How can 3 men of that stature be so wrong?

You like Hatton, don't you?

How many fights has Hatton been in where he was not the favourite; I would say two: Kostya and PBF. He won one and lost one. Calzaghe had one: he won one. Hatton has a 50% record in these match-ups, Calzaghe has a 100% record.

There are no brownie points for losing to the favourite.

 

magnus magnusson

 

True, but thats the reason I much prefer local cards to the world championship extravaganza, with local fighters you know exactly what you are getting. I would much rather watch Rhodes - Small (I am going) rather than Hatton - Pac.

 

I wish I was going to see Small get KTFO.

 

Top fighters in the world are going to be favorite for the vast majority of their fights

Thats not their fault...........and its no discredit to their legacy

 

Then again..............................

Those who said there would never be anyone like Joe Calzaghe.....

I said Leeds would never have a worse player than Ian Harte......

We might just have found one in Frazer Richardson

 

I think Hatton too has been a very protected boxer, until he chose to break from Warren(something Joe never ever did until it made zero diffence). Ricky made the break to make the challenges.

Hattons the underdog against Pac as well, by the way, that's at least 3 fights. Two against the current p4p no 1's, prime ATG fighters - which is a little more risky than taking a fight against Jeff Lacy, I think.

 

If he wins against Pac he gets his due, if he loses it means nothing. The P-4-P no.1 he has faced so far is PBF, and Floyd KO'd him (current history).

Think of those journeymen who get wheeled out over and over again to fight future and current world champions; they don't get included on ATG lists, because they lost to those fighters (the majority of times).

You don't get many Bernard Hopkins-type fighters walking around: underdog to Trinidad, underdog to Tarver, underdog to Pavlik, and the odds were tight enough against Wright and De La Hoya. Yet, he beat them all.

Joe has nothing to be ashamed about on this score.

 

My point is that Joe has not taken a huge amount of big risks. Credit to him for fighting Mikkel, and Lacy though. Having said that his career, as a Warren boxer, has been protected and he has mainly fought guys he was supposed to beat. In 46 fights he has only ever fought one guy he was not supposed to beat, is that not a little odd - especially as he's never really, until very recently, held that much high stock either?

Valuev went something like 44-0 beating guys he was supposed to beat. Big deal...

 

You make a fair point.

I used to hate Calzaghe, back when he was getting huge amounts of praise from the media for fighting turnips. But his competition in the last few years has been very good (I exclude the corpse of Roy Jones from this argument).

I just don't think it is fair to throw the "one favourite fought and beat" argument in his face when it has zero relevance.

There are a lot of great fighters who have gone through their careers being the favourite in all of their fights.

 

Its only in Liverpool, jump on a train. The undercard looks cracking with a couple of regular ESB'ers scheduled to fight.

Rhodes will KO Small, its written in the stars :deal

 

Joe's fights have been on Setanta, one of their presenters is hardly going to downplay him.

In fact I wouldn't be surprised to see Joe, in the very near future, sitting alongside Barry, on Setanta, comentating.

 

I am going to Munroe and Moore's, fights.......

This one may be a stretch..... unless you can get me some cheap tickets

 

For all the slating can someone not give Joe credit for being modest about the whole thing...

Yes he has jibbed on about legacy for the past year, yes he is proud of retiring undefeated, but I would be too...and the guy does not claim to be anything...he himself has said he leaves the boxing fans to judge him so why the hate?

Great boxer, he'll be missed!

 

Whatever about Benn i do know McGuigan and Hattons word can be taken with a pinch of salt.

For **** sake Hatton has talked about being P4P No 1 and McGuigan is a complete raver it hurts me to say, he raves about Khan, Hatton, Froch and ANYONE else that comes on the scene, including Joe, hes possibilly the biggest raver and crowd pleaser in boxing, way way worse than Jim Watt in regards Hatton and also rivaling Hattin for top spot....

Benn has probably taken too many to the temple