JOE Calzaghe argues that his last opponent, Mikkel Kessler, is better than Bernard Hopkins.

Calzaghe's father, trainer and mentor, Enzo Calzaghe, has rightly pointed out that his son has nothing left to prove, that at 44-0 and with a decade of dominance and destruction behind him, his legacy as one of the all-time great British fighters is secure.

With 10,000 British fans en route to the Thomas and Mack Center tomorrow, Calzaghe doesn't even have to concern himself with being the away' fighter, Sin City is awash with expectant British AND American fans, all hoping to see Hopkins have his big mouth shut.

Hopkins is a sprightly, fit and well-conditioned 43-year- old man, but Calzaghe ticks all the same boxes and is only 36.

Why, then, this uneasy feeling?

It's very simple. Even taking all the above into account, allowing for Joe's brilliance, this is the toughest test of Calzaghe's magnificent career. Hands down.

Why? Because this isn't Newbridge, this is Las Vegas, the city where many British boxers over the years have seen their dreams shattered.

And this isn't a fight against a Kabary Salem or Sakio Bika, this is a clash with Bernard Hopkins, one of the all-time great fighters, a man who has been in with the best of the last two decades and nearly always comes out on top.

Hopkins is a studious and at times negative fighter, renowned for his dubious tactics and underhand approach.

Right hand to the head? The elbow will follow. Calzaghe works in close on the inside? Watch out for the headbutt. Both fighters holding? Whack goes the shoulder, a low blow is coming.

And everything is bigger in Vegas, including the pressure come fight night.

Calzaghe has been a picture of relaxation all week, but elements of this fight might be beyond his control and he knows it.

Wiser men than me are decidedly uneasy.

Lennox Lewis fears the Vegas factor will be Calzaghe's undoing and Ricky Hatton has confessed the big occasion got to him when Floyd Mayweather knocked him out at the MGM Grand last year.

Duke McKenzie, the former world champion- turned-pundit, admits his heart says Calzaghe but head is leaning towards a tight Hopkins-points win.

Because that is yet another issue, Calzaghe is unlikely to receive any favours from the judges, if this is a close fight then we might be looking at 44-1.

With due respect to Kessler and Jeff Lacy, those are names that don't compare with Winky Wright, Antonio Tarver, Oscar De La Hoya, Glen Johnson and Felix Trinidad. Hopkins has earned his tag as an executioner' and he specialises in beating southpaws.

Hopkins relishes a come- forward fighter, someone with the cahones to take the fight to him, allowing a split second, a chink of light where Hopkins can deliver his splendid overhand right. And there are those who will tell you that Joe has always been susceptible to a big right hand.

Frank Warren has already challenged Hopkins to take the fight to Calzaghe, to act "like a champion", but if a leopard doesn't change his spots, then a 43-year-old isn't going to start now.

And what of the preparation?

This is Hopkins' backyard, he's assembled a quite wonderful stable of coaches, the legendary Freddie Roach, ace strategist Nazim Richardson and fitness guru Mackie Shilstone, who has amazingly NEVER worked with a losing fighter.

Calzaghe claims to have watched just one Hopkins fight, his opponent has studied Joe compulsively.

Bradley Pryce's visa issues have also hurt Calzaghe, two weeks in the States and only a 21-year old stablemate for sparring.

Worried? So am I, but let's remember that this is Joe Calzaghe, the greatest super-middleweight to don a glove, a unique once-in-a- lifetime champion.

Hopkins' greatest triumphs have come against welter- and middleweights, throughout 2005 he simply couldn't work out a way to beat Jermain Taylor and he lost twice.

Calzaghe is predictable, according to camp Hopkins, but it's one thing to predict a strategy, it's another to stop it.

Joe throws punches from all angles, he's faster than anyone his size has any right to be and has a great chin, proved against Kessler.

Calzaghe will never be found wanting for desire or stamina, his ability and conditioning are those of someone who is very, very special.

Plus referee Joe Cortez won't let Hopkins' dubious tactics go unchecked, he's a down-the-line referee who has seen it all before.

Nevertheless, Hopkins has never been stopped in a 20-year career, losing just four of his 54 fights.

So I don't expect a first knockout in this one, even if Calzaghe is hitting harder at light heavyweight.

However, I do expect Calzaghe to outwork and hopefully at times overwhelm Hopkins. Joe will start fast and should take a clear and unanimous points decision, by a big enough margin to eliminate that grey area with the judges.

But just one word of caution: Should the unthinkable happen and Joe has a relapse of his hand trouble, then he will be beaten. Calzaghe is a magnificent and courageous champion, but he can't beat Hopkins with one hand.