Following their showdown on Saturday night, the hot topic by Monday morning is, of course, what's next for both the victor, Joe Calzaghe, and the loser, Bernard Hopkins. Seems we could get some pretty quick answers.

Remember in January, when we wondered what was next for the allegedly reborn career of Roy Jones, Jr., and what might be next for his undersized victim, Tito Trinidad? Just combine all four.

The newly-crowned light heavyweight champion Calzaghe will most likely be returning to his home in Wales to take on the Jones, who has won three straight fights (all over questionable competition), reviving a career that most thought was irreparably in shambles.

Calzaghe is also saying it will be his final fight. The target date is November 15.

Should Calzaghe legitimately retire after fighting Jones, he has two possibilities. Before I continue much further, let me go ahead and be on record as saying that Calzaghe will not retire for good this year. Anyway, he could win, be 46-0, and retire with an undefeated mark, as he loves to talk about doing. I think it's a mildly empty benchmark, really, but I'm not a fighter, so I honestly can't comprehend the whole thing. Just from my perspective, it would make no difference to me whether he retires 46-0, 50-0, or 48-1 or 49-2 or something like that. He's a Hall of Fame-bound fighter, the greatest European fighter of his generation, and one of the best, period, of his generation. The super middleweight pinnacle is Joe Calzaghe from here on out.

Jones is excited to go to Wales, and I think he's kind of giving up on the whole boring Anderson Silva idea. While I'd have loved for Jones to dismantle Silva in a boxing match in front of a very big audience, much of it rooting for the UFC's Silva, it wouldn't have meant anything, and it wouldn't have brought a significant amount of MMA fans over to boxing long-term, I don't think. It's also just too predictable; the same as Jones would get killed by Silva in the Octagon, Silva would get manhandled by Jones in a boxing ring.

It's quite a turnaround from the days of old when Jones didn't want to go to Europe, and I offer this up not as proof, but to support my long-held belief that the people calling for Jones to go to Europe to fight Dariusz Michalczewski are the same people that later spent a lot of breath waiting for Calzaghe to come to the States. Jones was the money man; why did he need to go there? Why couldn't Dariusz come here? When Calzaghe found the right fight, he came to America.

The other fight being talked about is also a retirement/farewell/bon voyage, reportedly, with Hopkins facing Felix Trinidad for the second time. Reportedly, Don King has already called Golden Boy's Richard Schaefer to discuss the fight, according to Hopkins.

I have no doubt Bernard will take it. He destroyed Trinidad before, he'd do it again. Tito cannot hit hard enough to hurt Bernard Hopkins. He can't do it. He also isn't big enough to take shots from guys this size. Roy Jones lost three rounds to Trinidad because he was taking his time and getting a feel for what Tito's power would be at 170 pounds.

He found out what his power was. More specifically, he found out Tito didn't have any. After that, Jones ripped him apart, and I will say point blank that I believe Jones held back from knocking Trinidad out in that fight. He could have if he felt like it; and it wouldn't be the first time Jones did that. The same could be said for his 1996 bout with Mike McCallum, and probably a few more, too.

It's been almost seven years since the first time Hopkins retired Trinidad, when Tito was 40-0 and the hottest fighter in boxing. We could've had Tito-Roy back then; result would've been even worse, probably. Instead, Tito decided to take on Hopkins. So much for gearing up for Roy Jones, because Hopkins battered him for 11 rounds before finishing him off in the 12th.

My initial feelings, in short: Calzaghe-Jones? Yes, count me in. If we're going to find out what Roy has left, do it against the best. Hopkins-Trinidad II? I'll watch, of course, but I couldn't really care less. It's a foregone conclusion. I could write a draft for that fight's recap right now, look back on it once that fight is over, and probably be 85% right.

(Quotes from ESPN.com)

Photo © Eric Jamison / AP

Bernard Hopkins lost last night to Joe Calzaghe, making Calzaghe the rare European star to come to America and succeed in knocking off a major American fighter.

If you've seen my scorecard, you know that I don't think this was a close fight. I thought some of the rounds were close and tough to score, but not all of them. I thought many of them were clearly won by Calzaghe. And the only rounds that I thought Hopkins did win were the first, when he got a flash knockdown, and the tenth, when he was Daniel Day-Hopkins in There Will Be Low Blows. Seriously, could he have milked that any harder? The fact that he came out of the recovery period throwing big shots doesn't make it any better, if you ask me.

But let's say Bernard really was that hurt. (He says his junk was knocked outside of his cup, which is what hurt.) The fact that he started changing his gameplan would mean that, for once, someone got to Bernard. Bernard didn't get to Joe Calzaghe.

