Contradictions in the percieved requirements needed to be a top boxer

Cobbler. Calzaghe was a stay at home champion for many years. How could anyone even think about denying this?

 

Most boxers (at least those that win enough to have the option) have a home base, whether that be their original birthplace or another location. Tends to help build an actual fanbase. Glen Johnson, for instance, fought a greater percentage of his fights in the state of florida than Joe Calzaghe did in Wales. Yet he is a referred to as a 'road warrior'.

 

Johnson has fought all over the place. Bahamas, Holland, Britain, Germany, Italy, but most importantly, has better opposition than that of Calzaghe.

 

Yeah he kept losing though. Which is why he had to fight in those places. No-one fights Branco in Italy or Ottke in Germany because it's their preferred option. You think he wouldn't have had those fights in Florida if he had the choice?

Just so you know though, the Netherlands Antilles is not actually Holland...

 

In any event, Joe Calzaghe would probably just fall short of making a top 10 fighters of the decade in my judgment.

Everyone should take Froch's lead. He doesn't have great natural talent but the guy moved over to America the first opportunity he got and he's forced them to take notice by pulling out victories. I love Froch.

 

From me...he certainly does. We have agenda-driven idiots in here Talivar, you can't try and make sense of it. It's nonsensical most of the time.

 

Weird because a couple of years ago everyone was taking shots at Froch for not stepping up his opposition and always fighting at home.

Froch was willing to go to America aged 31 to fight a former middleweight who had moved up following two consecutive losses. Calzaghe was willing to go to America aged 30 to fight the reigning linear middleweight champion and P4P number one at the time. Why would you hold it against Calzaghe that his more illustrious opponent ducked out?

And again, Froch and Hennessy tried their best to get the Taylor fight in Nottingham - as with any fighter they'd prefer to fight at home. It wasn't going to happen and Taylor, even in America, was easily the best risk/reward fight for Froch at the time. That's why Froch took the fight.

 

It took Froch 7 years to make the transition over in America to a fight a fighter who had beaten Hopkins twice. It took Calzaghe 15 years to fight in America against a 40 year old. Regardless of where fights took place, Froch is currently fighting some of the best young fighters in the sport. Pascal is a world champion at Light Heavyweight, and Dirrell is coming off a dominating victory over Abraham who was undefeated. This all in 7 years a professional, and Calzaghe was rematching the likes of Veit. It's non comparable in my judgment, but I don't care enough to continue a discussion.