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Boxing

Calzaghe recovers from early stutter to beat Hopkins

20/04/2008

Joe Calzaghe weathered a first-round knockdown from Bernard Hopkins to retain the light heavyweight title in Las Vegas.

In front of a mainly-Welsh crowd at the Thomas & Mack Centre, Calzaghe extended his unbeaten record to 45 fights after a split decision from the judges.

While judge Adalaide Byrd scored the fight 114-113 in favour of Hopkins, the scoring of Ted Gimza (115-112) and Chuck Giampa (116-111) in favour of Calzaghe saw the Newbridge southpaw retain his world number one spot after the hardest fight of his career.

The 36-year-old was floored by a huge Hopkins right hand in the first round and tight exchanges followed throughout.

Though Hopkins continued to be successful with his precise right-hand punches, Calzaghe showed greater control in the sixth, seventh and eighth rounds to exert a stronger grip on the fight.

Hopkins, 43, was given two minutes of rest after he claimed to have been hit by a Calzaghe low blow in the ninth, though a further plea for rest in the 11th was waved away by referee Joe Cortez.

And a strong performance from Calzaghe in the frenetic final round saw him edge the fight to be crowned light heavyweight champion of the world.

"I fought really hard tonight," he said afterwards.

"As the fight wore on I had to really let my punches go. He was very defensive. A win is a win. I was only hurt once and he never caught me with a clean punch.

Calzaghe claimed the first-round knockdown was "a slip" but admitted Hopkins had been a testing opponent.

"It wasn't pretty and it wasn't my best night but I know I won," he added.

"It's my second world title in a second division and I am in America. It is the icing on the cake for my career."

An unimpressed Hopkins exhorted reporters to "look at my face".

"I don't have a bruise. I busted him up," he claimed. "I took a guy to school who was undefeated."

The Philadelphia native added: "I controlled the pace like a true veteran. I never got hurt in the fight.

"I never got hit with any big shots. I have nothing to be ashamed of."