The “Pride of Wales” Joe Calzaghe has finally silenced his critics.  After a gut wrenching performance against the legendary Bernard Hopkins, Calzaghe proved to the world last Saturday why he’s the best light heavyweight boxer in the world.  Despite being knocked down 70 seconds into the first round, Calzaghe eventually fought his way back by earning a split decision over Hopkins.

Calzaghe simply outboxed Hopkins by swinging a lot more punches throughout the fight.  Hopkins was unable to land no more than one or two punches while fighting inside the clinch.  In the end, Calzaghe landed 33% of his shots, while Hopkins landed 27%.

What does the future hold for Calzaghe?  A fight with Roy Jones Jr. is rumored to happen later this year.  As previously posted, this would be a big mistake for Jones, since he’s way past his prime and Calzaghe is quickly gaining a reputation as a Legend Killer.  In the world of boxing money talks, unfortunately, for Roy Jones Jr., this may be his last big pay day for the foreseeable future.

He did it again.  Roy Jones Jr. can still dazzle the crowd with his in-ring antics and smooth moves.  For most knowledgeable boxing fans, it shouldn’t come to a surprise that Jones easily won his fight over Tito Trinidad last Saturday.  Unfortunately, he did it against a fighter who fought two weight classes above his normal weight classification and lacks any real power of a true light heavyweight, not to mention the fact that Trinidad is a shadow of his former self.

Ahh…Roy Jones Jr. in his Prime. Unstoppable!

Don’t take me wrong, Jones is arguably the best pound for pound fighter to enter a boxing ring.  But at 39 years of age, he’s well past his prime and hasn’t looked his best the past 8 years.  Like it or not, he’s no longer a light heavyweight contender.  As a long-time fan of Jones, it pains me to admit this reality.

A possible fight against Joe Calzaghe, the uber-bad ass of the middleweight division, will obviously mean a pretty hefty payout for both fighters.  But if this fight ever happens, Jones may be the one looking like a dancing fool in the end.  

For Roy’s sake, I hope this fight never happens.

As an avid jogger, I enjoy running through various trails near my home.  Nothing beats the feeling of running alone while the sun rises on a nice crisp morning.  More often that not, rain is a dominant weather pattern in Southwest British Columbia, where gloomy clouds can prevent individuals from enjoying outdoor activities.

Personally, rain never stops me from finishing off my daily jog.  Come to think of it, rain inspires me to get out into the elements as water droplets can provide a real sense of serenity when compared to radiant sunshine.  Of course, I would never jog during a thunderstorm.  I’m not that Crazy!

Ooh nice!  The Asics-Gel Kinsei 2 still looks mighty tempting!

Later this week, a friend and I will be joining a new running club in partnership with a local community center.  Sessions include a weekly run every Sunday morning and an informational session on topics such as footwear, nutrition and injury prevention.  Membership fees include a marathon entry fee, T-shirt and training booklet. 

I’ve always wanted to run a marathon at least once in my life.  It looks like this reality may be happening this year!  Oooh…I can feel the aches and pains already.  And despite my love for jogging, you will never catch me wearing those super tight jogging shorts.  No way!!!

I was hoping to visit San Diego this week for a little vacation.  Instead of basking in the sun, I may end up dealing with the wildfires currently engulfing Southern California. 

My Crazy Sister will also be accompanying me during the visit.  We have a lot of relatives and friends living in Southern California so our accommodations will not be a problem.  Most of my relatives live in a pretty safe area away from the wildfires.

I was planning to see the San Diego Chargers play at Qualcomm Stadium this week against the Houston Texans.  Unfortunately, the stadium is being used as a makeshift shelter, where over 10 thousand evacuees are currently staying.  It looks like the game will be cancelled and played somewhere else.  What a pity, I was pretty excited to see the game, since yours truly is a big fan of NFL football.

I have a feeling the next week will be pretty adventurous.  I’ll try to give an update when time permits.  But for now, I look forward to a warm (and smokey) vacation!