How many times has CALZAGHE been considered an underdog?

He was the underdog in the US against Lacy and favourite in the Uk. Apart from that he's always been odds on and it would be the same for whoever he faced today.

 

Zero times has he been generally accepted to be the underdog.

He was the underdog with the American press vs Lacy, but favourite with the British, which is only logical seeing as he was by far the more experienced, more seasoned, more proven, more skilled fighter with the better resume going into that one.

In every other fight in his career he has been the favourite. It's the main reason he still has the zero.

 

People really need to stop bandying this about as a criticism of fighters! The term ATG refers to the fighters who will still be talked about in awe fifty years down the line. They are not ten a penny! Most fighters would never have a realistic opportunity to step in the ring with one their whole career. The only fighter Calzaghe could possibly have fought in his prime who fits that description would be Jones. There have been plenty of other elite fighters who have never beaten an all time great either - Hopkins, Mayweather, Mosley, Tyson...

On the subject at hand, I understand he was the betting underdog against Eubank and again against Lacy, that's it.

 

Maybe it's because it's his actual name?

 

-S , Barry Mcguigan added the S by deed poll

 

My memory tells me that Calzaghe was considered slight underdog against Delaney as the fight was in Delaney's hometown with a very hostile crowd. Not 100% on that however.

 

Eubank and Lacy, that's probably about it.

 

I'm not being rude, but anyone on here who is saying Eubank knows absolutely nothing about that fight or either man's career. Calzaghe was (rightly) a strong favourite for that fight.

 

there's no fighter out ther at mw, smw and lhv that joe wouldn't be the betting favourite.

 

Yes you are and I remember the build up to the fight and watching it, Eubank was seen by the bookies as the favourite simply because Calzaghe was not proven at anywhere near the same level he was. He obviously rose to the occasion but was not expected to beat Eubank. I myself was 50/50 on whether it was too big of a step up for him or not. It's easy to be wise after the event...

 

[quote="TKO";3274948]Yes you are and I remember the build up to the fight and watching it, Eubank was seen by the bookies as the favourite simply because Calzaghe was not proven at anywhere near the same level he was. He obviously rose to the occasion but was not expected to beat Eubank. I myself was 50/50 on whether it was too big of a step up for him or not. It's easy to be wise after the event...[/quote]

Wrong. I am sure I remember a source from the time, I'll post it later when I've tracked it down.

Eubank had been beaten twice by Collins and went into semi-retirement. For the 2 years leading up to the Calzaghe fight he fought only twice, two exhibition fights against absolute nobodies, one in Asia and one in Africa. He was no longer ranked by any major governing body when he was offered the fight with Calzaghe as a late stand-in because they knew his name would mean good business in the UK. It is without doubt THE most overrated and misremembered fight in recent boxing history.

 

Or it could be a testament that he only fights shot fighters or in his backyard. Anyone with half a brain knew that Joe was going to beat Roy, but the fact that Joe got cranked in the first round tells me that 5, 6, 7 years ago that would have been a one round fight. If he had even made it up from a Jones knockdown when Roy was in his prime Roy would have pounced and had him down again in 30 seconds.

 

Perhaps they do it because he was actually born with the name Eubanks, and later deleted the S from his name. Accidently Referring to him as such is hardly crime of the century.

 

Elton John's real name is Reg Dwight ,it doesn't mean you can call it him though...

Chris removed the S because of his lithp so don't take the **** and call him Eubanks

 

He could just have not talked about himself in the third person, to exactly the same effect...