Calzaghe disappointed in win

He would love to take on Kelly Pavlik, but their schedules don’t mesh.

LAS VEGAS (AP) — Joe Calzaghe’s American adventure ended the way any European tourist’s first junket to Vegas should — with a headache, exhaustion, indelible memories and a wallet full of cash.

The Pride of Wales’ debut fight in the United States also left him wanting another chance to try his luck.

Though he earned a split-decision victory over Bernard Hopkins Saturday night with a tenacious late-round rally, Calzaghe was disappointed in the way he looked doing it. While both fighters could relax afterward with almost no marks on their faces, Calzaghe seemed even more disappointed in himself than Hopkins, who still insists he won the light heavyweight fight.

“I’m very critical of my performance,” said Calzaghe, who improved his record to 45-0. “Obviously, I’m very satisfied, but I felt that I didn’t fight my best. The fans didn’t get to see what I can really do, and a lot of that is because of how Bernard fights. He doesn’t try to win — he just tries to make you lose.”

As expected, the fight hinged on Hopkins’ smarts and guile against Calzaghe’s superior athleticism and power. After Hopkins scored a flash knockdown just 70 seconds in, both boxers stuck to the styles that got them to the sport’s pinnacle, with Calzaghe chasing Hopkins backward for all 12 rounds despite the American veteran’s ability to block or duck almost everything thrown his way.

“I got beat tonight, but it wasn’t by Joe Calzaghe,” Hopkins said. “Everybody’s got eyes. I don’t have to explain nothing.”

Calzaghe would love to take on Kelly Pavlik, who would create another big-money attraction. But Pavlik’s immediate future seems set, with a fight against Wales’ Gary Lockett in Atlantic City June 7, to be followed by a probable meeting with Marco Antonio Rubio in September before a middleweight unification bout against Arthur Abraham, Germany’s IBF champion.

Until Pavlik is ready to change plans, Calzaghe has several options to keep him entertained — but none sounds as good as a vacation with his family and a return to his home in Blackwood, Wales.

Calzaghe still maintains he’ll be done with boxing after 2008, though he left room for future thoughts.