BoxRec

Calzaghe suffers big-fight blow

Welshman Joe Calzaghe's preparations for his Las Vegas super-fight with Bernard Hopkins have been dealt a blow.

His sparring partner Bradley Pryce is struggling to get an American Visa due to a record of drink-related incidents.

Pryce, who will fight Norberto Bravo on the 19 April show, is awaiting results of a blood test before the American authorities make their final decision."

http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/boxing/7336951.stm

Heat and hummidity is a red herring. Vegas isn't that great this time of year. On average it doesn't start cooking until around June. May last year was chuffing freezing at times.

Has Bradley Price got the nouce to mimick Hopkins' subtle skills?

In fact, who would offer Calzaghe good prep for fighting someone like Hopkins? Its a hard style to mimmick IMO

I hope Hopkins isnt able to rough him up, get him out of his rythmn and beat him in an ugly maul..

That sort of result would forever tarnish JC's legacy I reckon, especially in the US.

Eastman would have been better at it.

DavidPayne wrote:Eastman would have been better at it.

eastman seems to come up everytime when sparring is mentioned.

but yeah he would be someone to get some tips off.

don't think joe needs much advice though.

he ain't that sorta fighter anyway.

TerribleTerry wrote:Has Bradley Price got the nouce to mimick Hopkins' subtle skills?

They concentrate on fast-pace sparring, having Pryce for a few rounds, Macc for a few rounds, Cleverley for a few rounds, and back over... and do an hour of non-stop punching on the pads. Enzo C has always said he never watches tapes of the opponent or trains his fighter for the opponent, because he wants the opponent to have to adjust to JC.

Chris Eubank had a similar philosophy. His sparring was used for nothing more than giving and taking (more taking) big shots, to give him a 'foundation' and allowing him to use his 'one-upmanship' tactics on fight night, getting his opponent to think about what he was doing rather than vice-versa.

I've always said that Newbridge's denial in hiring outside help for sparring is their achilles heel.

How on earth does Maccaranelli find a decent sparring partner to mimic a natural Cruiser?!

The closer this fight gets, the more I think Bernard might nick this.

Emerson Poncey Name Ghent wrote:I've always said that Newbridge's denial in hiring outside help for sparring is their achilles heel.

How on earth does Maccaranelli find a decent sparring partner to mimic a natural Cruiser?!

The closer this fight gets, the more I think Bernard might nick this.

enzo said he'd been "doing a number" on a top 5 british heavy in sparring for the haye fight

mike john wrote:

Emerson Poncey Name Ghent wrote:I've always said that Newbridge's denial in hiring outside help for sparring is their achilles heel.

How on earth does Maccaranelli find a decent sparring partner to mimic a natural Cruiser?!

The closer this fight gets, the more I think Bernard might nick this.

enzo said he'd been "doing a number" on a top 5 british heavy in sparring for the haye fight

Interesting. Nice to see they've deviated. I guess it was a Warren HW.

Calzaghe definitely looked in awe of Hopkins at the Hatton-Mayweather weigh-in and London press conference. Almost hiding behind Frank and Enzo C in London.

He's trying to hide it, though, and convince himself. Kind of like Enzo M with Haye.

Joe may have looked a little in awe at the press conf, but I reckon that's just how he is outside the ring, strangely unsure of himself sometimes, almost shy - a lot of writers have described him like that.

Inside the ring however, it all changes - he's transformed into the most confident person you're ever unlucky enough to meet.

He'll know he's got the beating of BHop, and you wont seem him lacking confidence in 10 days time, NO WAY

Emerson Poncey Name Ghent wrote:Heat and hummidity is a red herring. Vegas isn't that great this time of year. On average it doesn't start cooking until around June. May last year was chuffing freezing at times.

80 over there at the moment mate.

Wales wrote:
80 over there at the moment mate.

Pah, that's not hot! That's temperate!

Hope you enjoyed it more than last time

I'm hopefully catching Judah v Mosley.

MightyWarrior wrote:Joe may have looked a little in awe at the press conf, but I reckon that's just how he is outside the ring, strangely unsure of himself sometimes, almost shy - a lot of writers have described him like that.

Inside the ring however, it all changes - he's transformed into the most confident person you're ever unlucky enough to meet.

He'll know he's got the beating of BHop, and you wont seem him lacking confidence in 10 days time, NO WAY

the thing with Joe is, the lack of certaintly actually seemed to help him vs Lacy and Kessler. He does have an instinctive way of fighting and a lot of what he did seemed to have been literally inspired by the occasion and the opposition. The occasion etc seemed to bring something out of him that none of us had seen him really do in the ring before.

I'd say both Calzaghe & Haye are pure "event fighters" because against lesser foes they have looked sloppy.

The fight is only 10 days away, so surely all the hard & vital sparring is already done in the Calzaghe camp?

I would have thought it's a matter of ticking over from now on, going over the game plan, strategy, tactics, trying to cover all areas, etc? Now until fight time should be all about maintaining Joe's sharpenss, concentration, etc.

What's the latest with the Hopkins camp & how he's prepared?

mike john wrote:

Emerson Poncey Name Ghent wrote:I've always said that Newbridge's denial in hiring outside help for sparring is their achilles heel.

How on earth does Maccaranelli find a decent sparring partner to mimic a natural Cruiser?!

The closer this fight gets, the more I think Bernard might nick this.

enzo said he'd been "doing a number" on a top 5 british heavy in sparring for the haye fight

Wasn't it John McDermott? That's what I heard anyway. If so, the guy's hardly top 5 and as far removed style-wise from David Haye as you can get.

While you're winning you'll always keep doing the same things over and over again. It's only now that the Newbridge bandwagon has lost its wheels that all the little inadequacies shine through. Preparing your 6'4 cruiser to fight David Haye by using light-middles and a southpaw super-middle is unforgiveable, in my opinion. Likewise, Calzaghe sparring guys like Bradley Pryce.

similar physique to david haye, hard to tell them apart apart from the obvious skin colour difference !! ...

MightyWarrior wrote:Joe may have looked a little in awe at the press conf, but I reckon that's just how he is outside the ring, strangely unsure of himself sometimes, almost shy - a lot of writers have described him like that.

Inside the ring however, it all changes - he's transformed into the most confident person you're ever unlucky enough to meet.

He'll know he's got the beating of BHop, and you wont seem him lacking confidence in 10 days time, NO WAY

Joe himself has said that he isn't really a confident bloke, outside the ring. He mentions it in some depth in his autobiography. But the thing is, when it comes to fighting, he's as confident as you can get. I can't believe Hopkins will intimidate him enough come the first bell. Calzaghe is just so sure of himself when the bell rings and the fight starts.