Calzaghe steps up Hopkins chase

Promoter Frank Warren says Bernard Hopkins can pick the "weight, date and town" for a Joe Calzaghe showdown.

"All we ask is that Joe gets a decent pay day," said Warren after Calzaghe's super middleweight win over Mikkel Kessler inked in his world elite place.

"We wanted the Hopkins fight years ago but when we agreed a deal he came back the next day asking double the money.

"Joe will fight in Hopkins' hometown of Philadelphia. If he's truly a warrior he must make this fight happen."

Interview: Joe Calzaghe

Calzaghe unified the super middleweight division with his victory over Kessler.

The Welshman added the Dane's WBA and WBC belts to the WBO crown Calzaghe has held over 10 years and 21 defences.

United States television executive Kery Davis was in Cardiff for the Kessler fight and Warren has urged the HBO official to deny American middleweight great Hopkins another bout until he agrees to a Calzaghe showdown.

"We'll show you what Joe has got," he stated. "Hopkins can choose whether it's light heavyweight, super middleweight or a catch-weight and the same thing will happen to him as happened to Jeff Lacy and Kessler.

"Calzaghe is the best fighter I've ever been involved with, yet after 21 defences we are still throwing out challenges to the so-called top men like Hopkins."

Kessler's US agent Mike Marley, who had been vociferous in backing his man in the build-up to the fight, had no doubt that Calzaghe now deserves his place at the top table.

"We thought that Calzaghe's box of tricks was empty but we were wrong," conceded Marley. "He's a certainty for the Hall of Fame and he produced in a fantastic fight."

Many would be happy to see a Calzaghe rematch with Kessler after the thriller at the Millennium Stadium but the 35-year-old undefeated Welshman also seems to be looking across the Atlantic.

"I've never been one for rematches and Kessler is only going to improve," joked Calzaghe.

"I want to fight for another 12 months and for them all to be huge matches, hopefully this performance sets it up.

"Let's get Hopkins and Roy Jones Jr and do it in the States, it's what I'm all about.

"I'd like to be able to put on a bit of extra weight and cause some proper destruction up at light heavyweight but I'd stay at super middleweight to face the winner of the Jermain Taylor-Kelly Pavlik rematch."

However, Warren poured cold water on the idea of Calzaghe meeting Taylor or Pavlik.

"I think Pavlik will win again and he's a warrior who comes to fight - he would be ideal for Calzaghe," said Warren.

"But there's no way that Pavlik's promoter Bob Arum would allow that to happen, he'll want to milk the middleweight division."

Source: BBC Sport