How would Calzaghe do against these fighters?

There's no way Joe could have made 160. So he'd have fought at 175. I've been watching a lot of Bob Foster lately. What a beast at the weight! Bob would want some stopping. And what about Spinks?

 

:yep :good

 

and still 47:0

 

I don't know that it needs to even be a Bob Foster when talking about Calzaghe's time-machine ceiling at 175. I think a Thornton, Pastrano or Torres or some of the other also-ran types would have been unimpressed with Mr. Flashdance.

 

Serge,

His nephew is Jerry Gorman, and he's uploaded all the videos. Apparently he's a good boxer himself.

I saw Knuckle with James Quinn McDonagh, and I enjoyed it. Their way of life absolutely fascinates me. Although there's a big difference between travellers and Irish travellers.

Yeah the Irish just to love to fight, and will fight over anything. But Bartley had iron principles and lived by a code of honour. Travellers become men at a very early age and they live off of their wits. There's some great stories in Bartley's book, and he was an extremely intelligent man.

There's hardback and paperback, and the hardback is on Amazon for just £5-£6. Why don't you order a copy? It's got loads of interesting old photo's in it that are extremely rare, and Bartley takes you back in time and recounts all the famous bare knuckle fights of the past, going back to the 1800's. His Great Grandfather once fought Jem Mace. Then of course he recounts his own extraordinary life, which is just incredible.

I can't wait for it! I think he'd have to film it in a series like This is England. I don't think he could do a biopic in under 3 hours, unless it was just a certain segment of his life. There's too much to try and fit in.

All his films are great, and I love Dead man shoes. But I think his best film is A room for Romeo Brass. I could watch Morell all day long ha! I love it when he puts that old shell suit on to try and impress Ladine, and as he goes into the shop where she works he slips. Comedy gold!

Ha! Brilliant!

Shane and Paddy are class! I watched that film and wanted Morrel to get a hiding. But when he did at the end, I had to feel sorry for his character, because you knew the upbringing that he'd had. Shane's great at playing with your emotions.

 

:good

 

Serge,

Yeah I 've seen some of his own videos that he's uploaded of himself. There's one of him on the heavy bag, and he looks very sharp and fast.

Yes, they've got a bad name. They sadly all get tarred with the same brush.

James is a good fighter, and I'm sure he could have made a good boxer. But it's impossible for a lot of them, with their lifestyles. A lot of them simply can't commit to the training required, when they've got family's to support and they're looking for work etc. Not unless they're based somewhere permanent, and they turn pro at an early age like Billy Joe Saunders. There's no doubt that Bartley could have made it as a pro, but as strange as it sounds, being the King of the Gypsies was more important to him than being a pro boxer. That title is revered in the travelling community, and I know that if Bartley had've been faced with a choice of either being the King of the Gypsies or the Heavyweight champion of the world, then he'd have picked the former any day of the week. That was his ultimate goal in life, from an early age.

Travellers are fanatical about fighting. While most young kids are kicking a football around pretending to be Beckham etc, the travellers are sparring each other at 7 and 8 and dreaming of becoming a top fighter. There's a great comment in Bartley's book that I'll never forget. I don't know if you've heard of Henry Francis or not? Henry Francis was one of the most feared Gypsies in the country all throughout the 90's and 00's. Bartley says in his book, that if Mike Tyson fought Lennox Lewis in a field at Doncaster for the St Ledgers meeting, and he fought Henry Francis in another field, then every gypsy man would have watched them rather than Lewis and Tyson. He was right too.

Yes, they experience things at an early age, that an average kid probably wouldn't experience until adulthood, if at all. They're all street wise and gain knowledge of general life, that can't be taught in a school. They fight, they work, they handle money, and they deal with different types of people all from an early age.

I'm sorry to hear that mate. Order the hardback one, the print is quite big. It's quite a big book.

Shane and all the cast were out in Sheffield town centre last year, and they were all in character from This is England, dressed in their 80's clothes. My mate had his photo took with them and met Shane for a few minutes. He phoned me up, but I wasn't out that night. I told him to politely ask Shane what was happening with the film and to ask if it was going to be filmed as a series. But my mate totally forgot and spoke to him about something else completely.

Yes, the soundtrack is great, and Toby Kebbell is amazing in it. You'll have to watch the This is England series when you've got the time. All of Shane's characters are great, and the actors are fantastic. Thomas Turgoose who plays Shaun, wasn't even an actor. Shane saw him on the street, and wanted him to audition for the part because he liked the look of him. He'd never had any acting experience at all. Although you wouldn't know to watch him, because he's a fine actor.

Ha! That scene is fantastic! "Oh Ladine!" Ha! And his poem that he recites.

I'm sad to say that I also went to school with kids like that.

It's been great talking to you mate.

If you don't mind me asking, how old are you, and have you ever boxed?

Thanks!

 

Agreed. Leaving top 5-10 LHWs and Old Timers out of the equation, I wouldn't fancy his chances at all against prime versions of Qawi, Conteh, Harold Johnson or Moorer. He would also have a tough time with Galindez, Mustafa, Saad, Hill, Michalczewski, Maske and Marvin Johnson.

175 isn't the most marquee division, but it is stacked in terms of historical talent.

 

Yes but such talk came about necessarily when someone blundered with that conjectural boast "Calzaghe would dominate any era". Being that 168 is younger than me (and I'm a young fella) that is a pretty ridiculous statement as most eras of pro boxing haven't included any such division. So a conjectural Joe transplanted into those eras would need to make the exact same choice as the contemporaries (who may have fought at 168 if such a thing existed) - cut down to 160 even though you're maybe a little tight at the weight, or move up to 175 even though you're maybe a little undersized.

Consequently, to say Calzaghe would dominate any era you need to be confident in saying he would dominate either the middleweights or light heavyweights of any era prior to the late 1980's. :good

 

Could well be. I consider the author of that statement more of a bandwagon jumper than a troll per se, but the sheer reach of that boast made it so I couldn't resist a bit of forceful reeducation - just to disabuse him of the notion in the case he believed his statement carried out to its logical conclusion - that Calzaghe would dominate top historic middles or light heavies.

True, but we don't know how much of that was the move up and how much simply the wearing effects of age, being so late in his career and with such a number done on his porcelain hoof bones over the years, it would be a wonder if his power and resistance hadn't dropped off a bit no matter his weight.