Calzaghe vs Ward, who wins?

If Joe had the goods to beat Ward he did a damn good job hiding it....

 

Lets be entirely fair here. Say what you will about Jones, but Hopkins was far from a washed up shell of a boxer, and shitting on Calzaghe for fighting him when he did is just baseless hatred. Hopkins had priced himself out of a fight in 2002/2003 - just like he did to Jones and Toney around the same period - but in 2008 Hopkins was considered the best Light Heavyweight in the world, and he regained that spot after Calzaghe retired. In fact, it could be argued that the Hopkins of 2008 was a better fighter than he had ever been in 1990's or the early 2000's when he wasted his prime physical years fighting nobodies and blown up welterweights. Hopkins is a big, legitimate scalp on Calzaghe resume.

Eubank was still good enough to go life or death with a big punching world champion from two weights division higher. He was still a tough, dangerous competitor so it is a good win for Calzaghe. It would have been a bigger win if Eubank hadn't lost to Collins twice and been 2/3 years out of his prime, but there nothing Calzaghe could have done about that.

The Jones fight was just about the money, nothing else. Calzaghe wasn't kidding himself by thinking beating Jones would mean anything - he'd said years before that Jones was washed up and only changed his tune in 2008 to hype the fight. He had a choice between fighting Jones, Johnson or Tarver and I dont know about you but if I'm after a fight that will make the most money I know who I'm going to pick.

Calzaghe does have a lot of bums of his resume but, as I said before, that's because he was a money fighter, not a legacy fighter. Until the last fews years of his career he didn't give a damn what people thought of him because he was raking in millions. Eubank had done the same before him, and Roy Jones Jr and Bernard Hopkins had done it as well. Boxing may be a sport, but its also a business, and if you dont treat it as a business you end up like Holyfield - an old man fighting just for a paycheck.

 

I'd say Ward

 

it isnt baseless hatred at all

calzaghe was led by war+en throughout his career, never fought a proven world class fighter in his prime - not until kessler beat froch and gave him some legitimacy...and waited until both hopkins and jones were dethroned and in their forties until he fought them

 

Ward by wide UD.

 

Agreed

SuperJoe just too good for Irish Andre

 

so Kessler had to beat Froch for that lineal championship win to hold weight?

and ask Bernard why he chickened out of his fight with Joe back in the day

and why does Bernard not get any stick for fighting Roid Jones for "revenge" even after Danny Green knocked him out? even Green was laughing about that one, listening to Bernard trying to justify the fight

 

the only people who think that are british my friend
ward only came onto the international stage with the SMW tournament, and calzaghe never did

if ward stopped fighting now he'll still be remembered internationally and calzaghe won't

why don't british fans just acknowledge that war+en ****s up fighters careers and calzaghe allowed that to happen for $$$ instead of recognition?

 

It is baseless hatred when you attack Calzaghe for beating Hopkins, because your shitting on Calzaghe for going up a division and taking on the guy that was recognized as the best fighter in that weight category in the world and beating him.

Hopkins may have lost his Middleweight crown but he bounced back to win the Light Heavyweight crown, to be considered the best Light Heavyweight in the world before and after his fights with Calzaghe, only losing that title to Dawson a couple of years ago, and to be considered one of the best pound for pound fighters in the world years after he lost to Calzaghe.

Hopkins was a big scalp, a legitimate win for Calzaghe over a top class opponent who was recognized as one of the best in the world at the time and who is now recognized as one of the best in the history of that weight division.

 

Calzaghe slaps the **** out of Ward, all the headbutts and clinching won't work on Joe.

 

it was a good win and carried some weight, but the fact remains that calzaghe waited until jones and hopkins were beaten and at a combined age of about 85 before fighting them

he could have fought them in their prime, but neither he or ****** were going to do that for a good reason.

you can sugar coat it any way you like, but that's the truth and it fits with calzaghe's career

 

Okay. That's bull****! The fact that there are so many of you haters who **** on Calzaghe's career and achievements constantly disproves the notion of Calzaghe being forgotten. It's not just his fans or British boxing fans keeping his memory alive, it's you lot who want to drag his name and reputation through the mud and, sometimes, go out of your way to hate on anything Calzaghe related.

And, in case you missed it, I'm British and I freely and openly admitted that Calzaghe was a money fighter earlier in this thread, and in different threads on this website, and didn't chase the big fights because he made easy money with the WBO.

 

Hard one might edge to calzaghe because I think he can adapt a little better.

 

i've never critisized his ability, but if you cant openly admit how lecherous war+en is on his fighter's careers then you'll be crying to high heaven for years to come

yes, i read your earlier post and it was very honest - but you cant expect a money fighter who avoids the US to get recognition over time

you know that

 

Joe vacated his belts so he didn't have to fight Froch.
Ward clowns Calzaghe on the inside/outside, whatever way Joe wants.