And I wish that Joe Calzaghe never took the fight against Peter Manfredo but instead fought the IBF mandatory against Robert Stieglitz. Joe Calzaghe would now hold every title in his division. And what did he fight Manfredi for? A slightly larger bank balance and another bum on his record. Stieglitz isn't too much better but was undefeated at the time. Joe must regret the decision to fight Peter, and has subsequently said that it "wasn't a real fight anyway". Hindsight is 20/20 and all that but I feel bad for trying to defend the Manfredo fight (reason at the time: popularity boost in the US)... I just needed to get this off my chest because I feel embarrassed.
Mate i said this before the fight came about.No one wanted to listen to me and said it was a ******ed idea. For Joe to have held ALL the titles at 168 would make him a sure lock for the HOF even with a record as padded as his.His dominance would have been completed undisputed from even the worst haters like myself.
The problem I think is not that Joe made a mistake; it's that he seems not to have learnt from his mistake...He is so desperate to fight that guy Hopkins that he now considers fighting Winky, when there are at least 3-4 better fights for him at LHW...and at least 2 better fights at SMW, even if you take Bute (said he wasn't ready for someone like Joe yet) and Kessler (a top 3 man at 168-175) out of the equation... This is what frustrates me most about Joe...he throws so much good money after bad money...:-(