There's a first time for everything. And if you believe Bernard Hopkins, there's a fifth time for everything.

He doesn't think Roy Jones, Jr., beat him. He doesn't think Jermain Taylor beat him either time. I'm sure he doesn't think that Clinton Mitchell beat him in his professional debut. And he's saying he doesn't think Joe Calzaghe beat him.

But I look at the situation a little closer, and I see a beaten man within the fight. A man that knew he was losing. A 43-year old legend that can still go, but not with someone like Joe Calzaghe.

It took a hell of a long time for the ruthless "Executioner" to look his age, but last night's fight in Vegas -- where most of the 14,000 in attendance rooted for the Welshman, Calzaghe -- was where it happened.

Bernard Hopkins knows he didn't beat Joe Calzaghe. But why would he say it? When has he ever? To Hopkins, there has always been a vast conspiracy against him. He's a different man who has seen a far different world than most of us. I'm sure a lot of what Hopkins will tell you about certain situations is truth.

Both Hopkins and Glen Johnson in the past two weekends have made massive to-dos about "robberies," and I think it's a shame. Johnson's loss to Chad Dawson was a true toss-up decision. I had it a draw, and I really think that the fight was even steven. Johnson is making it sound like Lewis-Holyfield.

I think Calzaghe dominated Hopkins. I didn't see any massive difference in Calzaghe's fight with Hopkins compared to Calzaghe's fight with Kessler, one where everyone agreed that Joe had decisively won the bout despite Kessler doing some things well and probably boxing to the best of his ability.

The difference is that this is Bernard Hopkins, not an undefeated Dane of whom most folks had, at best, a mild amount of knowledge and opinion.

Look at Hopkins during this fight. His endless clinching of Calzaghe was a wise tactic, because when Calzaghe let his hands fly, Bernard looked really bad. He not only couldn't fire back in trade past one counter shot, he couldn't even defend fast enough to keep up with Calzaghe.

"My face isn't marked up," said Hopkins. Calzaghe carries with him a small cut on the bridge of his nose from the opening round, when Hopkins did land one beautiful right hand. So what?

It was even Hopkins that caused the Oscar nominee low blow, as Calzaghe's punch was going to the body and Bernard pushed his head down, which lowered the fist's destination point. Calzaghe clinches, too. BLH's Matt Miller noted after the Calzaghe-Kessler fight how much of a master of the offensive clinch Joe is, and it's very true. He uses it to disrupt rhythm, neutralize counter opportunities, and as an opening for more offense of his own.

Hopkins does something similar, but against Calzaghe, it looked like a fighter that couldn't combat the hand speed and the athleticism of his opponent. The two things that have given Bernard Hopkins trouble in his career have been hand speed and great athletic fighters. Jones. Taylor. Calzaghe. It is not a coincidence.

Watch him huff and puff in between rounds for much of the fight. As Freddie Roach and others talk strategy, Hopkins has other things on his mind, asking for towels and such at a point where you'd expect, "OK," or, "Alright." Joe Calzaghe never seemed to be approaching the realm of tired -- he was dealing with a fiery father-trainer, and I think this may have been the best job Enzo Calzaghe has ever done. Enzo kept it in Joe's head that he couldn't let up for even a second if he wanted to beat Hopkins. He sent him into the 12th round telling his son that he needed a knockout.

Bernard Hopkins is a great fighter, even still. He is in all-time ranks in the sport of boxing. He is one of the best middleweights ever. He may not always be a favorite (or ever, if you aren't from Philadelphia), but he's always either been the man winning or the guy across the ring when the winner says, "That was maybe the toughest fight of my career."

No one is unbeatable. Roy Jones had Antonio Tarver. Shane Mosley had Vernon Forrest and Winky Wright. Vernon Forrest had Ricardo Mayorga, of all people. Calzaghe is the exact type of fighter that makes Bernard Hopkins struggle and makes Bernard Hopkins look bad. It is nothing to be ashamed of, and if Hopkins decides to hang up his gloves, he should do so with his head held high.

But he lost. I think if you take the name "Bernard Hopkins" out of it, it's very clear that he lost. People say they like the aggressor. Calzaghe was the aggressor for 100% of the fight. People always talk about momentum and rhythm -- Calzaghe had that for the majority of the bout. They talk about dictating the pace, and I guess you could say Bernard did that. He dictated a pace that didn't get him pummeled with combinations. But Calzaghe was enough to pull that favorably toward his side anyway, outlanding and outworking the chess master. Those that want big, meaningful punches won't find a ton of it from Joe, but you won't find much more from Hopkins, either.

As always, it's very easy to respect Bernard Hopkins, as everyone should. But like too many times in his Canastota-bound career, it's also very easy to find his complaints to be the same old song and dance.

