Boxing Breakfast: Pacquiao Confirms Marquez, Cleverly Wants Hopkins
by Scott Christ on May 24, 2011 5:00 AM EDT
in Boxing News Analysis
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Nathan Cleverly Wants Hopkins in Wales
Gareth A Davies reports that WBO light heavyweight titleholder Nathan Cleverly is very serious about targeting divisional kingpin and boxing legend Bernard Hopkins for within the next year, and he wants to have the fight in Wales at Millennium Stadium:
"Joe Calzaghe fought Bernard Hopkins and I’ve looked up to Joe throughout my career. I sparred hundreds and hundreds of rounds with Joe and he beat Hopkins in the United States. I’d like to bring Hopkins to Wales and beat him there," said 24-year-old Cleverly.
Cleverly (22-0, 11 KO) beat late sub Aleksy Kuziemski on Saturday on the DeGale vs Groves undercard, but as sharp as he looked, didn't really impress. Cleverly has a bright future, but he's a long way off from being able to deal with someone like Hopkins. Kuziemsky, Antonio Brancalion, Nadjib Mohammedi and Karo Murat are not quite on B-Hop's level. It would be an enormous step up -- and Clev is also a long way off from being Joe Calzaghe, too. Calzaghe was one of the few in recent memory who had the mental game to deal with Bernard. Cleverly probably doesn't.
Pacquiao Confirms Marquez Trilogy, David Diaz Back in Marquez Picture
Although Manny Pacquiao has yet to put pen to paper and sign the deal, he told the Philippine Daily Inquirer that the fight is on for this November. Pacquiao still has to come to terms with Top Rank for the fight, but all of that is, again, just a formality at this point.
Ernesto Castellanos also reports that Marquez's July tune-up is still set, and that despite reports of money being a major issue, David Diaz is still the name being discussed.
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Fight Chatter
- Omar Chavez is back this weekend, main eventing in a 10-rounder on Fox Deportes (U.S.) and Azteca (Mexico). Chavez will fight Genaro Tranzancos (22-14-1, 13 KO). The 21-year-old Chavez is training with his brother Julio Cesar Jr at the Wild Card now.
- Former cruiserweight champion O'Neil Bell is back in action on June 4 against Richard Hall in Florida. Bell, now 36, hasn't fought since his lackluster 2008 loss to Tomasz Adamek. Treat this tentatively. Cedric Boswell will fight Kertson Manswell on the same card.
- Jo Jo Dan is looking to fight Joel Julio to earn the right to face WBC welterweight titlist Victor Ortiz. The current mandatory for Ortiz is Selcuk Aydin, but he's been waiting for that mandatory shot since winning it in July 2009.
Song of the Day
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Hey Calzaghe fought the best
right at the end and when they were past their prime maybe, but then he was right at the end of his career too. And what Hopkins has done since makes his win over him look pretty good….
"I live what you talk. I Live What You Talk.'’ (Bernard Hopkins)
Eeeeeh
A few at the end of his career, but there were a lot of top guys he never fought, and he had about a five year stretch where he outright avoided any challenging fights.
Bad Left Hook - The SB Nation boxing blog
"Baseball is played on the field, not on a calculator."
aaaaah
well, there were issues with his hands which meant he had to pull out of a couple and also travelling issues – I don’t remember many being That keen to come over to Wales to hand it to him (aside from Glen Johnson, if I remember correctly).
I definitely don’t think there was any outright avoidance of challenging fights….its going to be pretty sad if history see it that way.
"I live what you talk. I Live What You Talk.'’ (Bernard Hopkins)
True Brian
Apparently his hands were done after the Eubank fight. Even after the surgery he was told not to box. So, he didn’t do too badly in the end :)
I reckon Clev would put up a good show over Hopkins, but he’s too much if a sly old dog at this stage, I believe by the time Clev would have a chance, Hops will have retired.
by Phill on May 24, 2011 1:34 PM EDT via mobile up reply actions
Yeah the B-hops win was pretty special
in Hindsight
Almost as big as the Peter Manfredo JR win…..
by Sweet science on May 24, 2011 5:45 PM EDT up reply actions
Calzaghe
is by no means a favourite fighter of mine and there are definitely points to be criticised regarding his record but his fights with Hopkins, Kessler, Eubank, Reid, Lacy, Mitchell, Brewer, Woodhall, etc were all good to excellent quality wins against top 10 ranked 168lb fighters at the time, as far as i know.
He didn’t fight Jones at his peak and maybe one or two others and i think there’s a good chance he would have lost his 0 if he was in the Super 6, up against the likes of Andre Ward.
There’s also a good chance he would win it aswell though, imo.
Sven Ottke ducked him, as far as i remember, and in the fight after Byron Mitchell took Ottke to a SD, Calzaghe KO’d him in two.
Like i said, i wasn’t a big fan of his style, mainly through the sometimes slapping style, but that had a lot to do with hand injuries,as has been mentioned.
But i respect what he acheived as undisputed champion and his fighting heart. Whenever he went down or encoutered adversity, he always came back stronger.
