Joe Calzaghe's WBO Defences

His hands deterioating were big factor later on as well.

 

Remember sven ottke was always viewed above joe until their subsequent fights with mitchell.

Joe should have built on that momentum but poor match making and injuries kept him as a sideshow until the lacy when he did show his class against lacy, bika, manfredo and kessler.

But using them 4 fights we can extrapolate back and not help at be disappointed.

With his fights between mitchel and lacy it's no wonder he was seen as protected paper champ and an underdog.

 

That's what i've been saying all along.

Yes, he probabily would've taken a loss had he fought more great fighters. But then what greats were there that he avoided or missed? We've gone through his wasted years from 1997 to the Lacy fight. There wasn't much there. Plus if you try hard enough you can rip anyones record to pieces, that's just the way it is in boxing.

Like i said, Joe was a victim of the times.

For me, his consistancy, domination and skillset is enough. It doesn't stop me feeling frustrated with his career, because i know deep down how special he was.

 

He is not in the top 100 boxers of all time, nor the top 10 of his period of being a fighter-

 

Also for example he is more talented than Carl Froch YET...despite having less time at the top is nearing on him in terms of opponents. Joe had literally from 1997 to 2009 a 12 year period of fighting some great comp, yet you could only name less than a handful who were top notch...Eubank, Kessler, Lacy, Hopkins.

 

Alot of his defences were terrible but alot don't receive the just priase. Eubank, Reid, Mitchell, even the odd victory over the likes of Sheika deserve some praise.

No suprise that another big name left ****** and seemed to have bigger more marketable fights.

 

Okay, Black. Let's start reeling off some names.

Ottke- I don't particularly care for. Joe schools him anyway and it doesn't do much for him on the grander scheme.

Liles- Available for a short time, but was coming to the end. Joe had two defences in 1998, could he have fitted Liles in for a unification? perhaps. But he'd only won the strap, not many immedietly go for a unification. He gets a pass on this. People would've just said Liles was shot anyway by 1998/9. Mitchell showed that.

Toney- The less said the better really. Was he ever viable at super middle for Joe? No. By the time Calzaghe established himself at 168, his obese arse was too busy jumping to cruiser.

Jermaine Taylor- Rejected 5 million to fight Calzaghe.

Hopkins- Priced himself out, flat out turned it down in 2002 and was chasing a big money showdown with Oscar.

Pavlik- Only came on the scene after Lacy and really Calzaghe should've got the spoils of that one. But after what Fwank did to him, he left his stable and making that become more difficult, plus Joe already had one foot in retirement and wasn't gonna wait around.

Collins- Vacated rather then fight Joe.

Johnson- It was signed. Calzaghe got Injured and Glenn got the Jones fight.

Tarver- Different division. Calzaghe could've jumped up a weight to fight him, but why should he leave his division to get less money. I can't see how one could blame him here.

Roy Jones- This is the fight Calzaghe should've speculated and taken a risk on. It should've been made. It would've meant Joe moving up a weight and facing Jones in his back yard, but Jones had every right to demand it. Only great he truly missed.

Apologies if i've missed out some names, but truth is there's not many viable 168 pounders during his reign, which would've greatly improved Joe's legacy.

I understand the criticism Calzaghe gets (not all valid and not all his fault, but i understand it). I saw enough to view him as a special fighter and a great. Some didn't, we move on.

 

The only way joe greatly improves his legacy is by making the ottke and beyer fights then moving up to get involved with hopkins, tarver, jones and johnson.

 

^ I agree, mate. Only by moving up to face Jones. Less so Tarver though.

Hopkins had already turned it down and he beat a still great Bernard anyway. Unfortunately he got injured and couldn't face Johnson.

Ottke and Beyer? C'mon, really? How much do they improve his legacy.

 

Nothing is ever a sure thing in Germany, Reid got deducted a point for punching Ottke in the face didnt he?

 

probs missed kelly pavlik.

 

Just in the way he would have cleaned out his division quicker.

In the early to mid 00's jones, tarver, johnson, woods and hopkins were all fighting each other and pretty much defined the division so joe beating each of them after clearing out his own division would leave a pretty tasty legacy. Certainly am improvement on his legacy at present anyways.

 

Didn't Collins not fight Joe because he had a Brain injury/problem?

Joe's got the skillset, but his record is terrible.

 

joe disgraced himself imo

should have looked for better challenges instead of being delighted to fight the pudwills and rematch the veits.

of course his fear of flying subsided when roy and bernard were in their 40s

10 years earlier he wouldn't be caught dead in an airplane because he was "terrified"

makes you wonder how he got to denmark to fight will "kid fire" mcintyre.

 

Lirva, you got you nominations in for the annual awards yet?

I believe you're currently taking the prestigious 'Mong of the Year' by a record landslide.