Fans are always like that, but of course, it depends on the circumstances. There's a world of difference between being faded and shot. Age and ring age are 2 different things. Bernard wasn't shot when he fought Joe. Nowhere near. But of course he was faded at 43, and he always had trouble with mobile fighters. Kovalev is now shot in my opinion, and I think his performances reflect that.
The healthy-handed Calzaghe who actually had power to complement his speed, iron chin, skills, and insane engine. Yeah, Super Joe all the way. Either way, Joe all the way. How do you recall the (Joe) Calzaghe fight? ''The main thing I remember about Calzaghe was how hard he punched. I thought he had bricks in his gloves at one point. On top of that - he was big, he was strong, he was hearty, he had fast hand speed and he had a very awkward southpaw stance. He was unbeaten, he didn't know how to lose. On top of all that, he puts me down in the opening 15 seconds, for only the second clean knockdown of my life. (Laughs) .'' ''I've never been knocked down in the first round before Joe hit me with a powerful left-hand punch, which I never saw, and within half a minute of the bell ringing I was having to pick myself up and deal with the realization that I was in for a long night. That punch really hurt and thereafter it was a tough fight.'' Joe obviously went on to be an exceptionally great world champion.'' --- Chris Eubank ''I started out [professional] with the Ingles. I used to do a lot of body sparring with the likes of Bomber Graham, Johnny Nelson and Naseem Hamed. Nelson never had any bottle: he used to nick fights running away. But Naz was ******* brilliant - so elusive and he hit really hard. Even when he were just 15, he told my uncle to get his autograph 'cos he were going to be a superstar. Nigel Benn used me seven times over in Tenerife, including for the Gerald McClellan fight. I had a big bet, three figures, on McClellan to win in the first round at about 10-1. And he would've if the ref hadn't kept interrupting. Nige and me would spar half-an-hour a day, then both go out on the ****. We always had a headguard and 16 oz gloves and often I'd outjab him. Nigel weren't a liberty-taker. But the best I've been inside the ring with was Joe Calzaghe in sparring. Beforehand, I thought he were quite boring to watch and looked as if he slapped but, **** me, he punches hard. If he slapped, Bernard Hopkins would've stood toe-to-toe with Joe, but he [Hopkins] got on his bike, didn't he? If Joe and Nigel had fought, I think Joe would have been able to take the pain and would've ended up hurting Nigel, bit like Michael Watson did.'' --- Tony Booth ''I thought I'd been hit by a lorry'' --- Karl Barwise ''This kid has everything'' --- Spencer Alton ''I've never been hit so hard and so often'' --- Andy Flute "After working with Robin Reid last month I was already buzzing, but when the call came to work with Joe, well he's the best on the planet," he told Seconds Out. "I was invited down to work with Joe for five days and I've enjoyed every minute. This has been a fantastic opportunity for me. "I can see why he's the champ now. Joe punches hard and fast'' --- Tony Quigley ''Calzaghe can punch very hard'' --- Nicky Piper ''A lot of people think Joe can't punch but he's actually very heavy handed'' --- Enzo Maccarinelli The hardest puncher I fought (long pause) that?s a real tough one ''I dished out a lot more punishment than I ever took during my career, but I'd have to say the toughest and most exciting fight I ever had was with Joe Calzaghe,'' Brewer said. Joe was not a one-punch KO kind of guy, but he overwhelmed guys; he had those ridiculous combinations! And I deviated from my game-plan that night in Wales, and we just warred; we went two-to-toe for 12-rounds. It was a battle of heart and guts. Joe was just a great technical, mentally draining, puncher'' --- Charles Brewer Glen Catley, Dean Francis (RIP), and Robin Reid said he hit hard too. Here's what one of his former opponents Nick Manners had to say about Joe's fitness and stamina after he'd been invited up to Newbridge to spar with Joe to help him prepare for the Eubank fight. ''I was a fit lad and always aimed to be the fittest in the gym along with my brother Colin (former middleweight professional). I used to be a handy runner and never had any trouble with stamina or speed, but with Joe he used to run up these massive Welsh hills and keep an incredible pace. One day I was flagging behind totally exhausted and he motioned to wait for me. I said ''Joe get along I'm fine, you're training for a world title fight I don't want to slow you down.'' He sped off and this little bus drove past: it came past regularly when we were up in those hills, we used to wave when they bleeped their horns. I was so spent I flagged it down and hitched a ride, Joe was still puffing and panting up the steep hill and I just waved to him as the bus passed'' ''Our stablemate Nathan Cleverly and I normally spar with Joe in the build-up to his fights. Joe's stamina and work-rate is so intense that Nathan and I share sparring with him, I do two rounds then Nathan does two. That's tiring enough but poor Nathan is having to do it all at the moment. I don't envy him as Joe is in fantastic shape." --Bradley Price This content is protected This content is protected
That's why Joe is the best 168 lb fighter ever, the most adaptable fighter ive seen along with Mayweather. Both had reputations as punchers before their hands let them down and totally changed their styles down to it. He UD's Ward every day of the week for me. The one fighter I cant genuinely see a man before him or since beating him, how do you do it when hes granite chinned, fantastic conditioning, and an output that cant be rivalled ??
