Calzaghe Only Faced Bums In His WBO Title Reign? THE PROPER BREAKDOWN.

1997 - (Monthly version not annual)

Frankie Lies..............Bernard Hopkins

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................Keith Holmes

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..........Julio Cesar Green
Joe Calzhaghe..........

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Herol Graham............Lonnie Bradley
Vincenzo Nardiello......Otis Grant
Sugar Boy Maligna......Robert McKraken
Thomas Tate.............Brian Barbosa

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..............

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Joseph Kiwanuka........Dana Rosenbelt

Hopkins 2 - 3 Calzaghe

1998

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....................Bernard Hopkins

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1999

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Hopkins 9 - 10 Calzaghe

2000

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................

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Hopkins 16 - 12 Calzaghe

2001

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..............Tito Mendoza

Hopkins 22 - 14 Calzaghe

2002

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...........Erland Betare

Hopkins 26 - 16 Calzaghe

 

2003

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Hopkins 31 - 20 Calzaghe

2004

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Hopkins 38 - 23 Calzaghe

2005

Title Vacant...............

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Hopkins 42 - 26 Calzaghe

2006/1996

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..........Robert McCracken

Hopkins 45 - 29 Calzaghe

2007

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Hopkins 45 - 32 Calzaghe

 

None of that equals ring craft. Winning is the ultimate goal obviously, but it doesn't always mean ring smarts were involved.

What's the story with the glass?

 

You're right, he did

Made loads of money and retired undefeated without testing himself

Just goes to show why boxing is f****D

 

Absolute bull****, you have got Pavlik down for 2005 yet Bhops fought him in 2008.:roll:
You have got Joppy highlighted on 9 different occasions.

Bhops best wins during his middleweight reign were ???, you tell me ???

Lots of people say De La Hoya and Trinidad, well both of them were natural welterweights, even lightweight in Oscars case and both of them only won one title fight at middleweight.

Calzaghe's best two wins in his division for comparison was against fully blown super-middleweights, in both cases against unbeaten multiple world title holders in Kessler and Lacy {who Calzaghe ruined}.

Calzaghe fought much better boxers at the top end of his resume in his weight class than Hopkins did.

 

Beating Mitchell by scrapping, beating Hopkins in a chess match too impress the judges, beating Lacy with slick combos and beating Reid behind a jab {because he had busted his hand in the fourth round}.
Proves Calzaghes ring craft, nous, determination and will to win, ability to change tactics in the middle of a fight is a hell of a weapon, thats why Calzaghe never lost a fight, obviously there were days when he was off or picked up an injury in the ring but he was able to fight several different fights, lots of people dont realise Joe liked a tear up in his early days prior to hurting his hands, Americans only seen him at the end of his career which is a pity as they would have loved his all action style prior to hurting his hands.

As regards the glass story, Frank Warren, Calzaghe's promoter at the time called the police after the second time that Calzaghes food or drink had been messed with in 24 hours, Calzaghe was lucky that radio and tv commentator and rival boxer Richie Woodhall spotted the glass glinting in the bowl.

For the record according to a newspaper report from the time, that I have just read having googled it, it says that the original sabotage was glass in Calzaghe cup of coffee followed by glass in an ice cream bowl.

 

Hopkins faced more top 10 ranked MW than Calzaghe faced SMW as my last post proved.

Opposition beaten

Tommy Hearns.......VS......Bernard Hopkins
Mikkell Kessler....................Felix Trinidad (KO)
Robin Reid.........................Glen Johnson (KO)
Charles Brewer...................Oscar De La Hoya (KO)
Byron Mitchell (KO).............William Joppy
Chris Eubank......................Keith Holmes
Richie Woodhall (KO)...........Simon Brown (KO)
Mario Veit (KO)..................Carl Daniels (KO)
David Starie.......................John David Jackson (KO)
Sakio Bika.........................Howard Eastman
Tocker Pudwill....................Antwun Echols (KO)


Achievements in titles won

Joe Calzaghe: Won WBO in 1997, and it took him 9 years to finally unify with the IBF champion Lacy. He completed his collection of all belts in 11 years after winning the WBO.

Bernard Hopkins: Won IBF in 1996, and it took him 5 years to unify with the WBC champion Holmes, and WBA champion Trinidad. He completed his collection of all belts in 8 years.

It took Calzaghe longer to unify his title once than it was for Hopkins to win all 4 major titles aswell as the ring belt.

Hopkins won the ring belt in 5 years, but it took Calzaghe 9 years. Hopkins was ranked number 1 within 2 years, but it took Calzaghe 7 years.

Other Stats

Former Champions beaten:
Joe Calzaghe: 5 (Eubank, Reid, Woodhall, Brewer, Mitchell)
Bernard Hopkins: 7 (Aquino, Jackson, Brown, Holmes, Daniels, Joppy, Hoya)

Reigning Champions beaten:
Joe Calzaghe: 2 (Kessler, Lacy)
Bernard Hopkins 4 (Holmes, Trinidad, Joppy, Hoya)

Future Champions beaten:
Joe Calzaghe: 1 (Kessler)
Bernard Hopkins 2 (Johnson, Hoya)

Calzaghe didnt step in the ring with the #1 SMW Sven Ottke, Hopkins stepped in the ring with all his rivals.