At the end of the day, ignoring all analysis and everything else, I just have a hard time believing this one: a European star comes to America for and is rewarded with a decision he didn't earn over a big-time, star American fighter. Maybe "anti-American" can be Bernard's newest conspiracy theory.

And as for chess masters, even Fischer and Kasparov lost. The crown to Calzaghe, if you please.

Official Scores: 114-113 (Hopkins), 115-112 (Calzaghe), 116-111 (Calzaghe)

Photo © Reuters

Adalaide Byrd is the judge that scored it for Hopkins. I think she's off her nut, and I mean it. Harold Lederman of HBO scored it 116-111 for Calzaghe.

Compubox numbers:

Calzaghe: 232/707, 33%
Hopkins: 127/468, 27%

No one has ever landed more punches against Bernard Hopkins. The previous record was 206 by Roy Jones, Jr.

Hopkins knocked Calzaghe down on a right hand in the first round, and then I didn't have him winning a round again until the 10th.

Hopkins complained of a low blow in the tenth, and the shot was low. But when I say Hopkins complained, I mean he complained. He wandered around the ring, grimacing, limping. He complained in the 11th of a low blow that referee Joe Cortez didn't see, and no one else did, either.

It felt like Hopkins was preparing an excuse for not winning. I hate saying stuff like that, but we all know how Bernard can be.

And of course, after the fight, Hopkins said "everyone" except "the Brits" will know he won the fight. "I made it look slightly easy."

Frankly, I think he's delusional.

"One thing about boxing, the fans are the judges. ... I took a guy to school. ... I made him fight my fight. I think I won the fight, no question."

Well, here's one fan that saw Joe Calzaghe run away with the fight against Bernard Hopkins. And I'm not Welsh, British, or anything else.

Bottom line is, a 43-year old man finally looked like an aged fighter who couldn't hang with the opposition, at least to me. Hopkins' claims are not being met with any amount of cheering from the crowd in Las Vegas.

Bernard Hopkins is Bernard Hopkins. What can you do?

Congratulations to Joe Calzaghe, the new light heavyweight champion of the world. If they fought again, and I doubt it'll happen, I think Calzaghe would beat him even more convincingly. It took Joe a while to find his groove, but once he did, it was all over. He pressured Bernard, kept him moving all over the ring, wore him out, made him look tired and old.

Calzaghe is a great, great fighter. It's in the books. Calzaghe beats Hopkins on American soil.

What's the next question for Joe Cool?

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

When I think about Bernard Hopkins, I think about one of the toughest guys in the sport, a man who will do anything to stay on top. A 43-year old pugilist with his Hall of Fame ticket punched long ago, who has rebounded from losses his entire career to shove them back down everyone's throat.

He lost his first pro fight, to a guy named Clinton Mitchell. He lost in a big showdown at RFK Stadium against Roy Jones, Jr. And he lost two times in disputed, hotly-contested decisions against Jermain Taylor.

Every time, he's come back hard. After losing to Mitchell, he won 22 straight fights. After losing to Jones, he went 24-0-1. And since losing twice to Taylor, he's 2-0, stepping up 15 pounds to beat the living hell out of light heavyweight king Antonio Tarver, and then outgutting Winky Wright last year.

Bernard Hopkins is also a guy that excels when he fights angry. There's always been a theatrical side to "The Executioner"; while he appears to have lived much of his life as the quintessential "Angry Young Man," a lot of that has been for show. Then again, a lot of it hasn't. Hopkins' temper is pretty volatile. It doesn't make him a dangerous human being in everyday life, but it makes a dangerous man to fight in the squared circle, no matter who you are.

And is there a boxer in recent times that adjusts mid-fight as well as he does? Maybe only one.

When I think about Joe Calzaghe, the word "unorthodox" is usually the first to spring to mind, followed by "unique" and "inimitable."

I was among those that doubted the popular Welsh champion for a long time. "He only fights in arenas he can drive to," I'd say. "And he never fights Americans. Why doesn't he fight Americans?"

So he fought an American. Jeff Lacy was supposed to be a 168-pound Mike Tyson. Chiseled physique, big, booming punches, and a killer's demeanor in the ring.

But Tyson was never the unfazeable commodity he was billed as being early in his career. Once he ran into guys that fought back, Tyson began to struggle. But even "Iron" Mike on his worst days didn't look as overmatched, helpless, and flat-out bad in the ring as Calzaghe made Lacy look. For a fight without a knockout, Calzaghe's win over Lacy is as one-sided as it gets. It was 12 rounds of pure destruction.

