Joe Calzaghe: William Joppy, Michael Nunn, Reggie Johnson, and Darius Michalczewski.

Prime Roy Jones jr - Probably hadnt even heard of Calzaghe. No ones fault that this didnt come off.

Prime - younger - Bernard Hopkins - Fight was supposed to go ahead in 2002 but Bhop came back asking for more money which Warren couldnt produce. I've posted the quote from the then Showtime sports chief on what actually happened on my yesihavearm account.

Glen Johnson - Fight was scheduled twice, first time Calzaghe pulled out with a back injury, then again with a hand injury in what was supposed to be Calzaghe moving back up to LHW. He took on Sakio Bika at short notice instead, possibly not the smartest of moves.

Antonio Tarver - I remember Joe calling out Tarver after the Lacy win, but I dont think there was any demand for these 2 to fight especially once Tarver lost to Hopkins.

Chad Dawson - In the same situation as Calzaghe was with Roy Jones and Bernard Hopkins. No ones fault.

Kelly Pavlik - Fight close to happnening but went with Jones instead.

Jemain Taylor - Was supposed to happen after the Manfredo fight but Taylors camp refused anything less than 8million, Calzaghe went onto fight Kessler instead.

Winky Wright - Never really close enough in weights untill recently. Would have fought Calzaghe had he beat Bhop.

Sven Ottke (early unification - Ottke champ in ninety eight). - 3 seperate career high offers made to the Ottke camp all refused.

Clinton Woods - Close to being made a couple of times.

William Joppy - Never on the cards.

Michael Nunn - Had already lost 3 times by the time Calzaghe became champion in 1997. Pointless fight.

Darius Michalczewski - Dont really know.

Totally different weights, never on the cards :
Vassiliy Jirov
Juan Carlos Gomez
Jean-Marc Mormeck




I feel the only fight we can criticise Calzaghe for not having is the Glen Johnson fight, pulling out once ok, pulling out again is a bit annoying.

 

Why the hell do you pick guys out of cruiserweight? Just because a couple did it does not make it the norm for that size of fighter.

Every guy out there has dozens of potential opponents if they are expected to fight guys 2 divisions up and up to 32 lbs heavier.

 

CW was 190+ for a good part of his career. But yes, expecting him to go to 200 would be ridiculous.

I think the purpose is just to shows that there were options that were attractive then just sticking w/ the WBO mandatory forever.

 

if only fighters would stack up the air miles!!

loved to have seen dariusz cross the pond..

one of my favourite fighters of recent times.

 

Prime Roy Jones jr
Prime - younger - Bernard Hopkins
Glen Johnson
Antonio Tarver
Chad Dawson
Kelly Pavlik
Jemain Taylor
Winky Wright
Sven Ottke (early unification - Ottke champ in ninety eight).
Clinton Woods

He could have fought any of these guys, or at least really tried to, really pushed the boat out to go for greatness.

I would remove Ottke and Woods from that list in the interests of fairness, as beating Woods would not have improved Joe's resume or legacy IMO. Woods is no better than a Byron Mitchell or a semi-retired Eubank to me. And I doubt Ottke would have took the fight with Calzaghe. If he did, it would have had to be in Germany, and I don't blame Calzaghe for not fancying that. I wouldn't go if I didn't think I'd be treated fairly either.

Glen Johnson is the main one, Joe ducked him for whatever reason, and never set the fight back up. Everyone knows Johnson would have paddled the Atlantic to get the payday and the shot at Calzaghe. I honestly believe Joe thought Glengoffe was too much risk for not enough reward. Johnson was a granite-tough lhw in '04 when Calzaghe was fighting guys like Ashira and Salem at smw. Joe knew Johnson would be a big step up, and that if he lost his UK fans would not understand how good Johnson was because of the losses on his record. That was a bodyswerve IMO.

Jones Jr and Hopkins were viewed as too much of a risk by Joe when they were at the peaks of their powers. Joe has already admitted this about Jones, I can post a verbatim quote if anyone wants it. His fans will argue to the death about Hopkins, but I have my own opinion.

Pavlik, Taylor and Wright were there to be fought and never were. Pavlik was 100% Calzaghe's fault. That fight was there and Joe went for the bigger reward lower risk option v a shot Jones. Before the Hopkins fight, Pavlik was undoubtedly the bigger threat than Jones, but he was lower cash. Taylor and Wright could have been made. That they weren't is no great tragedy I suppose, but they would definitely have been tremendous scalps for Joe around 05-06.

Winky Wright is the one (other than Jones and Hopkins) I really thought and still think Joe could and should have fought. After his draw with Taylor in '05, Winky literally had nowhere to go. He was the world p4p#5, and he was a natural lightmiddle. That win would've done Calzaghe's resume a power of good, as he would've been the 1st man in 7+ years to beat Wright. Instead, Hopkins now has that on his resume.


People can whine all day long about how none of this was Joe's fault etc, but the facts are that these fights would have made his resume better, and they were never made, and these guys were around the same weights at the same times.

All the defending of Joe will count for nothing when his resume is examined in 10 or 20 years time.





I still hope a fight with Dawson happens, although I know it won't.

PS: I personally don't see how fights with Joppy or Johnson would have done Joe's resume any good. They were never in his class. Nunn was washed up by 1995 and fighting non-title bouts at 175 and 200. Michalczewski could have happened, but I don't attach any blame to Joe for it not, as Jones never fought him either, and Jones was actually in his weight class.

 

Antwun Echols had more of a case to fight Calzaghe than Joppy, who never really did anything at 168. Echols took out Brewer in 3 rounds a year before Calzaghe fought Brewer and he beat Kabary Salem a few years before Calzaghe did.

 

You could make a list like this for any fighter, e.g Roy Jones Jr

Julian Jackson
Gerald McClellan
Michael Nunn
Chris Eubank
Nigel Benn
Steve Collins
Darius Michalczewski
Jean-Marc Mormeck
Vassiliy Jirov
Sven Ottke
Lennox Lewis
Vitali Klitschko
Wladimir Klitschko
Prime Calzaghe

As for the 4 fighters you mention at the top, I dont see any of them going to the U.K to fight, and Joe liked it at home as we know, so theres 1 reason, but there are lots more and all fighters are guilty of it at some time or the other.

 

Not by me they don't!

I have saw a lot of both, and if Hopkins or Jones had fought them instead of Calzaghe, Calzaghe fans would be deriding them just as they do guys like Keith Holmes from Hopkins's resume (who beat Woodhall) and Malinga from Jones's resume (who beat Reid). Neither were anywhere near as good as Calzaghe fans make out, it's a familiar ploy to try and improve his resume.

It doesn't wash with me one bit.

 

wouldn't agree with reid as he got robbed agant ottke many years after the calzage fight so he should be ranked higher.