 

Realsoulja, Calzaghe's best wins were Kessler and Lacy at Joe's career weight, both were undefeated multiple champions at the weight at the time they fought Calzaghe, who was Hopkins best wins against at middleweight ?

If you are a top of the table team you should beat midd table or bottom of the table teams, you are effectively trying to say {and I disagree because of Mitchell and Reid} that Hopkins beat more mid table teams, well top teams should beat mid table teams and bottom table teams all the time, what happens when top teams play other top teams, on average sometimes they win and sometimes they lose, a very good top table team may beat other elite sides, eg Calzaghe beat Kessler and Lacy who did Hopkins beat ?, as well as beating top 'teams' Kessler and Lacy at Calzaghe's weight class he beat Hopkins head to head, Hopkins has lost to Roy Jones, Taylor twice and against Calzaghe not to mention Hopkins losing on his debut and drawing a couple of bouts, how good is/was Hopkins when he was 'raised in class' to coin a horse racing phrase ?, Calzaghe won all his fights against elite boxers, not the case with Hopkins is it, against the best Hopkins was average, against the best Calzaghe proved to be elite.

 

Calzaghe is bum himself.

 

Who did Calzaghe fight who was elite?

Id say Hopkins was. But he was past his best, still a quality opponent though.

Kessler has never been elite IMO.

 

There you go des3995, Joe Calzaghe is very difficult to beat, very adaptable, he always finds a way to win, dont you agree ?

 

Whats the verdict on Bhop des3995 ?, weve looked at Calzaghe, how good is Bhop, is Bhop only average at the highest level ?, Taylor, Jones and Calzaghe say yes, what were Bhops best wins during his middleweight reign ?

 

I have no issue with that. Hopkins resume is no great shakes either. Hopkins has losses because Hopkins took risks at times. Therein lies the rub. I respect Calzaghes abilities as a fighter,but he took almost no risks until Lacy. And even that shouldn't have been considered a risk, such was the difference is class between the two, but also, such was the lack of quality opposition on Calzaghe's resume up to that point.

Hopkins best wins with the exception of Tarver were against smaller guys. But he did fight better comp IMO. Trinidad didn't have a mw resume, but was still a seriously dangerous opponent because he was a world class elite fighter.

I don't think Calzaghe fought anyone who was at that level.

 

Exactly des3995, you have failed to name Hopkins best victory at middleweight, why because he does not have a great victory at middleweight, all those years as middleweight champion yet he fought lots of nobodies or lightweights or welterweights moving up and having their first or second fight at the weight, no offence to Hopkins are we saying Joppy is his best win at middleweight ? because we could be, or are we looking at welterweights that hardly fought a fight at the weight, in DLH and Trinidad.
There are big holes in Hopkins resume when you look under the surface, at the highest level Hopkins is average, with defeats against top level oppositon in Taylor twice, Jones and Calzaghe himself. Calzaghe beat three top level opponents in Hopkins, Kessler and Lacy {who Calzaghe ruined both physically and mentally for the rest of his career}, people are too fond of trying to rip apart Calzaghe's resume, Hopkins is no better and if it is better it is marginal {not my view}, considering Hopkins has lost many times and Calzaghe has never lost {I dont give too much credit for losing in the ATG mythical ranking stakes}, and Calzaghe beat Hopkins head to head, therefore I rank Calzaghe higher.

Trinidad and DLH are pretty names on Hopkins resume, perhaps Calzaghe should have fought some lightweights and welterweights moving up the divisons too ?, its not just Hopkins resume, take a good look at Roy Jones resume, not the best either, of course its not just the name on the resume, but whether the boxer is from the weight class, whether the fight is a home fight or an away fight, Calzaghe fought lots of fights away from home.

There is not enough respect for Calzaghe and what he has achieved, Calzaghe was a fine champion boxer.

 

I think the general level of Hopkins mw defenses clearly surpasses those of Calzaghe's smw defenses. And although his biggest wins at mw were against smaller guys, plenty of fighters move up in weight, such as Hopkins himself.

Calzaghe's wbo reign was littered with guys who really weren't worthy opponents for him. He feasted on these guys for far too long. If you take 5 of those guys he fought and turn them into highly ranked world class guys(not only the wbo) and had he won them all, he'd probably deserve all the accolades many wish to bestow upon him. He finally stpped up and took on Lacy then Kessler, then an old but still worthy Hopkins. I thought he was ready to jump on the world stage with both feet. But instead he went the route of RJJ and then retired. As it stands, his resume is really a big gaping hole with a few past prime aged superstars as a cherry on top.

Ps -I don't consider Lacy elite and never have, but it was a good win.