Observations on Joe Calzaghe's career.

Retiring undefeated don't mean jack****. I am not a critic of Joe. He was afine fighter, but all this crap about him being top 10 ATG, and etc is getting overboard. It's worst than the Mayweather ****, and Mayweather has more career defining fights and has done more than Joe. Joe is an ATG imo, but all this stuff on this forum is really annoying.

Look at things objectively. Jones has been SHOT since 04!!!!! Literally he has been damaged goods since then, beat no one since then -- is a shell of his former self. Everyone said before if Joe fought Jones it would make him look bad when more tougher challenges were out there, that would be better. He even said himself that fighting Jones would mean nothing at this point, how he was a great fighter but isn't anymore -- and hasn't been since 04!

God. He gets credit for B-Hop, although it was a ugly SD which some thought B-Hop won.

 

What other fighters went 15 years unbeaten at that level. If your calling Calzaghe's competition "crap" you don't know what your talking about. Who do you think he should of been fighting over the last 15 years?

 

He should have fought Otke, prime Jones, Michauski, Pavlik, and Hopkins and Reid rematches. From his own division he should have faced Otke, Mundine, Echols, Beyer, Larson, Green and all the other staple top 10 contenders he never faced, look how many there are from Rings top10 168lb listings

Rings 168 Top10 2000

Sven Ottke
Joe Calzaghe
Bruno Girard
Charles Brewer
Thomas Tate
Dave Hilton Jr.
Dingaan Thobela
Glenn Catley
Byron Mitchell
James Butler

2001

Sven Ottke
Joe Calzaghe
Byron Mitchell
Antwun Echols
Charles Brewer
Thomas Tate
Eric Lucas
Mads Larsen
Manny Siaca
Markus Beyer

2002

Title Vacant
Joe Calzaghe
Sven Ottke
Antwun Echols
Eric Lucas
Byron Mitchell
Charles Brewer
Mads Larsen
Manny Siaca
Anthony Mundine
Markus Beyer


2003

Title Vacant
Joe Calzaghe
Sven Ottke
Anthony Mundine
Antwun Echols
Danny Green
Byron Mitchell
Markus Beyer
Charles Brewer
Mads Larsen
Robin Reid

2004

Joe Calzaghe
Mikkel Kessler
Anthony Mundine
Antwun Echols
Danny Green
Jeff Lacy
Mads Larsen
Robin Reid
Markus Beyer
Manny Siaca

 

In that 5year period he faced 2 ranked contenders according to those lists, although Woodhall was probably also ranked. He avoided 16 of those top10 names and only faced 5 of them ranked in those 5years in his whole 10year reign. 3 of the 5 he faced wanted rematches after Reid thought he was robbed and Mitchell was stopped very prematurely after having Calzaghe down a few moments earlier.

 

Who do you think would of beaten him out of that list of super middles.
Do you think he deliberately avoided all those opponents like Hopkins, Jones, Ottke, Pavlik and Michalczewski.

 

Harsh but so true.

 

happy

 

" A grown man flailing like a ****** " is so true ? :-(

 

He wouldn't have touched Jones 97-03 as he knew that would've been the zero gone immediately. Despite his fans' protests to the contrary, I don't believe he had any intention of getting in the ring with Hopkins earlier in his career, and he chose not to pursue fights with the rest. Is choosing not to pursue a fight the same as deliberately avoiding it? I'd say it is.

The general standard of Calzaghe's comp has been at best mediocre and at worse dire. Sorry, but only a doe-eyed fanboy would try and say otherwise.

 

I'd make him favourate over everyone at 168 but I don't think Joe wanted to fight anyone who could potentially beat him. But this is boxing and someone from that list could have had the style to beat him.

Reid arguably beat him in '98 and he wouldn't rematch Reid. Otke was a very slippy technical boxer. Mundine had more speed/athleticism than Joe. Joe was supposed to face the Echols-Brewer winner, Echols won by 2nd round KO, and he faced Brewer instead, how disgraceful is that from a supposed 168lb no1? Echols/Pavliks powerpunching styles and aggression may have given Joe problems. Green, Beyer and Larson were all dangerous

Its also Calzaghes match making to fight fighters coming off a loss (or losing there last big fight):

Mitchell (just lost to Otke)
Brewer (just ko'd by Echols and lost to Otke before that)
Jones (lost left right and centre)
Reid (just lost)

He only fought 2 fighters in their prime, Kessler and Lacy, Lacy now looks an average win, with Kessler the jury is still out. Big props for those wins none the less

EDIT Joe is a great fighter, but not 1 of this eras greatest

 

Slapping (poor punching technique) and landing virtually no clean punches = flailing like a ******, in the eyes of someone who appreciates technique, precision, and power.

 

Ah right " flailing like a ****** " is a common term for someone who appreciates those things. Maybe i need to expand my knowledge
He beat Hopkins.

 

He got the judges' decision yes, based on workrate v a 43-year-old man, but that does not mean his punching is not amateurish and ineffective.

 

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So what is effective ?

 

Why on Earth are you using this example to try and defend Joe's punching?? atsch

He landed literally hundreds upon hundreds of clean punches to this guy's face and skull, and couldn't come close to knocking him out!

Thanks for helping to prove my point!