IBF, WBA + WBC Belts during Calzaghe's WBO reign

joe hands down is the Gosple:good

 

Might as well Boxrec it:

Robin Reid, Thulani Malinga, Richie Woodhall, Eric Lucas, Marcus Beyer, Christian Sanavia, Mikeel Kessler - That's the WBC

Charles Brewer, Sven Ottke, Alexandjro Berrio, Lucian Bute - That's the IBF

Frankie Liles, Byron Mitchell, Bruno Girad, Anthony Mundine, Manny Siaca, Sven Ottke and Mikkel Kessler - That's the WBA

 

Remember, Kessler has beaten Lucas, Beyer, Mundine and Siaca :good

 

And Liles pulled out of a fight with Calzaghe

 

Can't say I saw all of those but actually Bute is the one I'd've most liked to seen 'cos I think he might raise his game.

Dunno about Lucas and Lillies but not that impressed with the rest...

 

If you swap Pudwill, Jimenez, McIntyre, Ashira, Sobot, Gimenez

for

Lucas, Beyer, Sanavia, Ottke, Liles, Mundine

then that improves his record considerably.

 

Malinga was way passed his best by the time Joe came on the scene - tough, tough fighter but can be overlooked. Sanavia wasn't that good and the others have been pummeled by people Calzaghe beat.

 

Pudwill was brought in as a last minute replacement for Liles - the show had to go on so it was hardly Joe's fault.

 

I think had he beaten Ottke and a younger version of Beyer (both of whom wanted nothing to do with him, even when he infamously offered to take $1.00 to fight Ottke) and Mundine then he has a record that people will give him more credit for.

Lucas, Sanavia, Mundine and Siaca all lose too often to be considered top dogs in my viewpoint.

Beyer, well, his reign on the strap was teneous as there were a lot of controversial decisions but not as much as Ottke, who got so many gift decisions in the ring, you can tell anyone who brings him up as a "Ottke was the man and Calzaghe didn't want to face him" argument doesn't know the state of play of the division.

Realistically, people who don't think he has a good career simply don't know the ability of some of the fighters he has beat, as someone pointed out, the guys Calzaghe beat have beaten (or should have beaten, i.e Reid vs Ottke) the guys he didn't beat.

 

SMW Champs by way of Boxrec:

WBC

Robin Reid - Beaten by Calzaghe

Malinga - Beaten by Woodhall who Calzaghe beat.

Woodhall - Beaten by Calzaghe

Lucas - Beaten by Kessler who Calzaghe beat

Beyer - Beaten by Kessler who Calzaghe beat, drew with Bika (many people had Bika ahead at the time) who Calzaghe beat,

Sanavia - Beaten by Beyer who was beaten by a guy Calzaghe beat.

IBF

Brewer - Beaten by Calzaghe.

Sven Ottke - CONTROVERSY. Should have lost one of the SD's to Brewer, should have lost to Mitchell and potentially should have lost to Reid.. also very close against David Starie. In my view and the view of many, Ottke lost at least 2 of the above 5 fights. If not 3-5 of them. All the fighters mentioned? Beaten by Calzaghe convincingly, even Robin Reid who got a whack job SD (go review the fight, Calzaghe had that fight won comfortably)

Lacy - beaten by Calzaghe

Berrio - Beaten by Poras who was beaten by Kessler who Calzaghe beat

Lucian Bute - Undefeated but won't face Kessler.

WBA

Liles - Beaten by Mitchell who Calzaghe beat, also pulled out against Calzaghe

Mitchell - Beaten by Calzaghe

Girad - Drew with Mitchell who Calzaghe beat, refused rematch with Siaca and was stripped of title.

Mundine - beaten by Kessler who Calzaghe beat

Siaca - Beaten by Kessler who Calzaghe beat

Sven Ottke - see above

Kessler - beaten by Calzaghe.

So, Sven Ottke, Girad and Bute remain the only guys who haven't either been beaten by Calzaghe or beaten by a guy Calzaghe beat.

Bute is the only one of that trio who doesn't have controversy surrounding him, although he's refusing a match with Kessler.

Can any other champion of this era show such a dominance over their division by having a majority of ex champions either be beat by him or beaten by someone he beat?

Now you're starting to see why Calzaghe is considered to have a great career by those that know something.