In the mail today I received an advanced copy of George Kimball’s forthcoming book Four Kings. The book profiles the four great middleweights of what the book’s subtitle refers to as “The Last Great Era of Boxing”: Leonard, Hagler, Hearns, and Duran. No first names are needed.

I’m usually the first person to dismiss and be angered by baby boomer claims that athletes were different then and that their era of sports was the best. The glorious eighties. Problem is that when I am confronted with their challenge of “well then, whose a great middleweight now?” I can only stammer back with Kelly Pavlik.

I’m not saying The Ghost isn’t as talented as those luminaries but what evidence do I have? I guess Jermain Taylor but his fight two Saturday’s ago against Gary Lockett was so appalling and such a mismatch that I didn’t blog about it. It wasn’t exactly news.

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Two 2004 U.S. Olympians are furthering their careers tonight in southern California. Sadly, they won’t be fighting on the same card and their matches take place at around the same time some 225 miles apart. Lightweight Vicente Escobedo headlines the Carson, Calif. Home Depot Center card while southpaw super middleweight Andre Dirrell is the draw at the Chumash Casino in Santa Ynez. You won’t be able to travel to both.

For our money we would go to Carson to see Escobedo (16-1) face wily Argentine vet Roberto David Arrieta (27-12-4). Escobedo dropped his first big match in 2006, a split decision loss to Daniel Jimenez and his confidence hasn’t been the same since. But none other than Oscar de la Hoya, his promoter, believes that he could still be the next Oscar de la Hoya.

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Image details: Joe Calzaghe Media Interview served by picapp.com

If you call your opponent a “sore loser” doesn’t that necessarily indicate that you’re a sore winner? In Joe Calzaghe’s case it just means that he’s a classless boxer who doesn’t know when to shut up or give a great fighter credit.

What this all means is that Calzaghe is at it again, talking to BBC Two in a Sunday interview, view it here, spouting off about everything, professing his love for countryman Tom Jones and Al Pacino, insulting Bernard Hopkins‘ performance and attitude, harping about the referee and American judges, and pretending that fight fans don’t remember how he’s refused to fight against the best competition for years.

Continue reading for more quotes from the interview that haven’t made the press release transcripts. Believe me, there are dozens more that boil my blood.

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Image details: Bernard Hopkins v Joe Calzaghe served by picapp.com

Joe Calzaghe is no Ricky Hatton. He doesn’t bring legions of Britons to Las Vegas, he’s not gracious to his opponent in post-match interviews, he doesn’t want to fight dangerous young fighters, but, most importantly, he’s able to find a way to win, however controversially, against his American opponent thus maintaining his undefeated record.

Calzaghe escaped the 43-year-old Bernard Hopkins’ technical, throwback counterpuncing style with a high volume of pitter-pat slaps and occasional rabbit punches scoring a close split decision victory and the linear light heavyweight title. Judges Ted Gizma (115-112) and Chuck Giampa (116-111) scored the bout for Calzaghe; Adalaide Byrd saw it 114-113 for Hopkins. I had it 114-113 for Calzaghe. The boxers’ sharply contrasting styles (high volume light aggression vs. pointed and defensive counterpunching) proved difficult to score; espn.com score it 114-113 for Hopkins while HBO’s Harold Lederman had it 116-111 for Calzaghe.

Unsurprisingly, Hopkins floored Calzaghe in the bout’s opening round with a good straight right. In the pre-match festivites Calzaghe had looked dazed and a bit starstruck - he planted a gushing hug on a increasingly unidentifiable Tom Jones - while Hopkins stalked the ring focused and ready.

As the fight went on, however, Calzaghe caught his stride maintaining a steady, if not pain-inflicting, barrage of punches during the fight’s middle-to-late rounds. After a protracted break for a grazing low blow in the 10th Hopkins seemed re-energized and ready to rally for the stretch run.

But Calzaghe didn’t back down earning a close advantage on my scorecard in the 11th and 12th. Post-fight Calzaghe was confident despite his cut nose and bruised face declaring himself a “legend killer” and stating that Hopkins’ clear first round knock down was instead a slip. The legend comment referred to Calzaghe’s priority desire to fight Roy Jones, Jr. next instead of Chad Dawson, Kelly Pavlik, Arthur Abraham, or anyone under the age of 40.

Joe Calzaghe is a terrific fighter, undoubtedly a top ten pound-for-pound, but his career-long proclivity towards avoiding top flight competition is disappointing for any fight fan and ultimately will prevent him from ranking among the all-time greats, including the vanquished Bernard Hopkins.