London, England (Sportsbooks) - Undefeated super middleweight champion Joe Calzaghe will move up in weight to take on veteran Bernard Hopkins in a light heavyweight bout scheduled for April 19 at the Thomas & Mack Center in Las Vegas. The fight was announced Wednesday by Calzaghe's promoter, Frank Warren, at a press conference in London. Calzaghe, a 35-year-old from Wales, will make his United States debut. He owns a record of 44-0 with 32 knockouts. "People always ask me 'When are you going to America?' and now they've got their answer," Calzaghe said. "I won't be taking Hopkins lightly, but I believe I have the tools to beat him." Calzaghe unified the super middleweight titles in his last fight, taking a unanimous decision from Denmark's Mikkel Kessler last November in Cardiff. He added the WBA and WBC crowns to his own WBO belt. Hopkins, a former undisputed middleweight champion, has won his first two bouts in the light heavyweight division after a pair of 2005 losses to Jermain Taylor at 160 pounds. He beat Antonio Tarver in June 2006 and earned a unanimous decision over Winky Wright last July. The 43-year-old Philadelphia native has a record of 48-4-1 with 32 knockouts. |
