Calzaghe and Hopkins make last sparring session in Vegas

Published on Saturday 19 April 2008 10:25

JOE CALZAGHE and Bernard Hopkins exchanged final insults at the weigh-in ahead of tonight's light-heavyweight bout at the Thomas & Mack Center in Las Vegas.

Both men tipped the scales two pounds under the light-heavy limit at 173lb and posed with heads touching at the traditional stand-off before Hopkins jabbed at the Welshman's chest and snarled: "I'm going to bust your heart."

Calzaghe snapped back with a few barbs of his own before being ushered away to begin the countdown to a contest which will establish the winner's status as an all-time great.

The Welshman has laughed off Hopkins' trash talk all week but was plainly a little perturbed by his opponent's latest boast, much to the delight of more than 2000 Welsh fans in the Planet Hollywood auditorium.

Common consensus is that Hopkins has the ability to sucker Calzaghe into his type of fight and make it a scrappy affair like the contests against Kabary Salem and Sakio Bika that gave the Welshman nightmares. But Calzaghe insists his speed, power and youth – he is seven years younger than Hopkins at 36 – will enable him to adapt to combat any threat from the veteran Philadelphian.

Calzaghe said: "I can combat any style. It's up to me not to get drawn into his kind of fight because I am by far the better fighter. If I allow myself to do that, then I've made a big mistake."