Hopkins and Calzaghe Announce their ‘Battle for the Planet’ By Doug Fischer (Feb 21, 2008) Photo © German Villasenor Send this page to friend Give us your feedback Light heavyweight champ Bernard Hopkins will take on super middleweight champ Joe Calzaghe on April 19th at the Thomas & Mack Center in Las Vegas, and thanks to the generous sponsorship of Planet Hollywood (which has opened its own resort/casino on the Strip), the 175-pound showdown between two of the best boxers in the sport will be aired live on HBO (not HBO Pay-Per-View) in the U.S. “It makes me feel good, personally, not to have to give you a price for this fight,” HBO representative Tony Walker told the L.A. media at a press conference announcing the fight at the Westin Bonaventure Hotel on Wednesday. Being broadcast on the premium cable network, and not HBO’s pay-per-view arm, means that the fight between Philadelphia’s Hopkins and Calzaghe, who hails from Wales – dubbed “Battle of the Planet” (because of the U.S. vs. UK angle and its main sponsor) – has the potential to be seen in 30 million homes in the U.S., a prospect that excites the former undisputed middleweight champ and current holder of The Ring’s light heavyweight title. “Thirty million will tune in to watch me execute this British guy – I’m not going to use that other word,” Hopkins said when it was his turn at the podium. The “other word” Hopkins is referring to is “white boy”, which is what he called Calzaghe late last year during the discussion stages of this bout. At the Floyd Mayweather-Ricky Hatton weigh-in, where both Hopkins and Calzaghe were present, Hopkins told Calzaghe that he would “never let a white boy beat me” as the two fighters met eye-to-eye for the first time. The “white boy” comment offended more than a few sports fans on both sides of ‘the Pond’, but Calzaghe, who is undefeated in 44 fights in a pro career that began in 1993, seemed unfazed by the racial remark. “It’s just a stupid comment from an adult,” he told Sky Sports earlier this year. “He made himself look like an idiot.” Indeed, but don’t think for a second that the statement wasn’t premeditated. Hopkins, a master at pre-fight psychological warfare, has played the race/nationality card prior to big fights in the past. Before his 2001 showdown with Felix Trinidad, Hopkins infuriated Puerto Rican fans when he suggested that they needed “green cards” to enter the U.S. Hopkins knew this wasn’t true when he said it but he was banking on the statement sending Trinidad’s fans into a frenzy, thus adding more pressure for the Puerto Rican icon to gun for a knockout rather than box intelligently. An unapologetic Hopkins told Bernard Fernandez of the Philadelphia Daily News that the “white boy” comment was not meant to be racially derogatory to white people or to white fighters but rather to “raise the stakes”, intensity and interest of the contest, which would suggest that the North Philly native was wearing his promoter’s cap when he said it. However, at Wednesday’s press conference Hopkins suggested that the statement came from the fighter side of his complex psyche. “I told Oscar [De La Hoya] a few months ago that if we are going to stay in this game on a competitive level – as boxers, not promoters – we have to be able to go back to being that hungry, poor fighter that we once were,” said Hopkins, who turned 43 this past January and has been a partner with De La Hoya’s Golden Boy Promotions, the co-promoter of the April 19th event along with Sports Network, since late 2004. “I can be a promoter, I’ve done a good job with that, but I haven’t forgotten how to be a fighter. I know how to change my stripes; nobody does it better than me. This ain’t a corporate guy speaking right now. This is a fighter. This is a guy who is going into that dark place that you don’t know and you never will know.” That “dark place” which Hopkins later said “no one in the building could understand” and added “where I was for years” is open to interpretation. He could be talking about the boxing ring, the grueling preparation fighters undergo in order to compete in the ring, or more personal aspects of his life, such as coming of age in a rough section of Philadelphia during the ‘70s and spending 56 months in Graterford State Penitentiary (from age 17 to 23). Whichever “dark place” Hopkins is referring to, it somewhat explains his hardened persona as well as his “white boy” quip to Calzaghe, although it certainly doesn’t excuse the racial remark. However, the 35-year-old Newbridge native who gained universal recognition as the undisputed 168-pound champ by beating previously unbeaten title holders Jeff Lacy (in 2006) and Mikkel Kessler (last year) appears unfazed by Hopkins’ reputation or race-baiting tactics. In fact, Calzaghe almost seemed giddy at the prospect of fighting the future hall of famer. “I’ve been after Bernard for some years now,” Calzaghe, who will be making his U.S. debut on April 19th, said at his turn at the podium. “This is what I’ve always dreamed of. “I’m undefeated for 17 years, I’ve been champ for 10 years and he’s going to find out why. The ring is my home. The harder the fight the better I feel – I love it. I’ve never boxed anyone with my class, my speed, my style. I am the worst guy he could fight but I’m so happy he picked me.” There are more than a few boxing fans and pundits who believe that Hopkins may have bitten off more than he chew at his age by accepting Calzaghe’s challenge. Calzaghe, who has defeated seven current or former world title holders, is a big, athletic southpaw with quick hands and sound fundamentals. He’s known for his high punch output and his ability to adapt in the ring. Of course, Hopkins is no slouch when it comes to adapting to one’s opponent. The self-proclaimed “living legend” says he’s a “genius” at doing so. “There’s no style I can’t unravel,” said Hopkins, who prides himself on being able to dissect difficult boxers such as his last opponent, Winky Wright. “If [Calzaghe] throws 1,000 punches a round then he’s open to a 1,000 punches. “This won’t be like the Wright fight where I had to get the turtle to stick his head out of his shell. One thing about Joe is that he throws punches, so that means someone’s getting busted up.” Calzaghe cracked a grin when Hopkins said this. After their turns at the podium the two 6-foot boxers stood face to face for the customary staredown while engaging in some back-and-forth jawing. “Name one great fighter you’ve fought!” bellowed Hopkins once the fighters were separated. “Name one!” “YOU name one you’ve fought,” Calzaghe hollered back. “I can name five,” Hopkins said. “Who? Oscar De La Hoya? Great fighter; smaller guy,” Calzaghe said. “His resume looks like a Mary Poppins script,” Hopkins said of Calzaghe’s record. The verbose Hopkins got the last word in (as he usually does) but the hype to the ‘Battle for the Planet’ has just begun. TICKETS & TELEVISION Tickets for Hopkins-Calzaghe are already on sale and priced between $250 and $1,500. They can be purchased by calling 866-USFIGHT or online at planethollywood.com. The match will air live on HBO’s World Championship Boxing beginning at 9:45 p.m. ET/6:45 p.m. PT (in the U.S). Setanta Sports, an international English-language cable network, will air the fight in the United Kingdom and other parts of Europe. Discuss this Topic - Go to the forums For Questions or Comments E-Mail Doug Fischer at dougie@maxboxing.com