By Don Colgan

He is a greater fighter at age 42, than the immortal Sugar Ray Robinson or the ancient ‘Old Mongoose, Archie Moore, when they reached their early forties in their respective eras.  Having been defeated a mere four times in 18 years, with a superlative reign spanning 20 successful championship defenses, the resilient and still championship caliber Bernard Hopkins is a dangerous bout for WBC/WBA/WBO Super Middleweight titleholder Joe Calzaghe.

With the unbeaten Calzaghe riding the crest of boxing’s amazing 2007 revival, his record now cresting at 44-0 with 32 knockouts after a 12-round demonstration of ring generalship over previously undefeated Michael Kessler, the getting better with age champion is still relatively unknown.  Much of that can be attributed to the post Tyson doldrums boxing has endured. 

Currently boxing is experiencing a revival driven by a series of stellar championship bouts in 2007 into early 2008.  The Pavlik upset knockout over Jermain Taylor, Calzaghe’s masterful triumph over Kessler, the battle of Mosley-Cotto and the 2007 centerpiece, Mayweather-Hatton, accent boxing’s finest year in well over a decade.

Now Calzaghe, at age 35, must prove to a suspect American boxing public that his unbeaten record can stand under the white heat of a probable collision with the immortal Hopkins.  If anyone thought Father Time had trimmed Hopkins' greatness after his successive points defeats at Taylor’s hands - they were wrong.  Like Sugar Ray Robinson, Hopkins is mentally tough, fit and battle tested. He brings nothing less than a prime championship effort every time he steps through the ropes.

Hopkins' last two bouts were the ultimate testimony to his greatness.  When he was out pointed by Taylor in their return, the Philadelphian’s ring epitaph was being written.  Like Jimmy Braddock’s ring farewell against Tommy Farr in 1938, immediately after having the crown shorn off of his head by Joe Louis, Hopkins wanted one more test against a top ranked contender before deciding on retirement.  Antonio Tarver, then the recognized light heavyweight champion and a dangerous counter puncher, met Hopkins in Atlantic City last June, and was a 3-1 favorite over the former middleweight champion. 

There was every expectation that Tarver would prevail, possibly inside the distance.  The prospect of ending a great career sprawled on the canvas, much like Louis against the young Marciano, never entered the mind of the always confident Hopkins.

Not only did Hopkins’s win, he rendered a magnificent boxing exhibition.  Against a world class opponent who had been a titleholder, Hopkins kept Tarver on the defensive throughout the bout, out punching his foe by a ridiculously wide margin.  It was pure vintage Hopkins, a throwback to his late 1990’s and early 2000’s prime as Bernard established a rhythm he rarely departed from, cutting the ring in half and keeping a steady stream of leather directed at Tarver for three minutes of each round.  Tarver landed few meaningful punches, suffered a flash knockdown in the fifth session and barely won a round.

The dominant triumph over Tarver established the fact that the two Taylor defeats did not herald the end of the Hopkins era.  He was still a world class fighter very near his prime and a very serious factor in the Middleweight or Super Middleweight class.

Hopkins next bout was, admittedly, a less than stellar performance.  His 12-round majority verdict over former Light Middleweight champion Winky Wright was an uninspiring affair.  Against his second consectutive bout against a former titleholder near his prime, Hopkins’s had enough in the tank to win.  He fought an uncharacteristically sloppy fight and was repeatedly warned for holding.

However, he Closed fairly strong and landed solidly on Wright over the final two sessions.  Bernard looked ever inch of 41-years-old in that fight and yet found a way to earn the verdict.  After his near shutout over Tarver, the triumph over Wright clearly established Hopkins, once again, as a dangerous and every formidable foe and in a clear cut position to headline a marquee bout in the midst of booing’s resurgence.

Notwithstanding, Hopkins is a threat to win every time he climbs between the ropes.  A

bout with Calzaghe is the only way the Briton can validate his stellar ring record.  Calzaghe is the Hopkins’s of his weight class and 21 successful championship defenses place him in very elite company in the annals of ring history.  Yet he is still a fairly unknown quantity in the United States. 

A Madison Square Garden clash with Hopkins would generate world wide attention and electricity that will rival the upcoming Mayweather-Hatton bout, as well as sustain boxing’s revival in 2008.  Calzaghe’s non stop, windmill style of punching will force the Philadelphia battler to raise the bar, insuring we’ll see Hopkins’s at his finest, presenting Calzgahe with a towering challenge.

As to the victor, logic seems to point in the direct of Calzaghe.  His great assets are his Harry Greb style attack, throwing punches in bunches and rarely moving backward.  He has only visited the canvas twice in his career, having taken a count against Byron Mitchell in 2003 and Kabary Salem in 2004.  Yet can Cazaghe’s record withstand the bright glare of analysis?  He has fought the best, no question, in a relatively new weight class.  However, the quality of his opposition cannot compare to those who have battled Hopkins.  There are no opponents like Roy Jones, Jr. on his resume!

Hopkins reigned supreme as Middleweight Champion of the world, a durable and historic weight class, for over a decade.  His achievements merit far more respect than those of Calzaghe. He has prevailed over the finest fighters in the world, ad even his narrow points loss to Roy Jones Jr in 1993 was masterful.  Calzaghe has built a marvelous record and he has never been beaten.  Yet his body of work cannot compare with Hopkins. Being 6-years younger is an asset yet Calzaghe’s style involves an enormous consumption of energy which may take its toll against the still great Hopkins.

Hopkins-Calzaghe seems inevitable in 2008.  For Calzaghe to prove he is indeed a fighter for the ages and for Hopkin’s to remind us all that he still is.