If YOU were Joe Calzaghe, would you come out of retirement to fight Andre Ward?

No, he would get KTFO.

 

This says it all by somebody who was around Calazghe all his life. Doing what Joe wouldn't.
[ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z1ez9jTyr5Y&feature=plcp"]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z1ez9jTyr5Y&feature=plcp[/ame]

 

Knockout,

Part 2.

Roy was very motivated for the fight with Joe. But Alton Merkerson at every opportunity, was telling people that Roy looked amazing, and he was doing things in the gym better than what he'd done 10 years ago etc. There's no way Merk really believed that, he was just giving Roy a confidence boost in front of the media.

I can't agree that it was a great display, because like you say, he knew Roy was no longer a serious threat.

Ha! Like I said, he was only doing his job. But I was just sat there shaking my head, when he was hyping the Trinidad win, just 8 months after he'd dismissed it.

Fair enough.

Fair point, and obviously we don't how Joe would see things. I understand where you're coming from, when you say Lacy had the most fear factor. He was more dangerous. But again, Andre is the better fighter, and would have been a bigger threat to Joe.

Honestly? I don't know. I could see them both winning a decision.

I know you don't agree, but like I said previously, would Joe be fired up and wanting to fight Andre? If he was active today? I don't know!

I think it would be a very very close fight, and as I say, I can't really give an answer. I can envisage Joe outworking him, but I could see Andre frustrating Joe, and just edging it.

There wasn't a global demand for a fight with Roy in 2002. In Britain they would have been, but HBO weren't really interested, and again the American PPV fans, had hardly seen Joe, and when they had, he hadn't impressed.

When Roy spoke of it after Woods, it was just an option til Murad came back with an answer on Ruiz. Even if Ruiz hadn't have gone through, he wouldn't have fought Joe anyway. He'd have fought Tarver.

You're right about Dawson, and he cashed out against Roy, and we probably would have done the same, if we'd have been in his position. But again, a little honesty wouldn't have gone amiss.

I'm surprised at that.

What do you think will happen in the Froch vs Bute rematch? Did you say you went to the 1st fight?

I agree. I don't think he'll want to unify the division, because he's already beaten Carl pretty easily.

I don't think we'll see a Kessler rematch.

I'd like to see the Bute fight, and of course you're right, styles make fights. But I think if Carl knocks Bute out again, (which I think he will, because I think Bute will be psychologically damaged from the first fight, and Carl will just jump straight on him) I don't think anyone will be that bothered about a Bute vs Ward match.

So I think he'll definitely be at 175 within the next 12 months.


Just reply back whenever mate, hope you've had a good weekend.


Regards, Loudon.

 

Oh right, I remember the 24/7 series building Roy up as though he was still great, showing clips of him from 10 years ago but nothing from any of his recent fights except a few moments against Trinidad. Must have been hard to watch Roy, knowing how great he once was. I saw a recent quote from Roy's current trainer saying he still has so much left, and I was thinking that's not healthy! If I was working with Roy, I'd be blunt and tell him to retire! There's nothing wrong with a 43 year old man fighting, Hopkins and Foreman were still world class at that age. But Roy's finished, he has nothing left to give the sport as a fighter.

fair enough

Bunce can do my head in when he's clearly being disingenuous!

Agreed, I think Lacy had the fear factor of the sheer brutality of his punching power. Hence he was seen as a huge threat. Ward is of course the bigger threat as he's better

Fair enough, but Joe took on Kessler when he was the strong, undefeated unified champ. I don't think he'd have feared Ward

Agreed, I don't see when the fight was viable when both were prime. The fight with Tarver was always going to happen, and Roy always had his eye on the Heavyweights. Fighting Ruiz was the perfect opportunity to make history

True

I haven't seen it, but I heard that Bute looked terrible last night. I heard he was getting caught against the ropes, and taking a lot of punches against a guy I've never even heard of :-(

I suspect Bute's handlers will cash him out in a Froch rematch, where Bute will get brutally knocked out again. He has no chance against Froch whatsoever.

I'm still devastated I missed the fight fight! Unfortunately I had work commitments.

Last fight I went to was Haye-Chisora, that was a really good evening. Have you been to any fights recently?