I started changing my stance a little bit. When it looked like Calzaghe would duck unbeaten titlist Mikkel Kessler, the thoughts came back. "Why won't he fight this guy? What's he scared of?"

Then he fought him. Kessler fared as well as anyone ever has against Calzaghe. And it was a clear decision win for Joe Cool. The doubts are gone. Joe Calzaghe is the greatest super middleweight of all-time, a peerless fighter in the 168-pound ranks, and there's just no real matchup of concern for him left.

So, enter Hopkins, the former middleweight ruler and current 175-pound chief.

Hopkins won't let a "white boy" beat him. Calzaghe doesn't think Hopkins is much of a legend at all.

For a guy who lets his fists do the talking, Calzaghe has been more than willing to talk jive with Bernard in the build-up to this fight. Perhaps he feels the pressure. After all, Joe's not getting any younger, and not a single fight of his has made him a major star in the United States. I'm not one of those that thinks he needs to be, but unless Joe wanted that for himself, would he even be in America for the first time ever? I doubt it.

Calzaghe-Lacy and Calzaghe-Kessler were superb wins for Joe Calzaghe. But it's a little bit like what Jim Lampley said about Miguel Cotto before his third big win of 2007: "Beating Zab Judah was good. Beating Shane Mosley would be great."

If Calzaghe beats Hopkins, even a 43-year old Hopkins, then that's great. It would have to silence even the few remaining Calzaghe doubting thomases out there.

So Who's Gonna Win?

Betting odds currently favor Calzaghe, the younger man who is naturally bigger than Hopkins despite the idea that Hopkins is heavier, having fought at 175 before. Joe's power could be better adding the seven pounds, though he's never reported having any real trouble making 168 in his career.

Has Joe Calzaghe ever fought anyone as good as Hopkins? No, he has not. Has Hopkins ever fought anyone quite like Calzaghe? No. He has not. And anyone that thinks he has is underestimating Joe Calzaghe.

The only things that have given Hopkins real trouble over his career have been hand speed and athleticism. Jermain Taylor and Roy Jones, Jr., are really the only two fights that have beaten Bernard Hopkins. Both very athletic, very determined, very skilled fighters with fast hands.

Hopkins isn't slow, but he's not upper echelon quick, either. He punches with power, but it's not great power. And Calzaghe has a set of steel whiskers.

I know it's always foolish to count Bernard Hopkins out. And I do think he'll be the best he can be on Saturday, having done his usual insane training with Mackie Shilstone, and working with cornerman Freddie Roach, who has publicly taken the stance that he's just there to keep Bernard sharp, not really teach an old dog any new tricks.

But Joe Calzaghe is a different animal. And this is the fight of Calzaghe's life. Don't expect a Clinton Woods thing. Woods looked completely lost in America against Antonio Tarver last weekend, though it's worth noting that there may have been everyday life, contributing factors involved there.

The Vegas lights won't stun Calzaghe. A portion of the crowd booing won't bother him, and I don't expect it'll be that big a portion, anyway. Bernard has diehard fans, but he's a Philly fighter and has never been terribly popular away from the East Coast. This fight would have been much better off in New York, really.

Hopkins will test Calzaghe, take him to the limit, and lose. Joe Calzaghe will go to 45-0, look around, and wonder what's next. He won't retire, though. Too much money to be made for the man that just might retire "The Executioner."

What kind of legend has four losses and a draw on his record?

That is a quote from Joe Calzaghe about Bernard Hopkins. I haven't the first clue where to begin.

Muhammad Ali lost five fights.
Floyd Patterson lost eight and had a draw.
Ezzard Charles lost 25 times and drew once.
Archie Moore lost 23 times. Drew eleven times.
Sugar Ray Robinson lost 19 times and drew six others.
Sugar Ray Leonard lost three times and drew once.

And the list, of course, goes on and on and on. It is country miles longer than the list of undefeated legends.

All this while Brian Doogan talks about what a great, "let my fists do the talking" kind of chap Joe Cool is. If this is just a marketing ploy to sell the fight, it's a bad one. "My opponent actually is not a legend." Hey, I'm in!

If Calzaghe actually thinks this (which he probably does not), then it's a pinpoint case on the long list of things wrong with boxing.

Here's a question: What kind of a legend, five years into a title reign, chooses to fight a man who is 39-4, with his last four wins coming over opponents with a combined record of 33-199-9?

Also, if you haven't heard anything about it, Marco Antonio Barrera thinks he wants to fight again, and would like to take another crack at Pacquiao. Marco, just stay retired. Enjoy your family and your wealth and your status as a great that walked away before it got unfortunate. Now, as for Marquez-Barrera II, another fight he mentioned...