Better Resume: Joe Calzaghe or Anthony Joshua

Anyone who actually followed Calzaghe's career knows full well he had an excellent chin, fought a lot of big punchers, and that not only was he blighted with serious injury problems throughout his career which had a huge impact upon his career, style and performances but that they nearly derailed his career before it even got off the ground

Here is an injury-ravaged Joe who had only sparred 14 rounds in 2 years due to suffering numerous different injuries taking ridiculous KO bombs and flush shots, many in quick succession, from the fighter Carl Froch said is the hardest puncher he ever fought

These are just two fights but no one can deny that he demonstrates a hell of a set of whiskers in them and I've seen every single one of his pro fights sans possibly one which wasn't televised and I might have seen all of them and a bunch of his amateur fights too and, as said, prime Joe had a excellent chin

Don't believe me?

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Here he is taking loads of flush bombs from Eubank who dropped the iron-jawed Steve Collins. Eubank had but no choice to fight like his life depended on it because Joe who used to hit much harder back then fought like a man possessed that night and was absolutely relentless

The more observant of you will notice that Eubank's rock-like noggin crashes into Joe's face many times during these HLs

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A 19 y/o Calzaghe

Timestamped

''I just hope my hands get better.. keep OK.. so I can turn professional and be good at it.''

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And Joe who was trained by his musician father who had never boxed a day in his life also trained out of a dilapidated gym until like his 10th title defence IIRC, not a state of the art gym and facilities with an elite team of top trainers, S&C coaches, nutritionists, analysts etc. like AJ has done since he turned pro and even in the amateurs

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It didn't even have a proper ring in it. It was just four posts, some rope and carpeted floor

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Carl Froch

BEST PUNCHER

''Robin Reid: He hurt me the most with a single shot. I can’t say George Groves because he caught me square on in the first fight, when I left my feet behind me. That was a heavy knockdown made worse by my balance being off. Also, after his fast start dwindled, I came on strong, so I can’t say Groves. I remember Reid hitting me and saying, ‘beeping hell, that hurt.’ Jermain Taylor had me down, but that was more of a sharp shot. Robin Reid could really bang, and in my opinion he deserved the win over Joe Calzaghe in their fight. That said, Calzaghe had to be tough to walk through the right hands he took from Reid.''

''Froch does hit hard but again not the hardest puncher I've been in with ROBIN REID hit harder when he was in his prime.''

--Tony Dodson


Richie Woodhall

BEST CHIN

''Calzaghe: He was a tough geezer. I wasn’t a devastating puncher; I was more of a worker, and that showed against Calzaghe. I hit him many times but nothing affected him''

Mikkel Kessler

''Joe was also awkward and effective. And he could take a punch. I would say I hit Joe with some of my hardest shots ever and he took them. Carl is more a hard hitter but he’s slow. But Carl doesn’t respect anything. Even if you hit him really hard he will still come forward''

It's very disingenuous to ignore the fact that Joe was utterly injury-ravaged when he fought Robin Reid and had barely sparred at all in the previous couple of years, injured his hand during the fight which he was winning handily (pun intended) prior to doing so, and that he was plagued with serious problems to the tools of his trade ie. his hands since he was a teenager which got increasingly worse as his career progressed. These aren't trivial inconsequential little things FFS. He achieved everything he achieved against the odds and a large part of that is due to the fact he was very physically gifted and blessed with an abundance of natural talent.

 

Yes. The Phantom wanted nothing to do with Joe just like B-Hop didn't back then and like Clenelo the former only had to make it to the final bell to get his hand raised. Reid who was very dirty against Calzaghe, including deliberately locking his arm up and twisting it to try and aggravate Joe's injured elbow, actually got warned by the ref for hitting The Phantom at one point