If Calzaghe never retired

My only problem with Joe is that he waited too long to have really worthwhile fights.Most of the middle part of his reign lets him down and the pity is,he was always good enough to compete with the big names.He should have done the same as Hatton and sacrificed a purse to get his name and face out there earlier.The Jones fight meant nothing to me when it happened.
And his conditioning was magnificent.

 

A truly great fighter, had the tools to beat all styles. After Lennox Lewis, the greatest European boxer of all time.

 

lol Roy Jones he wasnt, but he was a fine SMW champ, in fact he built the best SMW legacy to date by far fashioned around fantastic Cardio. He would have made a great decathlete.


But he wouldnt have stayed on past his peak, so the question dont make sense. It wouldnt be in his nature to take on guys that could beat him or to hang around when better SMWs than him arrived on the scene.

HW? He'd get KOed by decent heavyweights and beaten by excellent LHs, agains I dont think he has it in his desire or physical prowess to do a RJJ.

 

You mean it wouldn't have been possible for him to take on guys that could beat him. 46-0, no blueprint.

Why would he want to be like RJJ and stay on past his peak, moving around weight divisions, how did that go for Roy? One of the greatest fighters ever being dominated and KO'd by B and C level opposition.

 

i was pointing at the obvious paucity of his opponents in his defences. It ceertainly would have been possible for him to refuse opponents who fought on tv shows.

the thread is asking what he would have done if he stayed on as champ - thats what I was answering, he would have got SDed by Ward - I didnt mean what if he'd stayed on till 40. If you get me, he wouldnt stay on and fight Ward when he knew he'd probably lose, because as you point out, his 46-0 was more important to him. Sorry if that point confused you.

 

yikes

Jimmy Wilde
John Conteh
Ted "Kid" Lewis
Bob Fitzsimmons
Lloyd Honeyghan

Thats just a few British fighters that were far superior to Calzaghe, and there are more!

Whilst Joe was a well rounded, excellent fighter. You have to be mad or no knowledge of British boxing or the history of it to think Calzaghe is the second greatest european of all time. :good

 

[ame]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ACgTJhEdj5M[/ame]

 

lol I am sure he wasnt a closet homosexual, but thats a great clip.

 

In all honesty, my knowledge of boxing before the 80's is weak. Therefore, I will change my previous statement to the second greatest European boxer of the modern era.

As for talking about Joe staying on past his prime, Joe could maybe have had 2 more fights in him tops after RJJ, but if your heads not in the game anymore, why keep fighting? Joe beat every opponent that was put in front of him, and he faced opposition than Ward so far. Ward may SD a 42 year old Calzaghe, certainly not a 32 year old Calzaghe, a younger Calzaghe before the hand problems would be far too much for Ward. Who had to resort to headbutts against a past prime Kessler with eye problems. Joe beat anyone who would face him in his time, and if he was prime today, he would beat anyone who would face him at SMW or LHW today.

 

well you know people are bullshitting whenever they say 'greatest' or 'unbeatable' or 'no blueprint'. or perhaps they just fancy Joe, i dont know, hes a good looking guy.


Without denial though he is THE MOST ACCOMPLISHED at SMW in the world, EVER, to this date. And that deserves a helluva lot of respect.

Though I expect Ward will crack that record in a few years, but its undeniably true at least for now.

 

Haha! I appreciate thehumour, but thats all it is. A bit more respect for aged fighters would do you some good.

Perhaps you'd like to post a pick of a Parkinsons riddled Ali getting beat up by Larry Holmes next. Whoopadeedoo, you funny guy.