WHAT DOES PAVLIK VS HOPKINS RESULT MEAN FOR CALZAGHE LEGACY?

[Deserter]

I know I wasn't alone when I expressed my disappointment at Calzaghe's performance against Hopkins (I thought Hopkins sneaked a decision), but B-Hop's schooling of Pavlik certainly puts Joe's performance in a better light, as well as ending the clamour for a Pavlik showdown.
Has your opinion of Calzaghe changed in the light of last night's result - after all, he edged an undoubted hall-of-famer on foreign turf in the eyes of many?
If (and I appreciate it's a big if) Calzaghe fights on post-Jones, who can he fight to cement his legacy - is there enough justification now for a Hopkins rematch (as ugly as that might be!), or should he be targeting Chad Dawson?
As for Hopkins, hopefully the naysayers will finally have to acknowledge his standing in the game as a modern great. I thought he'd beat Pavlik, but expected it to be by a close/disputed decision rather than the domination he achieved. Full respect.

[Abbo]

Calzaghe should beat RJJ convincingly then retire. Then not only did he beat the man, he also beat the man that beat the man.

Ive had two hours kip thinking on this, but no way in this world should he look for a rematch with BHop. He went into the first fight with a clear head, I think BHop is now firmly under his skin and JC doesnt need that fight.

[McCannW14]

IMO Hopkins edged Calzaghe who gave him a few problems with his speed, but I dont think Joe did enough to take his title.

A modern day Archie Moore, Bernard Hopkins is the greatest fighter of his generation and would have competed well against any 160-175lb fighter in history.

[Syntax Error]

I think JC's legacy will have been enhanced by B-Hop's win over Pavlik.

There have been many people who wanted to see JC fight Pavlik & there have also been some that have claimed (for some reason unknown to myself) that JC ducked Pavlik.

Now that B-Hop has schooled Pavlik, this can only enhance JC's legacy, as he has already recently beaten B-Hop & that's despite being floored in the contest too.

JC is the big 'winner' with this result & if he beats RJJ convincingly, he can retire with nothing left to prove.

[Tykemania]

I thought at the time that Calzaghe gained great credit from the Hopkins fight (and I do think he won it - not massively but by enough that it was not particularly disputable) and after seeing this I think people will have far more respect for that performance. Interestingly the biggets thing that came out of this is that it confirmed that Joe will retire, because the reputation of the one guy left for him to beat has been given a fair knock.

[ArtOfWar]

it makes Calzaghe's close win look better, but he still struggled with an old man who would have beaten him had they fought when Hopkins was still close to his prime.

[coneye]

Personaly i'm still undecided on who I thought won with Joe and Bernard,,,,,,,,but i'm not undecided on this, Pavlick met a Hopkins, who was focused wanting a win, and determined too show he was better than given credit for,Joe on the other hand met a Hopkins who was going through the motions.

My take is this Joe will not handle Pavlick has easy has Bernard did, and Joe would lose convincingly to a focused I want revenge Bernard Hopkins.

[Old bones Ian]

Joes an all time great for me, he may not have a style that everyone likes, but its what works for him, and he doesn't lose, you can't ask more than that.

[Gray-Fox]

IF Joe won, it was on aggression and nothing else. Hardly a great attribute.

[Max Molyneux]

Means nothing as Hopkins Is past It.

Pavlik was just exposed like I thought he would be.

Hopkins did not win against Joe either, he just survived the distance by cheating losing 9 rounds to 3.

[Scrap]

Joes a winner, never bet against Him, very adaptable Great Boxing Brain. I thought Hopkins looked Fantastic last night, with what He had in front of Him, enjoyed the Fight .

[Autobarn]

It does give Joe some more credit. Joe at least found a way to touch Hopkins with straight lefts and cuffing right "hooks" to the side of the head - enough to scrape a decision. I think Joe could actually have done better, if he hadn't gone in so arrogant, if he'd done the weight better (he looked flabby) and if he'd had fights in America before.

