Calzaghe accuses Hopkins of being a sore loser

Joe Calzaghe of Wales (R) looks on during a light-heavyweight boxing fight against Bernard Hopkins of the U.S. at the Thomas & Mack Center in Las Vegas, Nevada April 19, 2008. (REUTERS/Steve Marcus)

LONDON (Reuters) - Joe Calzaghe has accused American Bernard Hopkins of being a "sore loser" after their light-heavyweight clash in Las Vegas on Saturday.

Unbeaten Welshman Calzaghe, the undisputed super-middleweight world champion, won a split decision after recovering from a first-round knockdown against the 43-year-old.

Hopkins looked stunned after two of the three judges gave the fight to Calzaghe, one of them by a large 116-111 margin, and claimed he won the fight.

"He should get over it," 36-year-old Calzaghe told the BBC on Friday. "He should watch the tape and accept that he lost.

"There were three American judges and he still lost. I don't need to find 100 excuses as I won. He's a sore loser."

Apart from Hopkins' straight right that floored Calzaghe for the first time in his career, neither fighter landed many telling shots in a scrappy clash of styles.

"I won the fight. I was the aggressor. I landed more punches. End of story," added Calzaghe, who stretched his unbeaten record to 45 fights.

"I don't mind if I don't see the guy again. To be honest, I've never been a Bernard Hopkins fan and never will be.

"You ask me about Roy Jones Jnr and I'll say I like him and love his style. I've got a lot of respect for him and he is a legend but Hopkins isn't."

Calzaghe said earlier this week that he would have one more fight before ending his career, possibly against Jones or fellow American Kelly Pavlik.

(Reporting by Martyn Herman, editing by Justin Palmer)