Las Vegas prepares to host the big fight with hordes of Joe Calzaghe fans in the city to support the Welshman in the United States Calzaghe savours the cheers of his large army of fans as he enters the ring with a crackling atmosphere developing Bernard Hopkins follows the British man into the ring with the hood of his gown obscuring his face as the big fight approaches Welsh singer Tom Jones gives a rousing rendition of Land of My Fathers ahead of the fight An awful start for the Welshman as a straight right hand from Hopkins floors Calzaghe for only the third time in his illustrious career Calzaghe is able to get to his feet quickly but it's the worst possible start as Hopkins gains the early momentum Hopkins dominates the opening rounds after flooring Calzaghe in the first but both boxers continue to keep it cagey Among the celebrities at the fight was Catherine Zeta-Jones with the Wales flag wrapped around her Calzaghe starts to relax as the fight progresses and lands some telling punches despite the intervention of referee Joe Cortez The Welsh star begins to gain the upper hand as the fight draws to a close with Hopkins showing signs of tiredness Calzaghe catches Hopkins just below the belt in the 10th round, forcing the American to take a few minutes to recover The last couple of rounds in Vegas are frantic affairs with Calzaghe leading the attack as the main aggressor with Hopkins tiring The scrappy fight is ultimately decided by the judges and Calzaghe galvanizes his reputation as he wins by split decision
| 
Bookmark with:
What are these?