Ivan Calderon: One of the Best Pure Boxers Ever, Why Doesn't He Excite Me?

If only Calderon was a much bigger person, he would be a top 3 P4P prolly even #1 if Floyd was still active too.

Calderon's footwork is so unappreciative, its practically the best in the game today.

 

Fact : I have never been able to sit and pay close attention to any of his fights. Ever. Never watched the whole thing.

 

I remember watching the next round, and doug fischer said that he saw the first couple of rounds for a Calderon fight, Got up took a ****, went to go eat something came back in the middle of the fight and said well he didn't really miss anything. You see 1 round and you'll see all 12. You gotta give Calderon credit for executing his style to perfection. I don't care what style of boxing it is, when you make it work like that you're sick. I guess Calderon is going to have to beat Cazares and try to be crazy enough to take his 5'0 foot body into the 112lb division and try to beat someone. Perhaps He will get the credit he deserves then?

 

He doesn't really run, he pivots around his opponent. Most of the time he's right in front.

 

I like Calderon

 

Thats what im saying, What has made Floyd was not only his defensive skills and accuracy but his footwork is like amazing.

But what makes Calderon is his feet alone, How anyone can't be impressed by the way he moves is beyond me. Moving like that in the ring is a ****ing art, maybe some don't like it but this guy is text book movement. He hits you slips a punch and ends up behind you in a second. Its unreal.

 

In the middle of the ring, he's fantastic to watch in my opinion. It's when he faces an opponent who doesn't play his game that he doesn't look as good, runs a lot, etc. He looks brilliant against a schmuck like Dieppa who actually tries to pot-shot and box back(talk about lack of potential and boxing IQ), but against pressure, not so much. As brilliant as he is in the center of the ring, he's pretty limited, and I wouldn't pick him over any of the top guys ever around 105-108, other than someone like Niida.

Love watching him against a guy like Dieppa though.

 

I want to see him fight a pressure fighter that is 5'0 on the dot. I am 100% sure that he could handle them quite easily. It is when he gives up a 6 inches in height to his opponent where he is forced to run. I mean he has no choice as his punches are powerless. The weakness in his game is his lack of power, if he did have the power he could add different styles or strategies to his game. But the fact that he doesn't really get the respect out of his opponents with h is punches leaves him with no choice but to really move. His legs are some of the best I've ever seen.

 

Exactly, he's not a multi-dimensional fighter, but he's very skilled and has a lot of physical ability to make up for that. He's not entertaining, he's very good, but he's not 'great' and can't be compared to real phenom's who are multi-dimensional and fight much better competition.

That's why I've had an issue with everyone ignorantly ranking him in the top 10 P4P, top 20 is fine, but top 10 goes to guys who beat top fighters impressively consistently OR beat other P4P fighters, he's done neither and is quite 'limited' as you say.

Varied work is the most entertaining, a pure boxer like Mijares, who does many things offensively and defensively during the course of a fight like Whitaker did, is very entertaining while not being a KO warrior. Whitaker and Mijares also brutalised opponents with stiff work, Calderon never opens up.

 

True, which is why I always get worked up when he's called "mini-Whitaker" or something like that. Whitaker was far more versatile, as is Mijares. Mijares is as good as any 115 pounder I've ever seen, and will soon have the resume to back it to the skeptics, as he's already clearing out the competition.

Mantequilla made an interesting point in the Classic Forum the other day to you though when picking Konadu over him. I think Konadu would have the best style to beat him as well, though the KO2 was a stretch.

 

edit: double post

 

How many different facets of boxing does a boxer require to have in order to be a "Pure boxer"? Maybe I misunderstood but it seems like you don't look upon Calderon as a pure boxer. I think he easily is one of the best to do what he does. His game is to hit and run away so he can live to fight another day lol. If its not broke why fix it?

Guys like Mayweather for example, sharp shooting accuracy, defensive using his shoulder roll, while also defensive on his feet, he could hit and run, and pressure you with sharp accurate punches. Do you honestly need all of those aspects to be a "pure" boxer. Guys like this are just better overall fighters, because you don't need all that to be a "pure boxer". When I think of the term pure boxer I think of the whole realm of hit and not be hit and winning rounds no matter what the strategy is.
He clearly has a lack of POWER and SIZE, there isn't much "multi dimensional" aspects that he could humanly add to his game! For what he physically has in his arsenal he is a little genius at executing his game.