`Calzaghe is one of the best ever` - Roy Jones

I think everyone on this board rates the all time greats way to high. They had a lot of flaws. SRR did not have a defence. Ali lost a handful of times before retiring etc etc.

Calzaghe is the best SMW of all time. ATG? No. But Mayweather definetely is an ATG.

Everyone is to harsh when judging there lists, on modern day fighters.

 

you always want others to view your opponent as being very good or better than he/she actually is, so that no matter the result of the game/fight/competition it will make YOU will appear better ....it reminds me of how Lou Holtz (when he was coaching at South Carolina) would always praise and glorify the opposing team leading up to the game. That team may have in fact been total ****, but if you listened to Holtz speaking you would think that they were the defending national champs, and when S. Carolina would win on gameday it would make Holtz's team look that much better.

 

Some of us have already met minds on this. If there seems to be a pattern Roy is literally telling the British press one thing; which is favorable towards Calzaghe, and the American press gets a whole different version; comments like "Calzaghe is only a good Euro fighter." (And that's just "good" not great) - and he's said things like that after he said that Calzaghe was an ATG, ect. Two versions of this stuff.

 

Roy has never really been known to bash opponents and disrespect them. While I may not like Cal I think Roy is showing Joe respect because they are grown men and there is no need for things like that. Not everyone promotes there fights by disrespecting opponents. However I think once fight night comes I think Roy is gonna kick his ass.

 

i think its true, he is a great of the ring, probably not in the ten ATGs but he is a great of the ring, and a fighter i'll certainly remember in ten years time.

theres far too much bitterness in these boards, ok you dont support or follow calzaghe but to say what he has achieved is nothing is plain wrong

 

it'll never change mate....get used to it.

 

or maybe he is saying he is a great because he ****ing is you idiot.

 

surely if you're the best SMW of all time you're an all time great?

 

Giving any credence to things fighters say in the run-up to fights is very very silly. Boxing is an entertainment business, everyone says whatever is in their own interests and everyone has their own agendas.

 

SRR had no defence??atsch

but back to the question i'd say it's both....if he loses, then he can say it's because he's an ATG, and if he wins he can say he beat an ATG, its a win-win situation

 

What he's doing is playing mind games in an attempt to get into Calzaghe's head.

I don't know if he will succeed in doing so, but he's certainly gotten into yours eh? :yep

 

Not necessarily.

Being the greatest (not the best, there's a difference) super middleweight is not the same as being the greatest ever in a traditional weight class. Or even a junior division like 140 or 130, which has some nice history to it with all-time greats who peaked there.

 

RJJ is keeping expectations low for himself, and high for Calzaghe.

He also said in the 24/7 program on HBO, "I have nothing to lose in this fight."

I think RJJ WANTS everyone to think Calzaghe will win. I think he wants to have low expectations. That allows him to "have fun" (as he put it in the 24/7 show), and just go for it.

It probably isn't a bad idea to take that position...

 

That's stupid in my opinion. His first loss to Frazier was avenged twice, his first loss to Norton was avenged twice too(though I gave Norton the third fight, Ali was seriously shot at the time). The Holmes loss and Berbick shouldn't even be looked at, Ali was GONE at the time. Even his loss to Spinks shouldn't even matter since he was beyond shot and still avenged it.