Joe Calzaghe was a good fighter

Andre Ward lost the first bout and "won" by TKO to the nuts in the second, with the referee not even giving Sergey Kovalev a count which confirms the corruption in that bout.

Nobody will deny Andre Ward credit for being a good boxer, but I believe that those two bouts have marred his credentials as opposed to enhancing them, through the eyes of many.

 

Why are you out of here?

Andre Ward had been inactive over a 4 year period due to injuries and contractual disputes. He then had a few tune ups and agreed to fight Kovalev at LHW.

Andre only had respectable power at SMW, he'd previously suffered a fractured hand, and Kovalev was in his prime and was seen as a monster puncher.

It was a highly dangerous fight that he didn't have to take.

The first fight was extremely close.

Before the rematch, Kovalev tried his best to intimidate Andre, saying that he hit like a woman and that he was going to destroy him in the rematch to prove a point. He tried desperately to psyche him out.

Andre smiled, shook his head, and told him that he was trying to sell fear but he wasn't buying it. Andre could not be intimidated.

Now the rematch was so controversial, I've literally studied it numerous times. I've watched different camera angles, fan footage and slow motion replays etc.

Anybody who says that Andre won that fight by continuously fouling his incorrect.

Sure, the last blow was horribly low. And there was also a low one earlier on. But every single one of the others were legal. They all landed on and above the 'K' logo what Tony Week's had deemed legal in the pre-fight instructions.

Kovalev was the one who was looking for a way out. Just before the end of the fight, Andre hit him with 2 body shots which were 100% legal and not even up for debate. I know, as I've watched it over and over. They were 100% clean. Yet Kovalev desperately looked at Weeks for help. That moment right there is when he'd mentally given up.

This was not a replay of Bowe-Golota.

Again, the last blow was horribly low. But Weeks had already seen enough at that stage. Kovalev took a huge right hand and then Andre followed it up, which culminated in Kovalev being bent over and not defending himself or firing back. That fight was getting stopped no matter where that last punch landed. The fight wasn't stopped specifically because of the last shot, it was stopped due to everything that had happened from when the big right hand had landed. If anything, the low blow actually robbed Andre of a clearer win.

If you don't agree with what I've written, then I suggest that you go back and study the fight. Because Andre did not look for a way out. It was vice versa. Also, hardly anybody mentions how many illegal rabbit punches Kovalev threw in that fight.

Although the end was dissatisfying, Andre deserves huge credit for beating Kovalev. And after watching Joe's entire career, I can tell you for sure that he'd never have moved up to face a guy like that.

 

yes run from tough ones- this is the cowardzaghe way.

 

joe would outpoint sven

 

he was titlist only at smw

and not atg for just 4 recognised defences.

 

bit harsh? Ward ruled SMWlineal more than twice as long as calzaghe, and with actual unified defences.

Calzaghe is the poor mans ward.

 

I fail to see any similarities between Ward and Calzaghe, not one !

 

you see him even worse ok! np

 

It would have been a great fight.

 

Do you think Ward and Calzaghe have the same style Mark, with Ward having the superior version of it ? im lost

 

Possibly.

I think he was sharper when he was younger though.

Either way, I think it would have been another close fight.

 

Everything points to a very intriguing clash of styles and an extremely close fight.

 

Well lots of people think he cheated all throughout his career. And if he did, of course I can't condone that. But you could see the extraordinary gifts that he had even back in his amateur days. And since his 90's dominance, we're still yet to see a fighter able to do what he did. So I don't think that his greatness came from taking PEDS.

 

Typical, predictable nonsense from you.

Both Joe and Ward were elite fighters.

My point was: You can't assume that Joe would have beaten Andre easily.

I think that if they'd have fought, it would have been an extremely difficult fight for BOTH guys.

I certainly don't think that Ward would have beaten Joe easily. But he did have a clear win over an elite fighter. He stopped Kovalev.

You think that Kovalev was elite. You were banging his drum for a long time on here, saying how you think he'd have beaten a prime version of Roy inside 3 rounds etc. Or are you going to deny that, like how you've suddenly had amnesia by not remembering what you'd said about Ottke having a better resume than Ward?

 

I agree