Fight fans got a double treat as two of the biggest contests of the year finished in fascinating fashion.
In Las Vegas Joe Calzaghe moved closer to being hailed as the greatest British boxer of all time after outpointing Bernard ‘The Executioner’ Hopkins.
And in Montreal Georges St Pierre avenged his upset loss to Matt Serra exactly a year ago by stopping the New Yorker in two one-sided rounds.
Calzaghe won on a majority decision at the Thomas and Mack Centre maintain his unblemished record for the 45th win of his long career. The 43-year-old American had abused and taunted him since December when the fight was made so it was an especially sweet victory for the 36-year-old Welshman.
Hopkins had fought most of his career a middleweight and Calzaghe as a super-middle but this fight was made at light-heavy. Despite being naturally bigger than Hopkins, seven years younger, unbeaten and a southpaw, Hopkins was still the favourite going into the fight.
Those expectations were confirmed in the first round when Calzaghe suffered a flash knockdown, but he got up instantly without a count and battled back, finishing the fight much stronger as the years caught up with Hopkins who used every spoiling tactic in the book, including feigning getting punched in the groin.
Hopkins insisted after he deserved the decision and the majority verdict reflected that, but Calzaghe’s cleaner work in the second half of the fight gave him the edge. Two judges gave it for Calzaghe 115-112 and 116-111 and one judge had it for Hopkins 114-113.
Calzaghe is now 45-0 and Hopkins 48-5-1. The last time Calzaghe lost was 18 years ago in the amateurs. He intends to retire within the next two years still undefeated.
Calzaghe is lined up for another legendary American, Roy Jones Jr, who has won world titles from middleweight up to heavyweight but at 39 is no longer the pound-for-pound best fighter he was in the Nineties.
St Pierre was just as jubilant. He was sensationally stopped by Serra in the first round in UFC 69 in their first encounter after taking a heavy right hand. The Canadian blamed personal problems on his defeat and opinion was that he was a sore loser.
Seething for revenge and to prove his doubters wrong, St Pierre trained like a demon for UFC 83. He was not going to lose at the Bell Centre in Montreal in front of home crowd without putting up a great fight.
In the event, it seemed like a mis-match. Serra was not given a chance to go toe to toe with the popular St Pierre, 26, who took him down in the first few seconds and pummelled Serra for the rest of the round.
The second round was the same with St Pierre dominating. The end came after 4 minutes and 45 seconds with Serra on all fours taking thunderous knees and punches to his ribs.
Serra, 33, had baited St Pierre for months and there was a lot of mutual hostility. But that a dissipated after and they hugged like long-lost friends. Serra even picked St Pierre up and carried him around the octagon as a mark of respect.
So St Pierre is now a two-time UFC welterweight champion and the happiest man in Montreal this week.
Calzaghe (right) finished stronger Photos: AP
St Pierre avenged his defeat
Related Videos