I had him losing to Hopkins though. :)
Oh by of course he is a great fighter
I think what most makes me… Bitter (for want of a better word) is the way he lauded the win over Jones.
by Sweet science on May 24, 2011 6:42 PM EDT up reply actions
Although I believe Calzhage would have embrassed him
Maybe not now (if a comeback is any way realistic)
by Sweet science on May 24, 2011 6:45 PM EDT up reply actions
definitely
although it always made me laugh when he said he would have knocked him out…yeah, probably not Joe. But a 12 round clinic….
"I live what you talk. I Live What You Talk.'’ (Bernard Hopkins)
LOL Matt
As usual a very fair and balanced post. Id never knock Joe’s will to win , his endurance or his smarts but his resume for a so called great sucks the bat LOL Eubanks was an old man with losing form when he fought Joe. Steve Collins had already beaten him twice. Robin Reid lost to Sugar Boy Malinga 2 fights before he faced Calzaghe. Byron Mitchell lost to Ottke then faced Calzaghe. Richie Woodhall had been outpointed by Markus Beyer two fights before he faced Calzaghe.( The feather fisted German knocked Woodhall down twice). Charles Brewer had already lost twice to Ottke and had been kayoed in 3 by Antoine Echolls before he faced Calzaghe. Every one of Calzaghes so called good wins were in fact fights against people coming off a loss. The Kessler win is the only one with some real merit and look what Ward did to the Dane. Smoke and Mirrors fellas …….. Cheers Everyone , rant over LMAO
I think Eubank had picked up a couple of wins after losing to Collins, the second time, which was a SD and very close on all 3 cards. he was a lot more experienced than Joe, who came through his first major test brilliantly, I thought. He was past his prime, but Calzaghe was relatively unproven at the time.
I think the Hopkins win has merit, as I said below, and the Lacy fight, as just because he broke him mentally and was never the same since, doesn’t mean that before the fight Lacy wasn’t rated by most as a clear favorite over Calzaghe and was never a decent fighter at all. He ruined him. The rest, especially with your breakown above, looks a little thin…..but it is what it is, I guess :)
"I live what you talk. I Live What You Talk.'’ (Bernard Hopkins)
No Maybes, they were past their primes Brian
Calzaghe got what I consider a gift against Hopkins and wouldnt give him a rematch, preferring to fight Roy Jones who had already been ktfo by Antonio Tarver and Glenn Johnson. Roy had lost 3 of his last 6 fights prior to facing Calzaghe. As one of Hopkins biggest fans I’d rate his prime around the time he stopped Glenn Johnson in 1997 . BHops was 31 years old . Hopkins looked phenomenal in that one . The last fight Hops looked absolutely near his best was against Trinidad in 2001. He fought Calzaghe at age 43 LMAO .
well
I agree on Jones, I never thought that was any sort of a good win and Jones’s record before and after the fight show that.
The Hopkins fight was an ugly fight and you can’t really blame him for taking an easier mark and name in Jones. I don’t think it was a gift decision, and if there had been enough of a ruckus over the scoring (like with Pascal, for example, where I thought he clearly won) then he may well have gotten his rematch. And sure, Hopkins was past his prime, but then Calzaghe wasn’t a spring chicken then either. And Hopkins’ wins over Pavlik and Pascal so long after show that Joe still beat a great fighter at the time.
"I live what you talk. I Live What You Talk.'’ (Bernard Hopkins)
True Enough
He did beat a great fighter in Hopkins , if an old one. Its a shame for whatever reasons Joe didnt face better competition , especially for a 5 year stretch where he fought crap. He’s not on his own in that regard mate. Its a modern curse. I would’nt call most of Mayweathers or even Manny recent fights " fighting the best" either. UK fighters are in the same boat as Aussie fighters. If they win some alphabet strap they can sit at home and make " defences" against very average opposition.Hopkins has never had that luxury or a big fanbase. Thats one of the reasons why I like Hopkins so much. His resume in the last 6 years is pretty amazing for an old bloke as well.Joe should have given him a rematch in Wales or London ;-) Good onya mate.
RE: Mundine and Green
Granted Michael Katsidis mixes in world class regularly but most of our top names like Froch, Khan and Haye (to a lesser extent) face world class opposition pretty regularly.
As did
Ricky Hatton and Lennox Lewis. The way Calzaghe acted with his title at times gave Brit fighters a bad name, and some of the others are like that.
But a lot of them have mixed it with the best and io don’t think it’s as bad for that kind of thing over here now as it used to be..
you could almost
with the way Burns is going with his defences ;)
"I live what you talk. I Live What You Talk.'’ (Bernard Hopkins)
yeah
it would have looked better if he gave him a rematch, and got even another disputed decision win over Hopkins than a badly faded RJJ. Agree on Hopkins resume, too.
I think also Joe realised that his ability to take a punch was going – he had a real scare against Hopkins and RJJ dropped him harder than that, so he got out at the right time. I hope Bernard also picks the right time before he starts going downhill, if that ever happens?! .
