how much more would calzaghe have to do to get the respect he deserves?

I've always given Joe credit for the three solid victories on his resume, Kessler, Hopkins and Eubanks. The Hopkins fight was too close too call given Calslappies **** poor style. Lacy is massive flame out who will retire without any victories over A level fighters. When a division is as weak as 168 was during most of Joes "reign" its incumbent on the fighter to make something happen. Joe probably did the right thing, If he had stepped up sooner I expect his precious 0 would have been gone years ago.

 

Yet this doesn't hold up to history, when we see the majority of fighters Joe fought were ranked Top 10 by the ring in his divison at the time he beat them.

When I ask people "Who was Joe supposed to fight who fought at 168" - I hear Beyer and Ottke. Yet, neither would take a fight with Joe and both were arguably beaten by guys that Joe decimated.

Any way you swing it, beating over 10 world champions in your career, having over 20 title defenses and a total of around 25 title fights makes you somebody. Anyone who discredits that just doesn't understand boxing over a decade and how hard it is to hold that undefeated crown once you're a champ.

 

Lots of really fair points being made in this thread. One thing i ask is how would both fans and haters go about improving his resume if they was Joe? Im talking during his whole career upto when he retired, not after. What things would you do different if anything. Try to be realistic if you can and back up suggestions with ways in which he could have gone about doing it.
Example- dont just say fight Jones, say what you would have done to get jones fight signed and sealed.

 

I'm not sure about what I would 'do' differently as it's hard to know about the seriousness of injuries, but what could have happened differently? The first Johnson fight, I think, would be the main one. As I've said loads of times, Calzaghe's resume is fine up until Mitchell, and fine after Lacy. The three years in between are really lacking. If he'd fought Johnson as scheduled in July 2004 (and there's no doubt in my mind that Calzaghe always beats Johnson very handily), that would have made a big difference exposure-wise. Possible even that Calzaghe would have been the opponent for Jones next fight after being ko'd by Tarver. Calzaghe would have won (remember Johnson didn't just knock out Jones, he was up on the cards when he did so). Fight against Tarver would have been obvious. Calzaghe still would have fought Kessler, but Kessler would have probably beaten Lacy first and so would have been seen as a monster himself in the US when he got to Calzaghe. Hopkins fight may have still happened, maybe not.

 

If I was Joe, to have improved my career, I would have probably played the mandatory game and got myself a mandatory to face Ottke or Beyer for an earlier unification. Past that, I would have fought Pavlik instead of Hopkins and possibly Taylor before Kessler.

Beyond that, making sure I fought Glen Johnson and perhaps finishing Carl Froch before he started, but these are hindsight choices.

 

Nice answers thx Lets see how long before we get our first not so polite and fair answers

 

This thread still going? It's going to catch up with 'Irish Boxing' soon.

 

Good posts. :good

 

Maybe if he took control of his career a lot sooner and got that 'big' career changing bout (Lacy bout) a good few years before he did...we could have seen him in with the top guys earlier. Also, I think his popularity is a major factor aswell...the guy was generally not liked. He only became a "PPV" attraction after the demolition of Lacy...before that a lot of his bouts went unnoticed when it came to the casual fan. A lot of boxers careers are born with a silver spoon so to speak. But Calzaghe had to work hard to get recognition from the fans, detractors, and even so called British boxing experts and commentators who regularly wrote him off for years...

 

Yep agreed , weird as it soudns tho i prefered his personality when he was the shy stay away from cameras and not let fame go to his head type of person lol

 

Yeah you know...it was almost as if he was trying too hard at times.

 

Yep like he was forcing himself to try fit into a personality type he beleived he should be like.

 

To be honest though...it got his name out there, he was all over the British media at one point...

 

Yep it certainly worked, he is still now appearing on tv shows and award programs ect, latest thing was that soccer not long ago.

 

Fight Robin Reid and try not to lose this time.