The Pride of Wales... and Sardinia

Jesus it’s quiet. With the country in the grip of an election – of which the outcome seems to be a forgone conclusion – there seems very little to write about if you’re not interested in Italian politics.

Here in Wales though adopted Welshman Joe Calzaghe - born in London with a Sardinian dad (tenuous links I shit ‘em!) – will take on American Bernard Hopkins in Las Vegas this weekend.

Hopkins is, unsurprisingly given his chosen profession, a bit of a hard bastard. Known as ‘The Executioner’, according to the good burghers at Wikkipedia by the age of thirteen he was mugging people for a living and at seventeen had entered the penal system. There he witnessed the rape and murder of a fellow inmate over a packet of cigarettes. It was also where he discovered his passion for boxing.

Calzaghe claims Hopkins is a ‘dirty fighter’ who will probably resort to using the ‘elbow and headbutt’, and indeed one major boxing site boxingscene.com is already running a readers poll on its forums entitled ‘How Many Headbutts In Hopkins vs. Calzaghe?’

More than 20 apparently!

Many - Hopkins included – believe this will be among the biggest tests of Calzaghe’s career. It’s his first fight in the United States and the first time he will have fought as a light heavyweight. It’s also one of the few times that Calzaghe has been drawn into pre-fight verbal spats.

When Hopkins boasted that he "would never let a white boy beat me", Calzaghe retorted, “If he tries to slap me I'll drop the f****** head on the guy, Sardinian style!”

That's good enough for me!

It’s golf Jim, but not as we know it

The Royal Silver Golf Trophy arrives in Sardinia on the 8th and 9th of June with a new formula.

The third round and final of the Vice Versa Challenge, in aid of the Foundation Legato Dino Ferrar for muscular dystrophy, will be held on the magnificent course of the Pevero Golf Club in the Gallura region, but with a twist.

Organized by the Salvaterra brothers Giancarlo and Gianni, finalists will play on the regular course but in reverse, starting from the flag at hole no.18 and ending up at the starting tee.

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