Calzaghe: 'I'll call time on Hopkins'
Joe Calzaghe promised to end American veteran Bernard Hopkins’ legendary career when the pair came face to face in London today.
Calzaghe and Hopkins have signed up for a super-fight in Las Vegas on April 19 and Welshman Calzaghe has no intention of falling to his first defeat.
“This is the night ’The Executioner’ gets executed,” said the world super-middleweight king, who will be stepping up to light-heavy for the first time.
Forty-three-year-old Hopkins, who made 20 defences of his middleweight title before establishing himself in a higher division, said defiantly: “The British are coming and I ask everyone to come and see the execution of the Brit.”
But Calzaghe, 35, is determined to emulate former heavyweight great Rocky Marciano by ending his career unbeaten.
“I don’t just keep fighting for the money. I want to be like Rocky Marciano, retire undefeated,” said Calzaghe who plans two more fights.
Hopkins insisted he is relishing meeting another southpaw after beating left-handers Antonio Tarver, the former undisputed light-heavyweight champion, and ex-middleweight holder Ronald ’Winky’ Wright.
“Why am I always picking on southpaws? I beat Wright easy and I’ll beat Calzaghe,” he said.
“All his previous American opponents have had to come to Wales. Let’s see how Joe performs in a different world in the United States.”
