Calzaghe to get crack at Hopkins

The Welshman will be given a crack at 43-year-old Hopkins in Las Vegas in a fight he has craved for several years.

Calzaghe's promoter Frank Warren is set to confirm at a press conference that the undisputed super-middleweight champion will take on former pound-for-pound king Hopkins in the United States in April.

Calzaghe, 35, remains at his peak despite being the sport's longest-reigning current world champion but he spent nine years as WBO title-holder craving unification and career-defining fights.

He got his chance 2006 when he dismantled highly-rated IBF champion Jeff Lacy to reinforce his legacy before further unifying the division by beating Mikkel Kessler in November last year.

Now he is finally in a position to call the shots and pick his fights - but privately he may well feel the Hopkins fight has come several years too late.

At the start of 2005 the Philadelphian was regarded as the best fighter in any division across the globe and was ready to move up a weight class. Somehow a fight with Calzaghe never came to fruition and Hopkins instead attempted to defend his middleweight title against rising star Jermain Taylor.

Defeat saw him lose his impressive collection of belts and, after also failing in the rematch, with them went his unofficial position as the world's finest pound-four-pound boxer.

His pride stopped him from retiring - despite a promise to his late mother - and he bounced back in style, climbing up to light-heavyweight to beat Antonio Tarver before eking out a decision over an overblown Winky Wright in his last fight.

Calzaghe will rightly be favourite going into the contest. But unfortunately for the Newbridge southpaw, the light-heavyweight belt he craves in order to become a two-weight world champion will not be on offer in this non-title affair.