Joe Calzaghe, overrated?

I don't know the reasons why Joe Calzaghe didn't fight some of the bigger names around during his reign, but if we look at his career objectively then we can still say he achieved more in the 168lbs division than most. He showed me more than enough in those last 3 years of his career to suggest to me that he truly was an elite level operator and could mix it up and beat great fighters. Bernard Hopkins would go on to end Kelly Pavlik's career and defeat Jean Pascal after losing a close fight to Joe, so he still had something left.

And you don't hear much about it now because revionists would have you believe that Jeff Lacy was a never-was, but Joe went into that fight a pretty considerable underdog. The general feeling seemed to be that this young strong bull by the name of Jeff Lacy was going to find Joe Calzaghe out for being an average fighter who held his title hostage over in England for a decade. Of course, Lacy got battered every minute of every round. We dismiss that now seeing as Lacy never amounted to anything afterwards, but we must give credit.

Joe was neither the best Super Middleweight of all time or a "Calslappy" that feasted on bums his entire career. You will find the truth somewhere in the middle of those two extremes.

 

Calzaghes timing wasn't all that, I think it rather was speed and quick feets that helped him out.

Anyway, Calzaghe is a borderline great rather than a clear cut case.

 

A green, timid, nervous Ward in his first world title fight beat the **** out of a PRIME non injured Kessler who would later go on to have his biggest career win in beating Froch.

Slappy Joe slapped his way to a close UD decision against a timid, homesick and injured Kessler in his hometown.

A part time boxer in Ward already eclipsed Slappy Joe's career without really having to do much.

That's how much of a joke Slappy Joe's career is. The guy's best win is LITERALLY against a 70 year old senior citizen in which he hardly won... :rofl

 

joe C- great stamina, great management, fair chin, but middling skills.

 

Great to see you back.

It's been ages since we've debated about Joseph.

I think he's both overrated and underrated.

 

Sweet P didn't beat JCC. The Korea fighter beat Roy Jones by a couple of points.

That's the judges cards and they can definitely be wrong... Hopkins is a brilliant boxer but sometimes he just plan fouls and he wasn't getting called on any on it in that fight.

 

Joe would have destroyed Froch.

 

Don't be so damned logical, the extremists on either side won't know how to react.

 

how? weak pats vs iron chin.

 

Joe was a great fighter.. Though I have seen him both overrated and underrated.. Overall I think he recieves a little too much criticism on here. Even by myself in the past.

 

Joe was a great fighter.. Though I have seen him both overrated and underrated.. Overall I think he recieves a little too much criticism on here. Even by myself in the past.

 

The Wbo, when Joe c won, was not that higley rated like the Ibo is now. They have less stiff opposition in their rankings. Joe C., took full advantage of the weak rankings in the Wbo. He lost to B-Hop in alot of peoples eyes. Fought a past prime RJJ and barley beta Robin Reid and Sikia Bika. Good fighter but not great.

 

PRIME Kessler?atsch

I guess Mike Tyson was "Prime" when he lost to Lewis?
Mosley was Prime when he lost to Pac?

If they can past the physical then they are prime, huh?!

 

The only ones that think Hopkins beat Calzaghe are haters..