Eubank was an excellent fighter, Calzaghe could have had a much easier vacant WBO title shot. Brewer, Mitchell, David Stary, Woodhall, Sheika, Reid nothing wrong with those whatsoever. 4 former world champions there. Bika is a handfull too! Kessler and Lacy - undefeated, top drawer. Roy Jones and Bernard Hopkins. - enough said.
What is with everyone with this 'proven world class fighter in their prime' ****. Where are all these proven world class fighters in their prime? Calzaghe fought Hopkins when Hopkins was considered by consensus the fourth best P4P fighter in the world. Calzaghe himself was considered number three, Marquez and Pacquiao above him. So Hopkins was the very best opponent that Calzaghe could possibly have faced at that time. What's the point in fighting these 'proven world class fighters in their prime' (if any actually exist) if they're not actually as good as the guy you do face?
Clinton Woods? His penultimate fight. Worst.Performance.Ever. Like he couldn't give a ****, lost his title, and thought he was still world class to win it back. Ooops. Ricky Hatton? Put your guard up, Ricky. You're not meant to defend with your face when someone is fast and good enough is in front of you, even if they are smaller. These guys are rated over an unbeaten Calzaghe? RLY? And oh yeah, RJJ and Hopkins only ever fought world champs every fight. Idiot.
Aside from a past their primes Eubank and Lacy A prime Kessler (the only prime name on his resume) a highly disputed win over a old B-Hop (highly disputed if your not a Calzaghe fan of course) and a ancient Jones Jr, who has Calzaghe really beaten?
you're still trying to make it legitimate for calzaghe to fight hopkins when he did. why dont you argue why calzaghe didnt cross the pond and earn a jones or hopkins fight when they ruled the world?
Of course it was legitimate for Calzaghe to fight Hopkins when he did. He was the best opponent in or around Calzaghe's weight at that time. How much more legitimacy do you need than that? He wasn't the 'best considering his age', just the best opponent possible. We know what happened with Calzaghe/Hopkins in 2002. And no he didn't particularly step up and try to force a fight with Jones when he might have, same as Jones didn't 'cross the pond' to 'earn' a fight with Michalzewski when he might have. Shame.
Eubank was not champ and was fighting at cruiserweight he came down to make the fight on very short notice for the useless VACANT WBO the first actual current belt holder Joe fought was against LACY this is a fact
Eubank had lost his title two a and a half years earlier and hadn't fought at 168 in two years. Calzaghe was supposed to fight Collins but Collins got injured and then retired, so Eubank took the fight on short notice.
No one is saying Calzaghe was not a good fighter which he was. He just made matches like Sven Ottke imagine what people would think of Mosley or Delahoya if they chose careful match making to keep their 0. This is the issue most have with Calzaghe. He refused to fight unless he felt like he had an advatange.