MorvidusStyle, Sorry, but the above is nonsense. Did you not see Joe's career? Yes, he was a great fighter. But he never pushed himself. He spent 14 years at SMW, where he held a lightly regarded WBO belt for 10 years, where he was happy to fight whoever Frank Warren and the WBO lined up for him. Most of his opponents were B and C class guys, and he literally had to starve himself in order to make weight, despite there being better competition just 7 pounds higher. If anyone wouldn't have taken the fight, it would have been Joe. He wouldn't leave SMW, even when he knew Ottke wouldn't fight him and Lacy and Kessler weren't on the horizon. When the media etc asked him his opinions on fighting guys like Tarver, Dawson and Pavlik etc, the response was always the same: "They've done nothing to warrant a fight with me. They don't excite me" This is a guy who fought Mario Veit twice. Joe would never have fought a guy like Sergey Kovalev at LHW. Never. That's not to say he couldn't have beaten him. Because I think he definitely could have done. But Joe didn't take fights like that. And that's not hating, it's just the truth. He was really proud of his WBO belt and his number of defences, and he was more than happy to fight the guys he did. Regarding Ward, the Paul Smith fight meant nothing. It was just a low level tune up for him as he'd been inactive due to injury and contractual disputes. He didn't drag Chad Dawson to SMW. That's not true. Although he doesn't get any credit from me, as I spoke to John Scully regarding the nightmare Chad went through to lose the weight. A GG fight was never viable. Andre didn't know if he could comfortably make SMW again, he'd been inactive, and GG had a fight lined up and was awaiting the winner of the Cotto-Canelo fight. How did he have everything in his favour against Kovalev? Whatever you think about Andre, you have to give him huge credit for taking that fight. He'd been inactive, he only had respectable power at SMW, and he moved up to fight a very dangerous and hard hitting LHW. He didn't have to take that fight. Again, Joe certainly wouldn't have taken it. Joe was the guy who wanted nothing to do with Roy back in the late 90's-early 00's, but who was desperate to fight him in 2008, even after he'd claimed that he was shot. I'd have been surprised if Joe had've fought a prime version of Andre Ward. There would be nothing certain about it at all. Did you not see Joe's fights against Reid, Bika, Kessler and Hopkins? Andre had great timing, great accuracy, great skills, supreme confidence, and he could be rough and dirty too. It would have been a very intriguing clash of styles. A true 50/50 fight.
Bernard wasn't in his prime. Joe was still producing the same shot output and had just beaten Lacy and Kessler. Neither of them were prime, but they were still elite fighters. Joe should have been fighting at LHW for a long time. He was coming down from almost 200 pounds for every fight. He wasn't much smaller than Hopkins.
Joe was a big, strong guy. Andre wasn't bigger or stronger. I don't think he hit harder too. Andre and Bernard had a few similarities, but a prime version of Andre wouldn't have had to use Hopkins' stalling tactics becsuse the pace was too high.
A prime version of Roy Jones is the best fighter we're ever likely to see at 168 pounds. If you can't envisage a man beating him, you obviously didn't watch his career.
Clear easy win for Calzaghe who often fights to the level of his opposition. Old Calzaghe by clear decision Prime Calzaghe inside the distance People forget how long Calzaghe reigned and how faded he was. Consider Calzaghe was older than Ward was when Calzaghe was looking impressive beating Lacy, to when Ward was not looking good whilst only really having to get past a jab of Kovalevs
I pick Calzhage. His style is all wrong for Ward, who didn't have the right-hand which was so often a victim to. Ward may have the better résumé, and was more aesthetically pleasing, but Calzaghe's volume and pace is real bad for him. Note: Ward is my #1 SMW ATG. Joe's #2. But as for Joe being the best at 168? Nahhhhh. That award belongs to Roy Jones Jr. Toney and Ward at 2&3, respectively, then Calzhage. Toney was a damn-sight better than the two above, look what Jones done to him. Yes I know the palaver round that fight.
