How would Joe Calzaghe have fared against John Conteh at LHW?

Discussion in 'British Boxing Forum' started by Guy, Jan 10, 2010.


  1. threethirteen

    threethirteen Boxing Addict Full Member

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    He definitely did not. They were both content to play keepaway all night. It was competitive in the early going, but Hopkins' tendency to not take chances meant Roy was able to just pop out the jab and win on activity.

    It was an awful fight and Roy looked awful in it. I can only presume you've looked at the scores rather than watched the fight to say something like that.

    I'd consider the Hopkins that beat the **** out of Joppy to be pretty prime in terms of physical ability, boxing skill and tactical thinking. I think that version of Hopkins would give Joe problems, but the Joe of the same period punched harder and was more relentless. I think it would end the same - Joe on workrate with a close decision.

    Conteh kicks the **** out of either of them.
     
  2. ryanm8655

    ryanm8655 Boxing Addict Full Member

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    I'm looking at it the other way. Same day weigh ins. Maybe should consider both and who would win in both situations.

    Someone like a prime conteh is the kind of fighter I wish Joe had fought so we could really see how good he was. I reckon he'd probably have lost but it would've been interesting to see how he came back from that.

    EDIT: Why did John end up going to Serbia to fight Parlov? I've heard that he was robbed in that fight. He was the champion, why did he end up there?
     
  3. Flea Man

    Flea Man มวยสากล Full Member

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    Conteh beat Ahumuda AND Yaqui Lopez with his jab (Lopez pretty much only with the jab) and neither of those fighters were 'poo' as you put it.

    Calzaghe doesn't have a case here unless it's the later Conteh that turns up half cut:lol:
     
  4. Flea Man

    Flea Man มวยสากล Full Member

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    Anyway, Boro Chris, Gaz and Icemax etc etc have touched on the same points as me.

    On the rehydration issue; Conteh started as a Heavyweight and was once mooted as an opponent for mid-70's Ali, so I don't think weight is gonna be much of an issue :good
     
  5. GazOC

    GazOC Guest Star for Team Taff Full Member

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    I think no matter how its done the size advantage is always going to be with Conteh, its just a matter of degrees.

    BTW is there a concensous (sp!) on what Calzaghes "prime" would be for this fight? The faster, harder hitting version that could make 168 pretty easily (say around the Brewer fight), the slower, smarter one that strugged at 168 (say the Kessler fight) or the version that had become a 175lb fighter (Hopkins)?

    The Brewer version would def. sacrifice size to Conteh whereas the Kessler and Hopkins versions may have been bigger but had hand issues, didn't hit as hard and maybe a drop in workrate.
     
  6. Flea Man

    Flea Man มวยสากล Full Member

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    Conteh was just flat out better IMO. Faced better opponents, this is his weight division, there both had problems in their careers but stylistically this figth fares Conteh. Whilst Joe might be able to step inside of Conteh's shots the Liverpudlian has more than enough 'oomph' to gain Calzaghes respect, and enough adaptibility to change up and keep Calzaghe guessing.

    People will call me a hater (not true) but I'm just a realist; Conteh is being underrated here. The past prime version that fought Saad would have enough skill/movement/punch diversity (even with his badly damaged right hand) to outfox the past prime light heavy version of Joe that squeeked past Hopkins (had it 7-5, 114-113 with the KD) and Jones (well, we now know how shot he was and personally I feel Calzaghe let him off the hook)

    As I say, weght isn't an issue as bigger men didn't bother Conteh, and if they did both have to weigh in on the same day I think 'Prime' Calzaghe would've been more than suited for a jump up to 175 (I think the Johnson match was on the cards in the early 00's, I'd say the later the better for Joe as he got more wiley and experienced as time went on)
     
  7. Will

    Will Boxing Junkie Full Member

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    Joe never made 168 easy! Killed himself everytime!
     
  8. GazOC

    GazOC Guest Star for Team Taff Full Member

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    I guarantee he made it easier for the Brewer fight than he did for the Kessler fight...;)


    I've never been sure how hard it was for Calzaghe to make 168 esp. in the early days. He's always struck me as a fighter who liked to have a little moan whether it was injuries, his hands, the weight etc. I'm not not saying none of those problems existed, just that I think JC would complain about stuff that a lot of fighters just got on with.
     
  9. threethirteen

    threethirteen Boxing Addict Full Member

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    His dad said he was a hypochondriac with his injuries. It's clearly part of his persona: bullied child, felt overlooked in his era, was unwilling to step out of his comfort zone when it counted, was coddled by his promoter and, as soon as he realised what he'd been pissing away all those years, said promoter had a cry over it. The injuries tie into that poor hard done by little old Joe.

    ****ed around on his ex-bird something chronic too.

     
  10. turpinr

    turpinr Boxing Junkie Full Member

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    :D:Dagreed
     
  11. Will

    Will Boxing Junkie Full Member

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    I would agree that there probably was a michael owen ellement to some of the injuries but the making weight thing I don't think so.

    You've only got to see the size of him compared to other super middles. He was huge for the weight. Pavlik is the same. Absolutely murders himself to make the weight!
     
  12. GazOC

    GazOC Guest Star for Team Taff Full Member

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    I thought Kessler looked significantly bigger than JC when they fought. Calzaghe would have looked a bigger than some of opponents because he was a natural 168lber and they were middleweights who'd moved up.
     
  13. Flea Man

    Flea Man มวยสากล Full Member

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    Either way, Conteh held off demonic and beastly Light Heavys in Lopez and Saad, both better at the weight than Calzaghe. So the size is not an issue whichever way you look at it.

    So its down to styles make fights. As I have already outlined, this favours Conteh too :good
     
  14. Guy

    Guy Boxing Junkie Full Member

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    I certainly got my moneys worth in this thread.

    I've come away with good idea how things would pan out between them and learnt a bit on the way through.

    Cheers :good
     
  15. Primadonna Kool

    Primadonna Kool Obsessed with Boxing Full Member

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    Roy Jones made Hopkins look like a average fighter...