Calzaghe v Hopkins
I expect Calzaghe to beat Hopkins tonight. Hopkins great defensive skills should prevent a knockout, but Calzaghe's superior workrate should ensure a comfortable points victory.
If Hopkins wins, he would love a big money rematch with Roy Jones. Jones beat him on points in 1993 (!) but has looked a spent force in recent fights, lacking the lightning reflexes he displayed at the height of his career. Calzaghe has talked about one more fight if he wins, but I think he should retire after this. He has nothing left to prove after his standout wins against Lacy & Kessler, & could retire undefeated.
World Snooker
I’m tipping Mark Selby to win. ‘The Jester’ has already won two tournaments this year, & is a tough competitor- in the Masters he won three matches in final frame deciders. On the other side of the draw, Ronnie O’Sullivan is as always the favourite with the bookmakers, but I think he could be undone by his fragile temperament.
UCL
It's Groundhog Day in the semis of the Uefa Champions League with Liverpool playing Chelsea for the third time in four years. The force always seem to be with the Reds in Europe, although Chelsea & Avram Grant will be desperate to reach the final for the first time. Liverpool to go through by the odd goal.
Barcelona will have Messi & Deco back in the squad for the Man Utd game. Messi came on as as sub in the derby today(0-0). Man U’s squad & strength in depth look formidable on paper, but I reckon Barca will be inspired by playing what is arguably the best team in the world at the moment. Barca on away goals.
Saturday 19 April 2008
Saturday 5 April 2008
No Country For Old Men
Once you get past a certain age, reflexes & stamina begin to diminish. The tipping point is typically considered to be 30. At the top level of sport, any such weakness is usually ruthlessly exposed. Outfield footballers rarely play on in the top divisions past the age of 35(Stanley Matthews excepted). Ryan Giggs, at 34, is one oldie still going strong having played over 30 times to date this season for Man Utd. One-on-one sports like boxing & tennis are interesting cases. Tennis is perhaps the ultimate example of top level sport being a young person's game. It's rare to win a Slam past the age of 30, and success is possible at a young age- Becker was 17 when he first won Wimbledon, Hingis won there & in Australia at 16. Sampras won his last Slam aged 31, as did Connors (both US Open). Some notable exceptions: Navratilova was 33 when she won her last Wimbledon singles title, & even won the mixed at age 46 ! Agassi was no. 1 in the world at the age of 33, when he won his last Slam in Australia.
Boxing is also generally considered a young man's game.Normally though, it takes time for young fighters to build up their stamina gradually, starting with four-round contests & eventually working their way up to 8, 10 or 12 rounds if they reach championship level. In boxing, a good young prospect on the rise will nearly always beat a veteran who has suffered the effects of too many gruelling ring battles. However, fighters with good defensive skills, who can avoid taking too much punishment, can prolong their careers-Winky Wright springs to mind (age 36, a former champ, currently ranked 3rd at middleweight). Two outstanding champions fight each other in two weeks time. Joe Calzaghe is universally recognised as the best super-middle in the world, Bernard Hopkins is considered by most experts to be the best at light-heavy. Calzaghe is 36, Hopkins is 43.
Roger Federer must be on the slide-he lost to Roddick this week. Before the defeat, Federer had a 15-1 win-loss record against the American. Is this age-related, or just a run of bad form ? Federer is only 26 after all. Probably only with the benefit of hindsight at the end of the season will it be possible to make an assessment of whether its a decline or a blip. I favour the latter.
Man United
Man U are looking ominous for both the Prem & the ECL. Ronaldo must be a leading contender with the likes of Messi & Kaka for the European & World player of the year awards. His scoring record as a winger this season is sensational. No Premiership player has ever won the World Player award, if Ronnie gets the nod it would be further evidence of the growing strength of the world's richest league. Unless Roma pull off a miracle at Old Trafford, their likely opponents in the CL semi are Barca, who looked very shaky in the second half against Schalke. Chelsea should be able to overturn their one goal deficit against Fenerbahce at Stamford Bridge, & Liverpool are slight favourites v the Gunners after nicking the away goal at the Emirates. Liverpool were fortunate not to concede a pen for Kuyt's tug on Hleb, but Arsenal should have created more chances from their dominance of possession.
Boxing is also generally considered a young man's game.Normally though, it takes time for young fighters to build up their stamina gradually, starting with four-round contests & eventually working their way up to 8, 10 or 12 rounds if they reach championship level. In boxing, a good young prospect on the rise will nearly always beat a veteran who has suffered the effects of too many gruelling ring battles. However, fighters with good defensive skills, who can avoid taking too much punishment, can prolong their careers-Winky Wright springs to mind (age 36, a former champ, currently ranked 3rd at middleweight). Two outstanding champions fight each other in two weeks time. Joe Calzaghe is universally recognised as the best super-middle in the world, Bernard Hopkins is considered by most experts to be the best at light-heavy. Calzaghe is 36, Hopkins is 43.
Roger Federer must be on the slide-he lost to Roddick this week. Before the defeat, Federer had a 15-1 win-loss record against the American. Is this age-related, or just a run of bad form ? Federer is only 26 after all. Probably only with the benefit of hindsight at the end of the season will it be possible to make an assessment of whether its a decline or a blip. I favour the latter.
Man United
Man U are looking ominous for both the Prem & the ECL. Ronaldo must be a leading contender with the likes of Messi & Kaka for the European & World player of the year awards. His scoring record as a winger this season is sensational. No Premiership player has ever won the World Player award, if Ronnie gets the nod it would be further evidence of the growing strength of the world's richest league. Unless Roma pull off a miracle at Old Trafford, their likely opponents in the CL semi are Barca, who looked very shaky in the second half against Schalke. Chelsea should be able to overturn their one goal deficit against Fenerbahce at Stamford Bridge, & Liverpool are slight favourites v the Gunners after nicking the away goal at the Emirates. Liverpool were fortunate not to concede a pen for Kuyt's tug on Hleb, but Arsenal should have created more chances from their dominance of possession.
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