Happy 46th birthday, Joe Calzaghe

Later in the year will officially mark a decade since he graced the ring. I think with the Italian Dragon passing the hump and now "pushing 50" we can put to rest all the hopeful whispers of a return that have cropped up over the last several years.

...or can we?

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His old haunt, super middle, is actually pretty weak at the moment but there's probably zero chance he's rebounding from a long-entrenched well-off middle-aged lifestyle to make that weight limit ever again. If he could make light heavy, then he'd be walking into a hornet's nest. I'd favor Dmitry Bivol for instance to beat the Calzaghe that fought Jones - let alone with the addition of a tenth of a century of rust (and posh old boy partying).

On the other hand, literally nothing he could do now could do his legacy any harm. Any win he scooped up, even over a third-tier fringe contender at Cruiser, would just be gravy. He is already a Hall of Fame inductee (class of 2014, his first eligible ballot) and there's no catastrophe that would be held against him, while any minor success would only serve to enhance his celebrity. Imagine for a moment a late-forties Calzaghe shutting out, say, Denis Grachev. Great victory? No, but it would absolutely 100% secure him "Comeback of the Year" in every boxing publication in the world...

 

Do we know, does Joe bother with social media? Any craic what he's up to?

 

Am I remembering correctly or near the end of his career wasn't he banging a supermodel or something? Not quite Rachael Cordingley status but was doing alright for himself, not far behind his would-be domestic rival Froch in that department (whilst far ahead of him in every other )

Didn't they get engaged at one point? And then break up? But he is now reengaged to another lass, as of quite recently?

 

I'm sad the father & son team never reunited for any follow-ups to hit duet single "Miss Him Now He's Gone".

They could've owned the charts like they owned the WBO title before it was respectable.

 

I'd pick 2008 (RJJ) Calzaghe over WBSS semifinals Groves as well, but that's wildly unrealistic. There's at least a vestige of a slim chance he could roll into the ring under 200lbs, so I think if we're speculating on an implausible comeback we should be eyeing somebody at CW. I think he can still razzle-dazzle a basic guy like Grachev without ever having a hand laid on him. Anyone top 15, though, and it ends very badly (and the "iron chin" mythology comes tumbling all the way down Mt. Olympus, hitting every jutting rock on the way)

 

I happen to agree, I prefer a thicker Kate Upton type, but for mainstream tastes Mrs. Cobra is a few pounds from being "not quite skinny enough" believe it or not!

She has a pretty enough face (understatement) and is naturally stacked enough upstairs that, needless to say, I'd forgive the lack of buttock and would maybe consider not kicking her out before dawn.

 

Anybody else agree he could probably dust himself off, hop in the gym for a few weeks and 80-72 or 100-90 a guy like Grachev even now?