I think the ref saw that the only outcome of that fight was Manfredo getting hurt, pointlessly. I agree that the fight never should have taken place. The thing that gets me is that Calzaghe had to fight some american chump just to get some recognition in the US. Do most Americans know of anything/anyone outside their borders?
I don't agree. Manfredo wasn't getting hurt, at least at that point, and not many punches were actually connecting. He was, however, and would have continued to get embarassed on a very high level. It's not like Manfredo has an iron chin. The ref did a disservice to JC by not letting JC put him down at least once. Perhaps there is some unwillingness to accept JC as a great fighter in the States because he never fights outside of Wales, but who is to blame for that? Real champions take the show on the road. Ali did and was beloved throughout the world. Hatton may be on the downslope, but he has an American fanbase that far exceeds that of JC and I am willing to bet a lot of Americans on here are crossing their fingers that he knocks Floyd TFO. Why is that? Because Hatton is willing to fight in Vegas. Like it or not JC also faces the same problem that Hopkins faced earlier in his career and it's not one of nationality. Hopkins spent a lot of time as champ in a division without a ton of depth. He made up for this later in his career and perhaps JC will as well. And, yes, as an American who has travelled all over the world, I can indeed sadly agree that a majority of Americans don't give a damn what happens outside of the States. Part of this cultural and part of this is economic. The USA is a lot bigger than England and it isn't always easy or cheap to just jump a plane across the pond as it is for someone in London to hop over to Normandy or the like.
I saw that before the fight took place (won an avatar bet actually:yep ), so I guess the ref should have stopped the fight when it started. As you said, the fight should never have taken place, Stieglitz would have been a better opponent, and that is saying a lot, and then Calzaghe would have held onto the IBF title, which would have caused the winner of Calzaghe-Kessler to become only the third fighter in history to hold the four biggest ABC's at the same time (the other two were Hopkins and Taylor).
No, he didn't, because Calzaghe hurt his hand which would have made the fight harder for Calzaghe, and he would probably just have won a lacklustre snoozer.
Perhaps there is some unwillingness to accept JC as a great fighter in the States because he never fights outside of Wales Name me one fight Tinkerbelle Mayweather fought outside the US?? Oh but its OK for US "fighters" to stay home but not JC huh? I hope Ricky Hatton beats the bejabbers out of Mayweather
I'll tell you why this is the case. Las Vegas and Atlantic City are the crown cities of boxing and have been since the 1970's. While Cardiff may be an eminently pleasant place to live, it is not historically a "boxing town." In fact, until some European city replaces Vegas as a bigger draw for non-hometown fighters, JC's unwillingness to leave his hometown will always be open for criticism. No offense, but why should Mayweather or Hopkins fight anywhere but in the U.S? They certainly won't make a bigger payday anywere else but in the States. Hatton recognizes this and that is why he is willing to fight in Vegas. In fact, Hatton is fast becoming somewhat of a media darling in America. This is good for his pocketbook and its good for boxing as a whole. If JC had been willing to take more chances earlier in his career with the fights he picked or the places he fought, he'd have a lot more fans. Perhaps, though, he is guilty of the same small mindedness that Europeans accuse American boxing fans of and never realized that there was a world outside of the U.K. that might want to see him face some adversity.
I think Calzaghe will box masterfully. Kessler is good, but I really don't think he will be busy enough