Joe Calzaghe vs. Andre Ward

Dude, come on. Calzaghe all day.

 

Calzaghe, handily.

Better speed, much more active, better chin. And JC knows how to fight dirty fighters.

Ward could not hurt Calzaghe, and that means Ward would have no shot at all. JC would be all over him from the get-go.

 

What's with all the Ward euphoria? Abraham did nothing it was hardly a massive achievement

 

Ward no doubt easy work

 

calzaghe wouldn't even get in the ring with a prime ward. the only prime fighters he faced were lacy and kessler. let me know when either of them get in the hall of fame. a victory over froch and ward will have already surpassed joe at 168.

 

Ward lost 2 rounds to Abraham enough said..

 

Calzaghe by pure workrate.

So long as this fight wasn't fought in Ward's hometown, Calzaghe's aggression would outscore the Californian.

And like another guy said, he lost rounds to a guy who is less active and smaller than Jeff Lacy. And probably more damaged than when Lacy was obliterated by Calzaghe.

In addition, Calzaghe:

- has speed
- can box
- can fight dirty back
- has unbelievable stamina
- has body movement alone that already gets him points just by looking like the more active fighter in the ring
- if knocked down, will just charge your face harder than a hornets' nest
- has power that everyone he fought respected even though he's a slapper

 

LOL, Joe C would be outclassed and dominated. Ward has too much skill, is too defensively crafty, is too offensively varied, can in-fight and fight outside, he would make Joe C. look foolish in the ring.

 

Remember that Froch got his ass beat by a damaged Kessler who is several years older than when Calzaghe got to the man.

Thinking that a victory over Froch would surpass Joe is just... no.

Beating HOPKINS alone makes Calzaghe surpass the entire Super Six group even if that victory was hard fought.

 

Calzaghe can do all those things too.

But the great difference between the two?

Calzaghe has more stamina and the vastly superior workrate.

No way he loses a match against Ward. It's like everybody forgot Calzaghe after a few years. This matchup is all positive for Calzaghe. Calz wins easily.

And if they fought in neutral Las Vegas, where the offensive fighters normally get the score on the card, there is just no freaking way Calzaghe loses this fight.

 

Close fight.

Ward.

Ward is only 27 and has already nearly matched Joe's career comp in half the time and in only half the number fights.


Young Joe fought one fight against a well past prime CE - who had to cut weight on short notice to step into the slot - and after four decent rounds basically only won one more round clearly though he did demonstrate an ability to walk into the same punch over and over again using his grill as a catcher's glove. After that tough battle, he hid in a cave in the Welsh hills for quite nearly a decade only venturing out to face one bum or another and managing to struggle with guys like Robin Reid, David Starie, Charles Brewer, and getting dropped by Byron Mitchell and the great Kabary Salem. At his near best, he managed to win the second half of a tough fight with Mikkel Kessler though he also took more than his share of hard shots as he always had limited head movement and elusiveness. At the end - as we all know - he chose to finish his career (and become unavailable for the Super Six or younger LHWs) by fighting two guys in their 40s - one more than seven years his senior - getting dropped by both in the process. He quickly retired to load up on eight balls in private.


It is far more likely that the still not quite prime Andre Ward - with BETTER hand speed than Joe's slapping and flailing, equivalent power (Joe had near ZERO upper body strength as he couldn't do any strength work and still boil down to make the 168 lb limit), far superior punching technique, FAR SUPERIOR head movement, and FAR BETTER defensive ability would be far more likely in his prime to control and defeat ANY version of Joe Calzaghe (who whether by choice or not - didn't fight even ONE great athlete and fighter who was in their prime over 46 fights covering FIFTEEN YEARS).


Most likely, at the moment, Joe at his best and this version of Andre Ward would make for a very close and tough battle as they have a similar size (Ward slightly taller), same basic arm reach or length, and both like to come forward and initiate. The main difference is Andre is far more able to avoid being hit, and has all the tools necessary to negate Joe's best weapons.


We've already seen how poorly Joe performed against an old Bernard Hopkins. There is little reason to believe that his vaunted hand speed was ever all that much - as he didn't show much of anything against Hopkins who no one ever raved about as having extraordinary hand speed. Joe looked the far lesser athlete that night at the Thomas & Mack (BHOP simply looked old and poorly conditioned). Joe's merely looked good when in the ring with bums, domestics, and other regional or average fare. In the ring with talented athletes we discover that Joe wasn't as athletic, didn't have good punch technique, and wasn't as quick in his reactions as these EVEN when they were old. Thus, never fighting any great athletes in their prime was a very sound business decision. Frank and Joe knew what they were doing. Grabbing a couple old greats at the end of their career so as to have three or four hard fights out of a career 46 is hardly impressive.

The current version of Ward doesn't have the power to stop Joe. Joe doesn't have the power to stop Ward. Ward has the athleticism to get hit less and the hand speed to land more. Ward.


Ward opponents (by the age of 27):

Glen Johnson or Carl Froch
Mikkel Kessler
Sakio Bika
Allen Green
Arthur Abraham
Edison Miranda

Calzaghe opponents (by the age of 27):

Chris Eubank (near the end of his career - in LESS than 1 year he would be retired)
Robin Reid (even fight)


Calzaghe opponents (by career end):

OLD RJJ (shot to hell - KOd by both an old Antonio Tarver & Glen Johnson a full four and three years earlier, respectively)
OLD BHOP (an absolute struggle in which Joe looked dismal - he took a pass on a return bout)
Mikkel Kessler
Sakio Bika
Jeff Lacy
Byron Mitchell
Charles Brewer
Omar Sheika (ref stoppage on a cut)


Both fighters turned pro around the same time .. approximately 21 years of age.

 

Hopkins doesn't need speed to negate speed. That's why he fights in short timing shots. He'd make Ward look like crap too and would probably win because Ward doesn't have the necessary workrate to keep Hopkins go tired like Calzaghe had.

Please don't make crap up.

But you do make one good point.

Ward, unlike Hopkins, does not have power. Calzaghe swarms anyone without the power he can respect. That's why Calzaghe will win this fight easily against the Bay Area resident.

OH and let me remind you, Calzaghe was over 35 or 36 when he fought BHOP. He was ALSO old.

 

I'm a big critic of Calzaghe, but he beats Ward...

 

Ward has the in-fighting ability to befuddle Calzaghe at times, but Calzaghe has a bit more speed, height, and reach to box Ward fairly well on the outside (Ward can do decently at this range, but not command like it's AA out there). If Ward was a less hesitant counter-puncher I'd pick him with ease. But, he's still the more complete, and better overall fighter in my view. So I'd take him by decision in a close affair.