Pavlik landed a few body shots in one of the early rounds, and a couple of good rights in one of the very late rds. Other than that, he was schooled. Joe won in the ugliest, most unsightly way possible. Pavlik probably didn't even win more than a round, two at best (& that's stretching it).

The fight legitimises Calzaghe-Jones a bit more now. Hopkins did box fvcking well - on his own terms, at his own pace, so that he had no stamina/workrate issues.

Have to say, it was a horrid choice of fight from the beginning. Anything is better than what happened to Pavlik. Should have just KO'd Rubio & waited for Abraham. Pavlik's niche is knocking out fellow weight drainers (Taylor, Miranda) who have to boil their bones down to 160, winning the battle of attrition. I figured he would have gone into the fight at least knowing what he was doing physically and technically, given that they took the assignment. However he was bloated and sluggish - from the first round it was clear he was too slow, cumbersome & one paced. Unlike Taylor, Hopkins didn't pull straight back, linger on ropes, and knew how to conserve energy.

Fat middleweights - Pavlik & Wright - do themselves no favours going up to 170 where Hopkins is sharp. Would these wins have counted for more, at a lower weight? I know BH has a nice little earner with these catchweights, but would the fights have had more meaning at weights that Pavlik & Wright are effective at? I stopped praising the man about a year and a half ago, but if guys are going to fight on his terms then they should come in knowing what they are doing.

[hitman_hatton1]

it proves that calzaghe's win was legit.

i thought that anyway tbh.

hops proved against tarver and winky that he still had it in the tank.

even at 42/43.

[observer1]

Calzaghe has proven he is a fantastic fighter, however, he will always have a question mark on his legacy, that is, not going Prime v Prime against a HOF Legend. Especially when he could have.

[Max Molyneux]

Still think Calzaghe beats a prime Hopkins.

Hopkins always fights that way except, against Joe he cheated and didn't win at all. Hopkins aggression In his prime would of gotten him In a tear up against a fighter with faster hands and more workrate.

Hopkins did draw with the likes of Sergundo as well In his prime and would of been mincemeat for one of Joe's WBO defenses.

Joe Is good with the jab as well and can adapt to different styles too.

Pavlik Is one dimensional and just doesn't give up on going forward with one twos.

[stujones]

I think it naturally enhances the reputation of anyone who has run Hopkins close...... Joe and the fat version of Winky Wright.

Having said that, I am not sure would Hopkins have won as convingingly had it not been for the Calzaghe fight.... Hopkins didn't want to take it to chance with the judges. He is convinced still, and IMO with good reason, that he beat Joe and should have got the decision - so he didn't leave a doubt this time.

I hope there will be a rematch cause I think there is unfinished business there.... but lets not also forget Chad Dawson. He's beaten arguably the #3 and #4 Light Heavyweights and I think more worthy of a P4P ranking than Pavlik.

[WildWaylon]

We could argue this enhances Joes win over Hopkins but I am not sure that would be the right thing to do. Pavlik beat Taylor twice whereas Taylor beat Hopkins twice which on paper meant Pavlik would beat Hopkins. As any experianced fan knows that isnt how boxing works and last nights result proved that. Again on paper Calzaghe would win easily against Pavlik having done a lot better and having narrowly defeated Hopkins, but I dont think that would happen. I think Joe would win, but the fight would be very close. Pavlik was just not his usual self, he is better when he is lighter and taking on opponents at middleweight. That said Hopkins was extremely fit and with his superior skills and ring knowhow Pavlik never got into the fight. So if Joes win over Hopkins now looks better than before, its just on paper which means very little. Styles make fights and Pavliks very upright come forward stance suited Hopkins perfectly. It was a bad beating and Pavliks confidence was shattered. He may never be quite the same again if he has to come from behind and the doubts creep in. Its a shame really had the fight been close Pavlik would have accepted the loss far easier but the scorecards showed it was a one sided fight. The only thing Pavlik can take from the fight was that he survived to the final bell.

