How Good Was Joe Calzaghe * really *?

I disagree.

Fighters only milk belts, when it is very profitable.

Calzaghe spent a career making relative chump change.

Yes he wanted to break into the American market.

When he finally got into the ring with the top names, he beat them all, so it is hard to imagine that he didn't think that he was up to some of the bigger money fights.

 

My thoughts exactly@Loudon,you beat me to it.Ridiculous statement

 

Again, how could he have wanted to have broken the American market, when:

1. He would never fight there in order to raise his profile?

2. He spent the majority of his career fighting non world level opposition?


He fought Lacy in 2006.

That was his 13th year as a pro, out of a 15 year career.


The proof is right there.

Go and look at his resume.

His 10 year WBO reign.


He was still fighting guys like Salem, Ashira and Veit etc, well into his 30’s.

It’s absolute nonsense.


That was a choice that he made.

 

I liked him. Skilled boxer. Fast reflexes. High workrate. Beat a good list of guys even if he didn’t fight everyone. Knew when to call it quits

 

Jones IS and Was a great of course he was,
but he a vain arrogant unlikable clown, whom when he met a Tarver was never the same, ok is that so bad, No, of course not, but one has to wonder how many Tarvers were out there that he might have faced a bit earlier at L-HW, which is Jones True weight...

so yeah Jones, would have met many a Tarver throughout Boxing History, which might have just leveled his worth out much sooner.

Dats all!

 

You're welcome.

Granted Joe had his fair share of poor defences.

My challenge to you, is to find another boxer in history whose 8th-20th best wins at SMW (as in officially contested in a SMW division, ignoring fights pre the creation of that division) are better than Joe's equivalents.

I've listed Calzaghe’s, Ward's and Froch's best 20 wins at SMW, in order. From 8 or 9 downwards, it's a no contest, Calzaghe has the better win every time.

He obviously would do so with Kessler and Ottke, too. RJJ and Toney didn't contest enough fights at SMW.

I don't know if you'll accept my challenge, but I strongly suspect if you do you'll find a new respect for the depth of Joe's SMW win resume, even if only relative to those of the other "great" SMWs from history.

 

I think he’s a great fighter. Perhaps not among the top 100 ever or something but among the best 10 British greats and one of the best of his era.

 

Great fighter. Incredible engine-especially for his size, great handspeed, very high boxing IQ, helluva boxer with a terrific chin. And he has a good resume as well.

 

I honestly can’t assess him except on paper (most of the known names weren’t prime and a bunch of them were the equivalent of hamburger helper without the meat) becaues I just find him utterly unwatchable.

Not that my inability to stay engaged to watch means he wasn’t any good, but I just don’t have a good handle on his abilities because I doze off or hit the stop button whenever I’ve tried to view his fights.

 

my early Post, agrees similarily to you.

 

Your last paragraph really answers all of the points above it though.

Lacy, a rising undefeated star of boxing was expected to beat Calzaghe and probably KO him. In reality though, Joe delivered a fearful beating and it wouldn’t have mattered if that fight was held in Vegas instead of Manchester.

Not only did Calzaghe destroy Lacy over 12 rounds, the beating delivered was enough to make Lacy gun shy for the rest of his career. He was never the same after that.

Calzaghe was a star. Anybody suggesting otherwise…well they mustn’t be true boxing people.

 

It was more his circumstances at the time, rather than Tarver specifically.