erdei has that.
by SC on Apr 19, 2008 10:16 PM EDT 0 recs
judges:
Adalaide Byrd
Chuck Giampa
Ref is, of course, Joe Cortez. Good team.
by SC on Apr 19, 2008 10:16 PM EDT 0 recs
Hopkins-Calzaghe R1
Hopkins comes in with his head down to shoot at the body, and he does it again. They tie up violently and scrap before Cortez breaks them up.
RIGHT HAND BERNARD HOPKINS
JOE CALZAGHE GOES DOWN
Right on the button. Wow!
Joe will need to keep his head. We've seen that before from Joe, as Max and Jim note.
Joe is not getting off at all. ANOTHER quick, straight right hand from Bernard. Joe misses a lunging left hook. Calzaghe is just not punching much at all. They tie up again.
More dancing, Joe throwing a punch at a time, and again they clinch. Blood on Calzaghe's nose.
Well -- that told us something, didn't it? Manny says Calzaghe might've won the round without a knockdown. He wouldn't have.
Hopkins 10-8
by SC on Apr 19, 2008 10:23 PM EDT 0 recs
Hate to say it....
by CRAZEDANG1280 on Apr 19, 2008 10:23 PM EDT 0 recs
Hopkins-Calzaghe R2
Another clinch that Cortez has to break up.
Left from Calzaghe, Bernard fires back with a right, and they tie up again.
And they tie up again.
Hopkins pops Calzaghe, another straight right, and they tie up again.
Left from Joe, right from Bernard, and now they trade some. They tie up again. This is getting ugly. It's not fightless clinching, but it's a lot of clinching, as one would expect. Bernard wants nothing to do with a punch trade, and I'll tell you what, Joe is winning this round.
Joe gets warned for a low blow. Looked very accidental since it came from Hopkins aggressively forcing a clinch.
And they clinch again. Bernard is not letting this be a fight. That's Bernard Hopkins. One of Calzaghe's missions in beating Hopkins is finding a way out of that.
Calzaghe 10-9
Hopkins 19-18
by SC on Apr 19, 2008 10:27 PM EDT 0 recs
Hopkins-Calzaghe R3
Hopkins with three rights to the body before Cortez intervenes on the clinch. It's going to be tough for me to score these rounds for Bernard with the way he's fighting. I mean, I know that's him, but Calzaghe is trying to fight him, you know?
Hopkins is landing better punches, though. He got in an uppercut in another clinch, and every time Joe starts letting the leather fly, Bernard cuts him off with a hug if he has to.
Calzaghe throws some stuff, Bernard goes to the body a couple times, and they tie up again.
And they tie up again.
Lead right by Hopkins misses, they tie up again. What I'm seeing here is an even fight, a totally mental fight, that is slowly starting to lean Calzaghe's way.
Hopkins eats a couple lefts in the clinch, and Cortez warns Joe. Now both land in a short exchange, Calzaghe getting the better of it.
Even through three on my card.
Calzaghe 10-9
28-28
by SC on Apr 19, 2008 10:31 PM EDT 0 recs
Hopkins-Calzaghe R4
Lead right from Bernard doesn't land. He comes in again moments later and eats a flurry to the body from Calzaghe before again clinching and disrupting the rhythm.
Joe with some more hand speed stuff, and I think he's starting to find his swagger a bit.
Calzaghe tied up again, and there's the rough stuff. Joe Cortez stops the fight momentarily to read both the riot act and threaten DQs.
Calzaghe drops his hands to dare him to come in. Getting Bernard overconfident mgiht be the best thign Joe can do.
Hopkins comes off the ropes with counter punches, Joe lands some slapping stuff. Bernard is landing better shots. This is a really interesting fight.
Three punch combo by Calzaghe, and a Bernard counter right falls short. Now they're fighting a little bit near the corner.
Short left catches Hopkins at the bell. Another close round, and I still like where this is gong for Calzaghe. He's landing more punches. A lot more, in fact.
Calzaghe 10-9
Calzaghe 38-37
by SC on Apr 19, 2008 10:35 PM EDT 0 recs
Hopkins-Calzaghe R5
Couple of quick shots by Calzaghe. Three punches in the corner, and then a shot with Hopkins against the ropes, a nice left hand.
Calzaghe's speed is starting to make a big difference. Bernard ties him up before it can get too bad, but when Joe gets a chance to throw those punches, they're landing, and they're scoring. Calzaghe is too fast for Hopkins. We all knew that.
Right to the body by Hopkins, but too little to win the round. Calzaghe's getting on a roll. He pops him with a hard left just before the bell.
Calzaghe 10-9
Calzaghe 48-46
by SC on Apr 19, 2008 10:39 PM EDT 0 recs
Hopkins-Calzaghe R6
Calzaghe's left is now pretty consistently landing to the head. Bernard with a quick flurry, but Calzaghe shimmies away from getting hurt by anything.
Calzaghe has all the momentum. He's scoring and Hopkins is not. Counter left from Hopkins.
Joe with a big flurry of leather toward the end of the round, and Cortez basically tosses him aside to pull him away at the bell. He was winning a close round and put emphasis on it at the end.
Man, Hopkins is breathing really heavy in the corner.
Calzaghe 10-9
Calzaghe 58-55
by SC on Apr 19, 2008 10:43 PM EDT 0 recs


