How will people feel if Calzaghe loses and Pavlik wins?

He was good enough to easly beat Kessler just 9 months ago, and an aged but wiley Hopkins just 4 months ago. Where is this sudden decline - is it based on the fact that he looked bad against Hopkins?

The Lacy fight itself was only just over two years ago. Sure he may have lost a bit in some departments but I don't buy into this Superman V Pudwill stuff.

 

Even if that does happen your desperation is quite laughable

You say you want Calzaghe to fight a "top 10 p4p prime fighter". Where was Hopkins ranked when Calzaghe fought him? Don't even answer that, we both know.

It seems the p4p rankings can be used as a stick to beat Calzaghe with, as and when you please. Whereas when he beats one of those ****ers its devalued for other reasons

What's next, you want him to fight a 22 year old Mongolian with purple hair? :-(

 

A fighter's peak is where he produced his BEST performances v his BEST opponents. Calzaghe's best opponents were Lacy and Kessler, and also his best performances. Therefore, this was his peak. Remember, not every fighter peaks in his late 20s, everyone is different. Naz Hamed peaked in his early-mid 20s, JM Marquez and Bernard Hopkins peaked in their mid-30s.

Joe may have lost a little power purely due to the worsening state of his hands, but he has grown a lot with experience, he is a stronger fighter with a stronger mentality now than he was when he was beating up Pudwill and Thornberry. The Calzaghe of the Kessler fight dominates the 2000-2003 Calzaghe. He only looked bad v Hopkins because he was facing an opponent with more skill than him, he won because a 43-year-old man didn't have the stamina for 12 rounds. Trust me, had they fought around 2000-2003, Calzaghe would've looked a lot worse!!

 

It wouldn't matter all that much to me, great fighters win and lose.

 

He's still a pfp fighter, but he's had a noticeable decline in handspeed. He beat Kessler and Hopkins on ring-smarts, not the overwhelming offensive assault he relied on earlier in his career. Not to mention, his hands are shot. I watched the Lacy fight again the other night. He looked like a different fighter. And just to make it clear, athletes, especially boxers, can get old very quickly, because the difference between beating another fighter to the punch, and avoiding shots, is a split second. Lose only a second of speed and if that's what you've relied to beat others, you're a different fighter. It's like the best track stars: they may only win by a fraction of a second, but they always win by a fraction of a second.

 

If you think 43-year-old Hopkins of '08 was anywhere near as good as 36-year-old Hopkins of '01, you know NOTHING about boxing.

If Calzaghe beats Pavlik, I will say CONGRATULATIONS, he has finally fought and beaten a top 10 p4p guy who is prime, and I will mean it.

 

He didn't say that now, did he.

 

Yeah of course that would be good, but I can't see him handling a defeat very well at this stage. Jones would probably take the re-match, but if it was at all possible, Joe should try to fight Pavlik and put Jones down as a fluke. If he's still got time, or Pavlik doesn't want him, he should then pursue Jones.

That being said I think the Jones fight is a bit of a formality to get Joe a pension sorted, and then he will offer Pavlik a fight at the Millennium Stadium, and it will be billed as Joe's swansong, and the decider for the whole of MW - LHW, and the P4P #2 or #1 up for grabs.

 

I'd have more respect if he just won the fight. I don't see how he loses on points to Roy Jones, he has no stamina.

Jones has to knock him out, or get 3 knockdowns. It's not a realistic scenario so I find that difficult to answer.

 

Well I think the main difference lies in our appraisal of how shot Jones is. I'm quite aware he actually is, and am not trying to build him up. But I'm glad you think otherwise, as presumably Joe will be getting credit from you should he win...

If he lost on points I'd be extremely disapointed and not even winning a rematch would make up for it, even though Joe is past prime himself. That would be more disapointing than a great shot out of nowhere knocking Joe out.