Joe Calzaghe accepting hes award...

Calzaghe was and is a great fighter.

 

Why else would you have used his name as part of your username?

 

Thanks man, that was a classic.

 

Hey Ed,

Much better effort. Thanks for the response. 8)

I've not said Calzaghe was the greatest. But he is intensely impressive, with a phenomenal workrate, a unique skillset and a huge heart. I am also not denigrating US fighters. I am denigrating the culture of boxing that prevents great fights from happening.

My point remains that no US fighter wanted to challenge him until past the time that many US fight fans would consider it timely. There is no flaw is saying that no 'half decent US fighter' would face him. You overlook that many of the best SMW fighters are not from the US. Kessler is an absolute monster at SMW; yet again another fighter that has no US experience. Eubank: heart of a lion, great skills and an iron jaw... Yet there's been no BH, RJJ, etc for them either. I don't think I've ever seen Eubank called a coward tho'.

It's a given that US fighters balance the financial rewards and big draw against the likelihood they would lose. That says 'managed' as much as any claim about Calzaghe's record.

Coming to the 'great dispute' about who won between JC and B-Hop. Bernard came into the fight with a great plan. He was deliberately in reverse more than any other fight I've seen him in, 'cos that slowed JC's workrate significantly. He also tried to tie up JC more than any other fighter he faced. It's clear he knew what it would take to best JC. That shows that B-Hop held JC in the highest professional regard. He knew he was dangerous.

Looking at the Pavlik fight, BH was very happy to stand toe to toe with his opponent. A different game plan totally. And he won comfortably. So why didn't he do the same against JC if JC wasn't any good? And if he was so confident of winning, why did he walk away from the table in 2001?

I totally agree that the US fights bring in the biggest audiences. Larger networks, for one. More money, for two. But every punter wants to see the best fighters face off against each other. Geography shouldn't be an issue - and certainly not money, when you're into millions even for losing. Sadly, that's not the case.

 

This post confirms to me that your opinion on anything Calzaghe related should be immediately discarded, struck from the record as if you never even happened.

 

Greatest British fighter of all time.

 

I'd like to see the terms of the contract Calzaghe signed with Warren for him to be promoter & manager. I'm sure Joe agreed for FW to become his manager a long time after he won the WBO title. Sure, Warren/Sports Network were promoting Joe from around 1995/6 but I'd guess that Warren didn't become his manager until circa 2001.

 

Just some general comments in response to points made in this thread. Some of Eubank's defences of the WBO were against terrible opponents. Chris could have done better than the WBO but was very candid about his approach to match making. Nobody calls Chris a coward but his resume is pretty poor for one so talented. The two losses to Collins, an average fighter, hurts him also.

As for the Hopkins pull out in 2001. This wasn't a case of ducking or avoiding, it was a business decision. Hopkins was the undisputed champion at 160, a distinction he'd earned the hard way, whereas Joe was simply a WBO strap holder at 168. For him to come over to England to fight for a minor bauble, and attain little credit for beating a fighter not rated in America, he should have been paid accordingly. Which he wasn't. Plus the accounts have that whole incident have mainly come from Frank Warren, and we all know how he's given to embellishment.

 

Jay Larkin (head of Showtime at the time) also came out and publicly blasted Hopkins at the time after he thought a deal had been struck with both parties to fight.

However, Jay Larkin also went on to work for Warren in some capacity a few years later.

 

http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/low/wales/1991289.stm

 

In these situations I tend to believe the story is somewhere in the middle of the opposing sides.

 

At the end of the day, the two following facts at the time speak ****ing volumes:

Calzaghe was promoted by Frank Warren
Hopkins was promoted by Don King

$ vs £

 

Shame it never came off but it was around this time when Hopkins was in contractual disuptes as well. He didn't feel he was getting parity with Roy Jones who was taking a fortune off HBO for making mandatory defences.

 

Would have been a big fight in the UK but it wouldn't have got the juices flowing anywhere else.

 

True. Would have been great to see Hopkins here though.