Does it matter? Either version would surely beat Ward. In fact, I don't know why we even debate this because Ward would probably make an offer to Calzaghe for a 99/1 split in jokeland and Calzaghe would have to say no. If Calzaghe proposed anything reasonable Ward would decline and say something like "I'm the draw I make the rules". Ward is the biggest coward in boxing. He makes PBF look brave.
SOB would have to have the fight in his home town with his personal referee, judges, boxing commission, etc., however, in neutral territory, Calzaghe would out boxing SOB, no doubt about it. SOB refused to fight Stevenson at 175 or even at 168, he refused after being called out live on HBO.................
Calzaghe comfortably out boxed Kessler while Ward head butted the **** out of Kessler, pulling off every dirty trick in the book to unsettle him, and all of course in the mighty city of Oakland with hand picked ref and officials. Calzaghe with a healthy pair of hands would beat ward comfortably while Calzaghe at the time of the Lacying UD's him with sheer work rate. Calzaghe would have been right up for Ward as he was when facing Lacy and got the win no matter what.
Calzaghe had the chit beaten out of him by Bika. There was no show boating that night. Just panic and desperation. Apart from workrate , Ward was superior to Joe in every department. His skills are text book perfect. His movement is masterful. Jor had one mode of boxing and is was volume punching on the front foot. Wards back foot movement would make Joe look foolish. He was faster getting off from the outside. Stick -hit-move. Rince and repeat.
Question is where its staged and how much headbutting/clinching/elbowing Ward gets away with. Still say Calzaghe every day, Ward lacks the power to keep Joe off of him and Calzaghes work rate is unmatched even today at 168-175. Calzaghe Wide UD.
smw zaggers has a lower skill level consistently when facing near elites or the one elite he did. trouble is he did it so scarcely that its hard to tell if that was a definite pattern.
And that was a prime undefeated monster Kessler that Calzaghe beat, unlike the version Ward ended up butting to death
A young prospect Ward simply obliterated Kessler. In ways Joe couldn't manage in a million years. That Kessler then went on and beat undefeated , prime ATG Froch . The best win of Kessler's career. After Ward destroyed him. Who did Kessler beat before he fought Joe?:rofl
this was when bika was a green smw with one single fight, coming up after getting only minor success at MW. soscared was calzaghe after battling the tv show middleweight boxer bika from a lower division that he immediately relinquished that IBF title to avoid its harder trials.