[stujones]

Still think Calzaghe beats a prime Hopkins.

Hopkins always fights that way except, against Joe he cheated and didn't win at all. Hopkins aggression In his prime would of gotten him In a tear up against a fighter with faster hands and more workrate.

Hopkins did draw with the likes of Sergundo as well In his prime and would of been mincemeat for one of Joe's WBO defenses.

Joe Is good with the jab as well and can adapt to different styles too.

Pavlik Is one dimensional and just doesn't give up on going forward with one twos.

Hopkins didn't fight this way against Taylor - he was negative against Taylor as he was against Joe.

I agree re Pavlik, something I have said before last night. I really couldn't commit on who would win based on Hopkins being 43 more than anything else. Pavlik didn't even throw one twos last night, he threw nothing at all.

[Old bones Ian]

Calzaghe will probably be missed when he's gone.
He would of been able to win titles at anytime in history, as i said earlier we may not all like his style, but it doesn't mean his not an all time great.

[stujones]

Calzaghe will probably be missed when he's gone.
He would of been able to win titles at anytime in history, as i said earlier we may not all like his style, but it doesn't mean his not an all time great.

I don't think Joe will be missed like the likes of Lewis was. I don't think we will be saying if there is a #1 at Super Middle in 3 years time - wouldn't it be nice if Joe came back and kicked his arse.

[whiskey]

In my opinion the result means f*ck all.

Arum & Warren had done a deal for Calzaghe to fight Pavlik, but he ran for the hills.

It's all well and brave saying now 'Pavlik was overhyped' after Hopkins picked up the gauntlet.

The bottom line is, when Joe was afforded the opportunity to get it on with the then unbeaten, big-punching American poster boy, he scarpered to fight a man he has ridiculed and laughed at for the past 3 years.

Hopkins beat Pavlik decisively... unfortunately he wasn't decisive enough against Calzaghe who in my opinion he outclassed, dropped and schooled for long spells.

If throwing lots of slaps wins a fight, then fair enough. But the day after he certainly didn't look like a winner with his lumpy nose and two black eyes. Meanwhile Hopkins' 'didn't even have a cut lip'.

Calzaghe fan's can ride the coat tails of this win as their own - but the rest of us aren't fooled.

Hopkins was sublime and Kelly was well below his average and the result is the result.

[mark thompson]

I said ages ago if hopkins beat pavlik then there would still be idiots who would slag Calzaghe off 1 way or another they just can't help themselves, i know the Calzaghe fight vs Jones is a long overdue but if he wants 1 last pay day who is left to fight really ?????

[stujones]

I said ages ago if hopkins beat pavlik then there would still be idiots who would slag Calzaghe off 1 way or another they just can't help themselves, i know the Calzaghe fight vs Jones is a long overdue but if he wants 1 last pay day who is left to fight really ?????

Hopkins 2 and I said this the day after Hopkins 1.... its unfinished business.

[Max Molyneux]

Funny how you mention Calzaghe's slaps but don't mention Hopkins headbutts, fake low blows and excessive Ruiz like holding.

How the hell could he of outclassed Joe If that's what he did for the majority of the fight? The compubox had Joe landing more too. After the 1st Hopkins didn't win a round till the 8th he was so bad.

The slaps do often land properly too on the knuckle part.

Pavlik was way over hyped. He had terrible skill, defense and footwork. All Kelly does Is go forward throwing little one two's and leaves his chin open. The commentators said he had a good jab but he just paws It.

When Hopkins fights another fresh elite fighter at this stage, he will lose again.

[mark thompson]

I said ages ago if hopkins beat pavlik then there would still be idiots who would slag Calzaghe off 1 way or another they just can't help themselves, i know the Calzaghe fight vs Jones is a long overdue but if he wants 1 last pay day who is left to fight really ?????

Hopkins 2 and I said this the day after Hopkins 1.... its unfinished business.

fair comment but how boring was the 1st fight ??? hopkins didnt come to fight he came to wrestle .