"I live what you talk. I Live What You Talk.'’ (Bernard Hopkins)
Haha I read that title as Pacquaio confirming his fight with Marquez and then calling out Bernard Hopkins in a clever manner.
Not that I condone facism or any ism for that matter. Isms are in my opinion, not good. A person shouldn't believe in an ism, he should believe in himself.
I quote John Lennon, "I don't believe in Beatles, I just believe in me". Good point there, after all he was the walrus. I could be the walrus. Wouldn't change the fact I have to bum rides off of people.
If clev had problems with Djib's slipperiness
Hopkins would dominate him
Bad Left Hook - The SB Nation boxing blog
"Baseball is played on the field, not on a calculator."
by Brickhaus on May 24, 2011 9:51 AM EDT via mobile reply actions
He also had trouble with Courtney Fry’s style, which is somewhat similar to Djib. Hopkins is an atrocious style match up for Clev, I think.
"Occasionally, there is a boxing match that, in its demonstration of skill, courage, intelligence, hope, seems to redeem the sport - almost. Perhaps boxing has always been a sport in crisis, a sport of crisis."
by Oli Goldstein on May 24, 2011 10:14 AM EDT via mobile up reply actions
What a great choice Song of the Day – Never took you for a metal fan.
Any word what weight Marquez’s tune up will be at?
My bad, didn’t see it. Article says 140. I can’t see Marquez fairing well that far up either unless perhaps a good dietitian can help him better manage the weight.
by lightmartyr on May 24, 2011 10:07 AM EDT up reply actions
Yeah was about to say the thing
If i remember correctly he basically told me to grow up when i mentioned morbid angel as one of my favorite bands :(
I hate the Texans
by battle axe of doom on May 24, 2011 10:42 AM EDT via mobile up reply actions
Well Morbid Angel is awful.
Bad Left Hook
"To the town of Agua Fria rode a stranger one fine day..."
by Scott Christ on May 24, 2011 12:04 PM EDT up reply actions
No u are
But seriously, just ignore all the pseudo satanic bullshit, and all you have is tight riffage when it comes to morbid angel. Listen to Summoning Redemption and try to tell me that that song isnt an ass whupper
I hate the Texans
by battle axe of doom on May 24, 2011 12:34 PM EDT via mobile up reply actions
I don’t care for the overall presentation. I can’t get into simply a riff when it’s surrounded by such doofiness.
Bad Left Hook
"To the town of Agua Fria rode a stranger one fine day..."
by Scott Christ on May 24, 2011 1:07 PM EDT up reply actions
I’ve never been much of a metal fan but I recently have been getting into the Doom/Stoner genres. Weedeater/Sleep/etc. Can you guys make any suggestions?
Isis
Nile
Agalloch
You are welcome.
"The bell that tolls for all in boxing belongs to a cash register."
-Bob Verdi
by Waldo Rastel on May 24, 2011 1:30 PM EDT up reply actions
doom/stoner/sludge:
eyehategod
electric wizard
kylesa
NEUROSIS
evoken
esoteric
reverend bizarre
Saint Vitus
Om
Shrinebuilder
Death Metal:
Morbid Angel
Vital Remains
Decapitated
Death
Gojira
Black Metal:
Emperor
Wolves in the Throne Room
Krallice
Darkthrone
Alcest
The Legitimately Genius Bands That I love
Opeth
Enslaved
Meshuggah
Ulver (their early stuff was metal, and they had one weird “avant-garde metal” album but their other stuff is electro-type stuff that’ll just blow your mind)
I hate the Texans
by battle axe of doom on May 24, 2011 7:28 PM EDT up reply actions
no problem
forgot Akercocke in the Death Metal section too
I hate the Texans
by battle axe of doom on May 24, 2011 8:09 PM EDT up reply actions
Kylesa is completely awesome and their newest album is definitely more approachable in terms of someone who doesn’t regularly listen to metal.
I can never get into either Opeth or Meshuggah. I really like that style of music but there is just something about those bands that rubs me the wrong way for some reason.
Also you should listen to At The Gates “Slaughter of the Soul” album. Mostly because it is all kinds of stupid awesome.
"The bell that tolls for all in boxing belongs to a cash register."
-Bob Verdi
by Waldo Rastel on May 24, 2011 11:21 PM EDT up reply actions
It would probably sell very well at the gate and be at least a solid Sky Box Office return. Financially the fight makes sense for Bernard if he’s willing to travel. It runs the risk of ruining Cleverly, though.
Bad Left Hook
"To the town of Agua Fria rode a stranger one fine day..."
by Scott Christ on May 24, 2011 1:15 PM EDT up reply actions
This song + Y'all musta forgot
If someone could do a mashup of these two songs, then they would have created the greatest entrence music of all time!
"The bell that tolls for all in boxing belongs to a cash register."
-Bob Verdi
Btw On Hopkins
If anyone is interested, I just read this by Brent Brookhouse over at Bloody Elbow (Whatever I was doing over there, gawwd only knows)
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