Joe Calzaghe, overrated?

At 40 Hopkins moved from 160 to 175 and beat the best guy in the division. Now one month short of his 46th birthday he is fighting Jean Pascal - the best 175 fighter who is 17 years younger than him.

What point are you hoping to make?

 

The JOKE regarding Calzaghe is that his title defences prior to Kessler were often against weaker opposition than one would expect a CHAMPION to fight.

Sven Ottke had the same problem, in fact six of his title defences were against guys that Calzage also fought as champion in defence of his WBO belt !

Ricky Thornberry, Tocker Pudwill, Byron Mitchell, Robin Reid, David Staire and Charles Brewer were decent boxers but not championship quality, at least not when they were fighting Ottke and Calzaghe. Fact is that these challengers dont rate in comparison to those that fought against the other title holders during the same era.

The simple fact is that Calzaghe showed his worth by defeating the top class Kessler who was at the top of his game at the time but his wins over Jones Jr and to a lesser extent Hopkins were nothing more than exhibition bouts like Ali v Holmes, Fenech v Nelson III and Tyson v Lewis..... a smart fighter taking advantage of an opportunity at the right time against battle weary opponents.

 

I WILL show you Calzaghe wanting ROY JONES

Calzaghe called out Jones after his fight with Will Mcintye.

These videos are on youtube:

• In 2002 Calzaghe discussed fighting Jones on 'Soccer AM'
• In the build up to their 2008 fight Roy Jones admitted he turned down Calzaghe because he wouldn't travel to the UK to fight him. Jones said he was 'was the man at the time and the man should not have to travel'. This is fair enough but Joe travelled to NYC in 2008.
• SHOWTIMES broadcast of RD7 of his fight against Brewer in 01 is on youtube and the American commentators say: "He [Joe] really wants Roy Jones and Beranrd Hopkins".

From the BBC website:

This content is protected

Calzaghe ready for ultimate challenge


Joe Calzaghe: back to his best against Omar Sheika


Wales' WBO super middleweight champion Joe Calzaghe has thrown down the gauntlet to Roy Jones Jr.
Few would care to cross Jones, the undisputed light-heavyweight king and a man recently nominated as Fighter of the Decade.
Yet Calzaghe is unworried: "I have no fear whatsoever of Jones... I would jump on the next plane to the States and defend my title against him in his own backyard if the opportunity arose," he said.
Calzaghe's comments came after Jones hinted he may step down a weight for his next fight, following a disappointing display against Eric Harding.

This content is protected

I am the best super-middleweight in the world and I am out to prove that I am the best fighter on the planet

This content is protected

Joe Calzaghe
Jones' eleventh-round victory in that fight took his record to 43-1, including 35 knock-outs.
Many experts still regard Jones as one of the best pound-for-pound fighters in the world, but Calzaghe may sense that he has the chance of a victory that would put his name on the lips of the boxing world.
Fighting talk
The undefeated Calzaghe was certainly talking the language that fight promoters like to hear:

This content is protected

Roy Jones (left) did not impress against Eric Harding


"I am the best super-middleweight in the world and I am out to prove that I am the best fighter on the planet. If Jones disagrees, lets get it on," he said.
"Jones is supposed to be the best fighter in the world at the moment. A showdown between us has got to happen to prove who is the best."
Calzaghe looked to be back to his best after destroying the highly rated American challenger Omar Sheika in the fifth round of a thrilling fight at the Wembley Conference Centre in August.
It was possibly his best performance since he claimed the title in a magnificent encounter with Chris Eubank. Since that fight his work has been disappointing, though this could be blamed on a series of hand injuries that have disrupted his preparations.

This content is protected

I am close to making the fight happen and when it does we will see who is the best in the world

This content is protected

Calzaghe's promoter Frank Warren
Turning point
"The Sheika fight was the turning point for me," said Calzaghe.
"He was a dangerous fighter and he brought out the best in me. I believe against Jones, who is leagues above Sheika, you will see the best of Joe Calzaghe."
Frank Warren, Calzaghe's promoter, is trying to finalise a deal with Jones' promoter Murad Muhammed and is talking to the WBO to make the fight happen. "Roy says he has difficulty in finding opponents but he has Joe Calzaghe - the best fighter in the division - waiting to fight him and ready to put his title on the line. "I am close to making the fight happen and when it does we will see who is the best in the world," said Warren.

This content is protected

This content is protected

 

:iamwiths:

ESB mascot strikes again....:rofl

 

[ame]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4nwdQgdxg2M[/ame]

 

drinker you just killed the thread. All the RJJ fans will never forgive you........

 

This content is protected

weighing in at 173lbs, Chad Dawson went 29-0 after successful defending his WBC light heavyweight title against Glen Johnson. This was the belt he took from the previously undefeated Tomasz Adamek.

One week later Calzaghe beat Hopkins at 173lbs to go 45-0.

This content is protected

Chad Dawson made his 4th successful defence of the WBC light heavyweight crown when defeating Antonio Tarver by clear UD.

One month later Calzaghe defeats Roy Jones Jr at 174 lbs......

This content is protected

would have put the "Calzaghe Question" to rest. While Calzaghe defeated RJJ, both of Dawson's 2008 wins were over the other two fighters that handed RJJ three consecutive losses (Tarver + Johnson)

Both smart moving, undefeated southpaws fighting for their legacy. How beautiful. Had Calzaghe won then it would have been the exclamation mark at the end of his career. The win that sealed the deal as a true champion....

 

Calzaghe is a tough one to rate,I saw him fight live a few times and I saw the good and the bad.He was sensational against Jeff Lacy at the MEN who turned out to be an over rated bum and I saw Calzaghe stink out the MEN against the limited David Starie on the Tyson/Francis undercard where he was heckled and booed all night because he was so awful while blowing his chance infront of the American tv viewers.

I think Calzaghe would have been beaten by prime RJJ,Eubank,Benn,Collins and Michael Watson.


There is no argument that Joe Calzaghe is the greatest Welsh Super middleweight of all time though.

 

you consider calzaghe fighting hopkins sandwiched inbetween 3 great wins (tarver, wright, pavlik) the equivelant of when larry holmes fought ali

take a bow, i love a good comedian :rofl

 

Perhaps overrated by a few in the UK, but generally no. I think he's rated right where he should be.

 

depends what you are referring to.

joe is not overrated in terms of his Herculean stamina and workrate. Joe is not overrated in terms of his excellent recuperative ability and good chin. Joe had the best protective management system I have ever seen, totally elite. Joe is simply overrated in terms of his bare ability, both offensively and defensively, but this doesn't matter since he relies on a combo of excellent mamagement and chin and fitness to make sure he doesn't need great skills to overcome opponents head on, he can simply wait and outlast them.

 

As overrated as it gets

 

Who bumped this ****? Fu(k let the guy retire already! He and Jones are no longer relevant so let them fade off into the sunset.

to answer the question: By his dozens of fanatics . . . hell yeah he is WAY OVERRATED.

 

Massively overrated by loads of his fans and massively underrated by lots of his detractors.

Boxing eh? Some people revere Tyson and others think he was a fortunate bully in a poor era. Look how Lewis and now Wladimir divide opinion. The list is endless.

 

calzaghe shousdnt be mentioned in ame breath as lewis and Tyson, dude. remember,calzaghe was a shot Tyson undercarder in his prime (his opponent that night I believe was the unknown, unranked, unskilled will McIntyre).