In the Daily Mail, Joe Calzaghe admitted that his low bow against Bernard Hopkins was fully intentional.
Calzaghe went on to beat Hopkins so do you do you think he should be punished?
Joe Calzaghe said that he hit Hopkins low in the second round on purpose as revenge for Bernard Hopkins knocking him down in the first round.
Calzaghe said: “When I hit him there in the second round, that was proper deliberate. He’d knocked me down in the first so I had to give him a dig, didn’t I?”
No Calzaghe you didn’t. No matter how much Hopkins may have cheated later in the fight, at that point he was beating you and the first round knock-down was fair and square, Hopkins outclassed Calzaghe for that punch.
However Joe Calzaghe claims that in the tenth Hopkins was faking being hit low.
“What a crap actor,” said Calzaghe. “He looked like he’d been shot in the balls, not hit. [In] the tenth — that was a lie, that one…..he’s a cheat. He took three minutes off when I didn’t touch him and he needed a rest. Joe Cortez should have been firmer. Hopkins is just a spoilt little girl, isn’t he?”
Perhaps Hopkins is, but so are you Calzaghe if you felt you had to punch him low just because he knocked you down.
Calzaghe said in the interview, “I felt all along [Hopkins] was all mouth. He was a bully and they don’t like being bullied. I could tell at the weigh-in he was worried. I said to him, ‘This is your last fight, this is the end for you now’ and he didn’t say anything at all.”
At the end of the day I don’t think that low bow made a great difference in who won the fight, but Calzaghe should not have done it.
What do you think should happen to boxers who intentional punch low?
Should Calzaghe be punished for what he did to Hopkins?
Like I stated before, Calzaghe didn’t have confidence until he watched HOPKINS go down from an “INTENTINAL” low blow. Who’s the dirty fighter now? I believe Calzaghe should have got at least 1 point deducted possibly 2. Everyone talks about how he fought a good honest, CLEAN fight and Hopkins being the DIRTY fighter. I believe this was Hopkins cleanest fight, EVER. ALL HOP DID WAS LIKE I SAID FROM THE GET GO, HE TOOK CALZAGHE OFF HIS GAME, FRUSTRATED HIM, MADE HIM FIGHT HOPS FIGHT. AND WHAT DID CALZAGHE DO, I GUESS HE JUST HAD TO DO WHAT HE HAD TO DO SO HE WOULD’NT LOOSE. I mean it’s only fair, if a guy legitimately knocks you down. You must HIT BELOW THE BELT TWICE to retaliate right? I think NOT. Anyway I had the fight a draw and possibly 1 pt up to Hopkins for the knock down in round one. If a point or 2 was deducted from Calzaghe it defiantly would have been Hopkins fight. EASY! Calzaghe was frustrated and off his game and KNEW at any moment Hop could throw a punch to put him on his ass as he made a POINT to do in THE VERY FIRST ROUND. Calzaghe was scared and frustrated. Hopkins was the winner that night. We gave the BRIT his only WIN in the states. Shame on US. Calzaghe is STILL a disgrace to boxing as I have said ALL ALONG!
Comment by WES — April 23, 2008 @ 2:51 pm
I dont think Calzaghe is a disgrace to boxing, but what he did was certainly disgraceful.
Comment by Boxing Daily — April 23, 2008 @ 11:03 pm
They all do it. Hatton got Tzsyu back for a low blow in their fight. They’re big boys and can take care of themselves. Get over it.
Comment by SDB — April 25, 2008 @ 3:56 pm
wes your a fuckiing idiot hopkins got beat, im no calzage fan but he beat hopkins hopkins has always been a dull fighter who cares he should retire joe should fight pavlik who would knock him out
Comment by joe curalli — April 26, 2008 @ 2:15 pm
guys hit guys in the balls all the time, the problem with you guys is you watch these prima donnas fight and think your seeing something old school boxers would rule today!! not in the 4 major sports but boxers today would get their asses kicked by boxers of old, archie moore would beat jones hopkins and calzage in the same month,these sissies fight once a year and its a big deal wake up !!!!!
Comment by joe curalli — April 26, 2008 @ 2:19 pm
I AGREE THE LOW BLOW WAS OUT OF ORDER, BUT IT HAPPENES,HOPKINS SAYING ILL NEVER LET A WHITE BOY BEAT ME IS DISGRACEFUL,ALSO HE WAS TIRED AND KEPT TRYING TO HAVE A REST,HOPKINS IS NO SPORTSMAN. YOU CAN ONLY RESPECT HOPKINS AS A BOXER NOT A MAN.
Comment by steve V — April 27, 2008 @ 4:00 pm