Joe Calzaghe : "probably the best 168 pounder there is"

ttt

 

If you look at his performances objectively it's impossible to disagree he was one of, if not the greatest at SMW.

 

If you're trying to say that the super middleweight division now is worse than what Calzaghe had to deal with then you are an idiot.

 

It's very possible. His opponents were **** and he hid from the best American fighters until they were old. End of. A prime Roy would clown him, some behind the back ****.

 

Yes, Joe is the best at 168. No doubt. Kessler and Lacy were undefeated when they fought Joe. I hope that Joe would come out of his retirement and fight the winner of the Super 6 Tournament.

 

I think the only person who could compete with a Prime Calzaghe (at 168 lbs), for an entire fight, is Prime Roy Jones. And that would be a very tough fight for Roy. Much tougher than a lot of people think.

People who aren't around, or don't understand, the sport don't realize how good Calzaghe was. That mostly has to do with his style. Still, there's almost no one like him, particularly at that weight.

 

Toney would have beaten the living **** out of Calzaghe, assuming he's in the mood to fight, let alone Roy ****ing superman Jones. I'd give the current Ward the edge over him if they allow him to roughhouse. Given the trouble Calslappy had with fighters the level of Reid, I'd say Benn, Collins or Eubank could step up and whoop him on any given night.

The SMW division historically just isn't that good, but Calzaghe still isn't at the top of it. It's just a waystation for MW's on their way up.

 

Toney was not fast enough, and I am a HUGE Toney fan. No way, not at that pace and not enough speed. Toney would have a puncher's chance, and that's simply not good enough against Calzaghe.

Calzaghe would dominate Benn. Again, big fan of Benn here. But his relative lack of size and stamina would, like Toney, reduce him to looking for the one-punch answer. Not happening.

Eubank was beaten by Calzaghe. Was Eubank at his best? No, definitely not. But Calzaghe handled him well.

Collins? Again, big fan of his. But anyone losing points decisions to Reggie Johnson at middleweight is not beating Calzaghe. Not enough speed.

Calzaghe damaged his hand in the Reid fight. And still won. Reid was a heck of a fighter, too. Not a scrub.

I honestly think Calzaghe beats Jones, in both of their primes. Because of workrate. But because I respect Jones and his freakish athletic gifts, I'll just say it would be a great fight.

I agree with what you said: Super Middle is not the greatest division in history. Not stacked. But at that weight, there is almost no one, ever, who is beating Calzaghe.

Ward? Please. That is absolutely ridiculous. Ward is a good fighter who came along at the right time. At this point, he is nowhere close to the level Calzaghe was at when Calzaghe was at his best. Calzaghe would easily handle Ward.

Dawson had the physical tools, but not the mental ones. That is a shame, but he's far from the only fighter who fits that mold.

 

and yet hopkins is still winning titles today ...and calzaghe was old too but dont let those facts ruin your argument

 

RJJ > Calzaghe

And it's not even close. Calzaghe underachieved, but had he not he'd have had a few L's on his record.

 

i usually do favour RJJ over Calzaghe...but it must be said, he didnt half fight some **** during his 'prime'.

 

only people who truly know boxing respect calzaghe and know H2H at 168 no one beats him easily, only RJJ beats him in my opinion at 168 in a close fight, ******ed fans don't respect calzaghe. I wasn't even a joe fan but still appreciated his boxing skills

 

Jones had great athletic abilities. When they started to decline and he had to rely on the same stuff other boxers are forced to, it became obvious he has some shortcomings.

Jones has no heart. None.

And his boxing skills are far from top notch.

Given Calzaghes strong points and Jones week ones, it seems possible Joe could have proven himself to be a problem for a prime Jones. I'd still favour Roy, since Calzaghe never fought someone with that much power. But saying Roy would clown him has something with emotions to do, not objective analyze.

 

I rank him slightly above Sven Ottke as a long-reigning world champion who had a poor standard of opposition throughout his title reign. Ability-wise, he was not the best smw ever, not even close. The 1994-96 RJJ would have dazzled, dominated and destroyed him, and I'd back the Toney who fought Barkley to dismantle him as well. Calzaghe would not have coped well with someone who was in their prime and had good technical skills. He'd have had a torrid time with either Ward or Dirrell.

 

Why? Pavlic would have become a pisshead about 2 years earlier. Joe would have boxed his ears off.