Sir Joe Calzaghe: All Time Great The Italian Dragon Of Hammersmith The Pride Of Wales

Name the Welsh Ref then , I'm intrigued

 

Because at that point, the american fighters couldn't ignore him anymore. Lacy took a risk and lost badly. That's all he needed to get his name in the mix with guys like Hopkins and Jones.

 

ROFLMAO now its got stretched to Slappy TKO'd Bernard atschatsch
Slappy was given a gift There no way he EVER legitimately beat Hopkins & he knows that himself
Oh & BTW stop calling the Welsh Slapper Sir Joe.!!
That is an insult to the real Knights of the Realm. Cowards don't get to be Knights

 

The U.S. fighters like Roy, wouldn't have ignored him, if he'd have been a big money fight at the same weight.

There was nothing stopping Joe from moving up to LHW and boxing in America much earlier than he did.

He could have wowed audiences if he'd have been injury free, and he could have moved up the rankings etc.

Joe's fortunate that Lacy was hyped to death by the U.S. fans. Because in beating him, he showed a huge U.S. audience just what a class act he was.

But if he hadn't have fought Lacy, he probably wouldn't have secured the fights with Roy and Hopkins.

Also, at the time, people didn't think Lacy was taking a risk, and I don't believe that Lacy himself thought that.

Because as great as Joe was, in 2006, he was still relatively unknown in America.

Which is probably why Lacy was a huge favourite over there.

But he had no chance of fighting the likes of Roy back in the early 00's, whilst he was fighting WBO mando's, in a different division.

He had to do much more than he did, to chase down those bigger fights.

If you want to fight the worlds best fighter, the onus is on you to make concessions and to push for it.

 

I agree with virtually everything you said. Even if he begged he wouldn't have gotten the fight until after the Lacy fight and Jones had gotten knocked out.

 

Every time that bird chested white boy faught, I thought he would lose! He never did tho, he was like a ninja that could adapt to any style.

People hate him because he isn't what they imagine an undefeated boxer to be. They want a Hagler, a Marciano, a Mayweather type, not some ***** looking school boy - that was trained by a nobody.

Calzaghe crushes your ego. You think you know what a great fighter is, and then he comes in and beats the hell out of your boy as you watch and can't understand it.

 

True, unless he'd have trodden a different path.

An earlier fight with Roy could have been a possibility, if he'd have made waves in Roy's division, and/or he'd have manoeuvred himself into a mandatory position, and been happy with the terms.

 

It can be tricky to get a big career going if your fighting out of Europe. I thought he had the goods and he got recognized at least at the end of his career. Of course he good he really was will get disputed especially here in America

 

the welsh ref who picked up Clev - I don't know his name. do your own research.


but calzaghe clearly had gifted stoppages when landing barely a blow, disgusting cheating that happened because he was fighting in wales. and the refs did that because they were told to, they'd never have done it outside wales for joe.

 

Yet he never really beat a great fighter in their prime :think

 

he was more of a great euro champ, since its well nigh impossible to call him a smw world great.

I tinhk if you look at his wbo belt as a euro title then no one would question his weak (non world level) defences., and then you could validly consider him a euro champ who at 34 raised his game to briefly win world titles.

 

Name the fights Calzaghe won " without landing barely a blow " ?

 

Being one of Italian heritage, I do not approve of this thread title...

Calzaghe was great and assembled a high quality resume. I didn't like how he would look and act like a clown in the ring half the time but you have to respect the things he does well. Retiring undefeated is huge and he sits on a short list next to just Marciano and Ricardo for having done so (barring a Jim Jeffries-like comeback).

The problem with Calzaghe and ATG discussion is that the moment you start to be like, "yeah, Calzaghe does have aspects that stack up to some of these top 75 ATG guys," you then have a revelation and think to yourself, "but wait, he didn't beat as many quality fighters as era peer Pongsaklek Wonjongkam. Hmmmmm......."

 

Got to give Kessler performance props here.

 

i'd rate beating a 40 year old Hopkins higher :good