Calzaghe

Wrong passport innit.

 

Joe is a all time great fighter that refuses to lose. Great skills, tremendous endurance, and great record.

He is disliked by Americans because he is European and he dominates!!

 

It would seem many can't.

 

I am American and I have never seen the American press give a great European fighter his just due. e.g., Calzaghe, Kessler, Klitschko brothers, etc.

 

One reason is - WBO reigning champ for 11 years and has fought only about 2 solid champions in their primes.

 

I don't know who he ducked but there was no serious attempt on his part to unify or take his skills outside the UK for a long time.

 

I can't stand the American bias. i am an American, but I consider myself to be a true fight fan and want what is best for the sport. I feel that recognizing true talent IS what is best for the sport.

With that said, Joe Calzaghe is an all time great and is not given the credit he deserves. American boxing writers consistantly state that boxing is in a sad state and its popularity is at an all time low. If boxing writers in America stopped painting this bleak picture, I think more casual fans would give the sport a real chance.

 

Very talented fighter. Highly adaptable, intelligent, fast hands, great stamina and chin.

Surely HOF worthy.

But he isn't underapreciated. There are many who underrate him and just as many who overrate him.

The argument that he is the best of his generation, or as one thread dared, the best of the past 25 years, simply doesn't exist.

Whether he ducked other fighters or not isn't the point. His resume just doesn't stack up to several other fighters of his generation, and I personally feel that this is where most of the animosity comes from. His most die-hard of fans claim that he is the greatest of the era, but it simply doesn't make sense to give him that title. You can say he never lost and whether his opposition was weak or not he still beat everyone put in front of him, but Floyd Mayweather did the same thing agaisnt superior fighters and in multiple weight divisions, generally looking more impressive than Calzaghe in each performance. Floyd is not the best of the generartion, he's not 2nd best either, yet he has an edge over Calzaghe in every way that must be taken into account when rating fighters. I don't think anyone who isn't a hater (every fighter has haters, so it's not as if this is only in Calzaghe's case) believes that Calzaghe isn't an extremelly talented and special fighter, a HOF worthy boxer. All of the facts prove that he clearly is. The reason there is so much controversy is that many of his bigger fans make claims such as he is the best of the era, the best of the past 25 years, the greatest Welsh fighter of all-time, and it's clear to anyone with an unbiased view that he has not shown or accomplished enough to deserve any of those honors. For instance, it doesn't really make much sense to call Calzaghe the #1 P4P right now because Manny Pacquiao has beaten better fighters in the past 5 years than Calzaghe has beaten in his entire career, and has accomplished more in his career than Calzaghe. It's not hate towards Calzaghe, it's just facts.

I respect Joe Calzaghe. I recognized how talented a fighter he is and was, and I recognize his career accomplishments. But he is not the P4P #1 right now, he is not the best of his generation, he is not the best of the past 25 years, and he is not the greatest Welsh fighter of all-time. Opinions play heavily when ranking fighters, but as I said, Calzaghe has not accomplished enough or shown anything to deserve any of those honors. I have no problem with the man himself, I think he is a fantastic fighter, and I don't have any problems with his fans, but I do have problems with someone who claims that Calzaghe has earned the right to be called any of those titles.

 

Spent his entire prime fighting alphabet soup bums.

 

Who should Calzaghe face to get this kind of recognition? Or is it too late. Furthermore, if fighters were ducking Joe C, is that his fault? If promoters are to blame for Joe not getting the appropriate fights, is that his fault? What, in your opinion, would be the remedy for this? If there is one

 

Glen Johnson