Dude, my bad, I had him in there but accidentally took him out. Remove Pac for Sweet Pea. Still, NO ****EN CALZAGHE!!
Aside from a fairly standard derogatory comment, you still haven't answered why you listed two people that Calzaghe made mince meat of... Lets try again.
I assumed based on the bile you typed, it was a joke, I didn't realise you were being legitimate. Must we bring up the fact that Hopkins is currently in his prime? and was P4P ranked number 4 when Calzaghe beat him? and that he was natyrually bigger, in his own turf, and accustomed to the weight? Then must I bring up the fact Jones proved the adage that a great fighter always has '' 1 last great performance '' in him, thus being the case when he met Joe, dancing around for 12 rounds, showing more heart than ever, and showing the same reflexes and speed he always had, except, a slightly over the hill Calzaghe proved to be too classy. Let us just accept that had Calzaghe been American, he would be the divine king of boxing, and everyone would be singing his praises, too bad for him he was born in London.
Calzaghe is not the most ducked man in boxing - many people want to fight him! Hopkins and Jones weren't keen to make the fight with Calzaghe in his prime, this is documented but to be honest the risk wasn't worth the reward - it wouldn't have been for a great deal of money as Calzaghe wasn't a big star at the time and also didn't want to leave Wales. When people now say Froch/Dawson aren't worth it for Calzaghe as they don't bring much to the table, that's exactly the same non-attraction that fighting Calz would have had for Hopkins and Jones back in the day. As for James Toney, do you really think he'd have come down from 230lbs or whatever he weights to 168lbs to fight Calzaghe?? It wasn't a real challenge, it was more a verbal jibe at Toneys body in response to Toney saying Lacy would destroy Calzaghe. IMO you have a good case for Steve Collins ducking him though.
People are now accustomed to having money put first in boxing, I disagree, I feel the only thing that stops a Dawson fight, is the fact Calzaghe has signalled for a while he wants to retire, and Dawson wasn't on the Radar till Pavlik was beaten. A Champion in Calzaghe, would have been worth more to Jones, than an off duty cop, and the number of other bums he fought back then, plus the Brit v USA thing has always been lucrative, add that on to the masses of British boxing fans, the money would have been good.
Goodnes, imagine if I went for the '' put down your twinkies and Choco milk for a second you tubby ignorant Yankee doodle'' Except I would never say that...
Real boxing fans, such as myself, see fighters for what they are, not for their background. If Calzaghe had been American, he would have had the balls to test himself early on in his career and his resume would be a bit better. Calzaghe has no business being ranked with the afformentioned names. Calzaghe is a top fighter right now but has only recently ascended to this position. Roy Jones and Bernard Hopkins have been in this position for a decade or more and deserve more recognition. The only people that feel Calzaghe is an All Time Great are the people that feel the need defend him at every turn, such as yourself. When it comes to recognizing the true Greats, background and where you fight doesn't matter. It's all about WHOM you've fought. Get it?
That's true, but the bigger name in most cases wants (and should have) things on his terms. If Calzaghe would have offered Jones a fight in his backyard for good money i'm sure it'd have taken place. As far as i'm aware this didn't happen.