LAS VEGAS, Nevada (AFP) -- Unbeaten Welshman Joe Calzaghe will fight for the first time on U.S. soil on Saturday, with Bernard Hopkins aiming to make Calzaghe wish he'd sayed home.

“Calzaghe is probably a god in Europe, but he is not a Ricky Hatton,” said Hopkins, who takes on Calzaghe in a 12-round light heavyweight bout at the Thomas and Mack Center.
Calzaghe, who says he would have crossed the Pond years ago if the right fight had been made, says he is more concerned with extending his unbeaten record, becoming a two-weight world champion and cementing his ring legacy to worry about Vegas hoopla.
“It's cool seeing my name in lights, but I don't think about it much,” Calzaghe said. “At the end of the day I wanted to come here because Hopkins wouldn't come to Wales and I wanted to prove what I'm about. I didn't need to come to Vegas.”
Calzaghe, who owns a record of 44-0 with 32 knockouts, is the longest-reigning world champion in boxing. He has defended his various titles 21 times.
He is the World Boxing Association, World Boxing Council and World Boxing Organization super-middleweight champion.
Hopkins is 48-4-1 with 32 knockouts.
While Calzaghe, at 36, is old for a top-flight fighter, Hopkins, at 43, is ancient.
Calzaghe is a quick-hitting southpaw who throws nearly 100 punches a round. Hopkins is a cagey defender who has made a living taking away his opponents' strength.
“I would've beaten him at his peak, and I'll beat him now,” said Calzaghe, who has acknowledged he is nearing the end of his career and is looking for a possible career finale against Roy Jones Jnr or Jermain Taylor.
That would ensure Calzaghe's place in boxing's hall of fame, following on from a year in which he was crowned BBC Sports Personality of the Year.
He has already intimated that he would love his swansong to take place at the iconic Madison Square Garden in New York where his Italian heritage would secure a rapturous reception.
For that to happen he first must take care of Hopkins, who has claimed he would “never lose to a white man”.
“Was I offended? No,” Calzaghe said. “I laughed, because ... black guy, white guy, green guy, any colored guy, I'm not going to lose.”
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