Bernard Hopkins should ignore Joe Calzaghe's challenge, according to his trainer Nazim Richardson.
Trainer tells light-heavyweight to ignore Calzaghe offer
Bernard Hopkins should ignore Joe Calzaghe's challenge, according to his trainer Nazim Richardson.
Calzaghe called out the 42-year-old light heavyweight and former middleweight champion after the 21st defence of his WBO super-middleweight title against Mikkel Kessler at the start of November.
But Richardson, who has been involved with Hopkins for more than a decade, believes 'The Executioner' would benefit more from a rematch against American rival Roy Jones Jr.
Hopkins lost to Jones on points in 1993 before embarking on a 12-year unbeaten run, and Richardson is urging his man to fight the 38-year-old rather than the more sprightly Calzaghe.
"Bernard has accomplished everything he needs to accomplish in this sport and I have been telling him for a long time that he should stop fighting," Richardson said.
"But I can see why a fight against Roy Jones would mean so much to him. It is all about settling the score after their fight in 1993 and I believe it is the fight between two great veterans which the US would prefer to see."
Contrast
Hopkins himself though has suggested he will fight Calzaghe on home turf, but Richardson does not accept the Welshman deserves to be compared with his fighter.
"Bernard does not see any reason why he should travel to Calzaghe's back yard," he added. "He is the great fighter and he has earned the right over the years to make his choice.
"Calzaghe is a good fighter but there is a big difference between the two of them. Everyone built up Kessler but who had he really beaten? Where are the living legends on Calzaghe's record?
"The mark of an all-time great fighter is the fights he has had against other living legends. Bernard has fought Jones and beaten Felix Trinidad and Oscar De La Hoya. He is a class apart."
Any fight between the two looks likely to be held in spring, so the duo have until the new year to wrap up a deal.
