Courageous Calzaghe digs deep to outgun wily Hopkins

JOE CALZAGHE battled his way back from a first round knockdown to win a split decision war over Bernard Hopkins at the Thomas & Mack Center but the final bell did not spell the end of a fight week full of acrimony.

Hopkins fiercely protested the 116-111, 115-112, 113-114 verdict in favour of the Welshman, who had been sent to the canvas from a jolting right hand and struggled to combat the 43 year-old in the early rounds.

With victory, Calzaghe stretched his unbeaten professional record to 45 fights and assumed the position of the world’s number one light-heavyweight on his debut at the weight. But it was a coronation bitterly opposed by Hopkins.