There's no merit to rematching Froch, he beat him comprehensively first time round. I know Carl likes to say it was closer, and point out that two scorecards were 115-113, but even he can't believe that. I had Ward winning 117-111

I hope not, I like Kessler, but he has very little chance at beating Ward

After hearing Bute was terrible last night, I think Froch took it all out of him. I don't think Bute has much left to offer Andre Ward at this point. I was hoping Bute would recover well, but I guess not. The worst fight for him now is a Carl Froch rematch, which he's bound to by a clause!

As said, I don't think Bute is worth fighting now for Ward. I hope Andre Dirrell can make a comeback, I always felt Dirrell had the style and speed to trouble Ward. Actually, I'd just like to Ward fight someone that moves well, he hasn't yet.

True, I hope he stays active, I enjoy watching him fight

I have mate thanks, you too

 

Part 2.

Yeah it must have been hard for Coach Merk to watch Roy decline like that. It's only in the last 2 years that Roy has been honest with himself. Even after Green knocked him out, he was making excuses. It was only after the Lebedev fight that he finally said "I'm getting caught with shots that I never would have done in my prime, my reflexes have slowed considerably, and I need a new approach." That's why he's got Tom Yankello now on board. Tom seems a nice guy and a good trainer, but he knows Roy is just about done. You coud tell that he thought Roy had lost his last fight. In between the rounds he was telling Roy to get some life in his legs.

If he's going to insist on carrying on, he needs to fight low key opposition in Pensacola. I don't want him to fight Wlodarczyk or Kayode. I think even Kimbo would be too much for him at this stage. I think Kimbo would catch him and knock him cold. Because he hasn't even got good balance or the footwork to stay out of trouble.

I don't really dislike Bunce, and he knows a lot about the game, but he gets on my nerves at times.

That's right, and I agree with your original point. Lacy brought more fear factor, and he had the ability to really hurt Joe. But Andre would definitely have been the bigger threat to take his zero.

Fair enough.

The fight was never viable at all. The only way the fight would have been viable is if Joe had've gone to the States earlier, or if he'd have had DM's 175 belt.

Yeah I've been hearing the same things.

Will the home crown give Bute a lift? I'm sure that Carl will go straight through him again.

I remember you saying that you were going to Haye-Chisora.

I've never been to any fights mate. Not one. I've just always watched them on tv. If Roy had've come over years ago, I'd have definitely have gone to watch him. I grew up watching Naz, Ryan Rhodes and Joe, and just watched them on tv. I remember the full monthy bill in sheffield in 1997. That was amazing. I always used to buy the PPV's.

I know a boxer from Sheffield called John Fewkes. He's a friend of the family, and he's a really nice kid, and a good boxer. He lost to Martin Gethin a few years ago, because he had loads of weight problems. He retired really early because it became a nightmare to make weight, but he's coming back on Dec the 8th. He's only about 26/27. About 4 years ago, after he'd won young fighter of the year, he was scheduled to fight John Murray live on ITV, on a Carl Froch undercard from Nottingham. I was going to go, but he had to pull out at the last minute through injury.

Also, I had the chance to go and see Kell Brook a few weeks ago, but it was too short notice, and I was out for a family birthday. A good friend of mine works for Matchroom promotions, and he takes care of all of Eddie Hearns fighters, and their opponents. He drives them round. He picks them up from the airports etc, and takes them to the weigh ins. When Lucian Bute came over, he took him to all the press conferences, and Bute gave him one of his Hooded training tops, that said IBF world champion on it.

The best job he's had, was taking care of Carson Jones, and his manager Abel Sanchez. They even had lunch together. He said Carson was an absolute gentleman, and so Was Abel He spent a lot of time with the pair of them. Just before the weigh in, he told Carson Jones to shout out "We're all Blades aren't we?" when he stepped on the scales, and he did Ha! He's a massive Sheffield United fan! After he'd taken them back to the airport to go back home, he called in to our house, and asked who Golovkin was, because Abel had been going crazy about him.

For the last two or three fights at the Sheffield Arena, he's had free ringside tickets. So he phoned me with a free ticket for the Saldiva fight. But like I say, it was a bit short notice. Hopefully I might get an opportunity in the future. He'll be picking Yusaf Mack up soon, for the Froch fight.

Carl's got a lot of pride, but I don't think he'd be able to beat Andre.

I agree.

Lets see what Mayweather Snr can do with Dirrell.

He was my pick to win the Super Six.


Great debate mate, it's a pleasure debating with you.

Just reply back whenever.


Regards, Loudon.

 

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I went back on my word and responded to your posts. If you want to ignore those posts then fine, we'll leave it at this :smooch

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