"BATTLE OF THE PLANET"
Rien que ca! Ben faut dire que chez les Ricains on n'y va pas avec le dos de la louche pour promouvoir un combat! Et si les methodes sont discutables - la bas, on en fait jamais trop ; ce qui ici passe souvent mal - force est de reconnaitre que ce combat la pourrait etre enchanteur. Pour ne pas dire un des combats de l'année 2008. Pourrait...donc reservez vos seats pour le 19 Avril 2008! Bernard Hopkins and Joe Calzaghe, fighters
with a combined 43 wins in world championship bouts met today in London
to confirm that on Saturday, April 19, in the Planet Hollywood (PH)
Ring in Las Vegas, Nevada, in a rare contest between linear champions,
light heavyweight champion Hopkins will defend his title against
Calzaghe, the undisputed super middleweight champion, in a 12-round
bout for Hopkins' Ring Magazine Light Heavyweight World Championship to
determine the true premier champion of this era. Tickets for this epic
battle go on sale today..
Hopkins vs. Calzaghe "Battle of the Planet" is presented by Golden Boy
Promotions, Frank Warren's Sports Network and Planet Hollywood Resort
& Casino and will take place in the PH Ring at the Thomas &
Mack Center on Saturday, April 19. Tickets, priced at $1500, $1200,
$450, $350 and $250, are on sale and may be purchased by calling
866-USFIGHT or online at planethollywood.com. The match-up will air
live on HBO's World Championship Boxing beginning at 9:45 p.m. ET /
6:45 p.m. PT.
"I respect what Joe Calzaghe has accomplished in this game over the
years, but he will be stepping into a different realm on April 19th,"
said Hopkins today in London. "All Joe's other American opponents had
to go to Wales or England—let's see how Joe performs in the United
States—the USA is the stamp of approval. There's old Poppy Hopkins
standing at the gate of America waiting for Joe to bring the key to try
and open the door."
"This will be Bernard's last fight—I am going to be a legend after this
fight. I'm going over there to win and you will see an awesome
performance," said Calzaghe at today's press conference in London.
"I've trained like a challenger every single fight, that's why I have
been a champion for ten years. I'll be in the best shape, enough to do
15, 20 rounds. You haven't seen Hopkins flat out on his back yet—you
will in the PH Ring on April 19."
"This is a match we've all been waiting years to see, and finally, the
time is right for Hopkins and Calzaghe to meet," said Oscar de la Hoya,
President of Golden Boy Promotions. "Hopkins holds the record for most
middleweight title defenses and Calzaghe holds the record for most
defenses at super middleweight and no one today comes close to either
of them when it comes to longevity at the elite level. This is the only
logical Super Fight for both of them and fans are going to love this
match-up."
"Joe Calzaghe has conquered every obstacle put in front of him over the
last 14 years and with no more challenges left for him at super
middleweight this was the only fight he wanted," said Frank Warren of
Sports Network. "I'm pleased that we were able to work together with
Golden Boy Promotions to bring this mega-fight to boxing fans and to
see once and for all who the better fighter is - Hopkins or Calzaghe."
"Planet Hollywood Resort & Casino is the new contender on the Las
Vegas Strip and is emerging as a very powerful force in the
entertainment capital city of the world," said Robert Earl, Co-Chairman
of Planet Hollywood Resort & Casino. "I am delighted that Planet
Hollywood is presenting its first major sporting event with the sport
that Vegas is most famous for - boxing - and this mega-fight between
Hopkins and Calzaghe. Having partners like Golden Boy Promotions,
Sports Network and HBO make this event, at the PH Ring, all the more
exciting."
"HBO Sports is thrilled to present the fight between Bernard Hopkins
and Joe Calzaghe live on the network," said Ross Greenburg, President
of HBO Sports. "This is the type of big event programming that has been
a staple of our World Championship boxing franchise for 35 years."
One of the greatest middleweights of all-time, Bernard "The
Executioner" Hopkins (48-4-1, 32 KOs) has epitomized excellence for
almost two decades in the fight game. Owner of the middleweight title
for over ten years and for a record 20 successful defenses,
Philadelphia's Hopkins moved up to the light heavyweight division in
2006, and immediately won The Ring Magazine World Championship with a
dominating 12 round decision win over Antonio Tarver. In his last
fight, on July 21, 2007, Hopkins continued his amazing run at the age
of 42, outpointing Winky Wright. Now it's on to Calzaghe.
Unquestionably one of the greatest super middleweights in boxing
history and currently The Ring Magazine Super Middleweight World
Champion, Newbridge, Wales' Joe Calzaghe (44-0, 32 KOs) has never
tasted defeat in his pro career and has held the world super
middleweight title since he defeated Chris Eubank in 1997 for the World
Boxing Organization Championship. Twenty-one consecutive title defenses
followed that victory -- fourth-best on boxing's all-time list -- and
after big wins over undefeated champions Jeff Lacy in 2006 and Mikkel
Kessler in 2007 in which he added the International Boxing Federation
(IBF), World Boxing Association (WBA) and World Boxing Council (WBC)
championship belts to his collection, he now seek a bigger challenge at
175 pounds where Hopkins awaits.
Hopkins-Calzaghe is only the second time two reigning Ring Magazine
champions have fought since the new championship policy was established
in April 2002 (the first contest happened on December 8, 2007 when
Floyd Mayweather met Ricky Hatton for Mayweather's Ring Magazine
Welterweight World Championship). Source_EastsideBowing.com