Joe Calzaghe?

I think throwing him into the top ten ATG's like some people want to is a bit over the top. He beat more than just one credible fighter, i'd say at least 4 are very credible on his resume.

Its hard to say how great he could have been, his division has been weak, you can't necessarily blame him, yet there were fighters in weights around that I would have personally liked to see him in with.

All i know is if he does happen to lose to bhop(even though i think he'll get passed, just not easily) it will infact unravel a huge myth on this forum - not to mention make it extraordinarily fun to point out how many fanboys were blinded by the goose egg to the right of his win column

 

He was trying to make a fight with Hopkins. Or did you forget this? Hopkins ducked Calzaghe. FACT.

 

He just took too long to step up to fight these guys, and although he will look good by beating them now, he's hurt his legacy in the long run IMO.

 

Wasn't it a "I deserve more money than you" duck - but a duck none-the-less?

I could be entirely wrong, but I thought it all boiled down to BHop wanting a considerably larger share than Joe C was willing to agree to. If I am incorrect, please lead me to the right information. Thanks in advance.

 

I have no idea. There's a lot of talk about this, and apparently Joe was going through a lot of personal **** at the time when he was expected to fight Jones. I don't know the facts, so I can't really comment.

 

If it was Jones right after he left MW....it wouldn't have even been fair, Joe C would have got his first loss early, and all the pointless talk of his "ATG" legacy would have never started.

 

what about Johnson?

Injury cancelled fight, why wasn't it postponed???

That's the one that bothers me.

 

Whatever the reason, Joe was ducked. Yes, though. That's the story, pretty much. They agreed to the fight and the amount of pay, then Hops backed out at the last minute.

 

some of his opponents are not popular in the US, does'nt mean they're bums.
try getting some exposure in that side of the boxing world and then you can re assess you're statements=)

 

I'm just gonna re-post something I posted earlier as an answer to someone who said Joe "couldn't punch his way out of a paper bag".

Listen man, no disrespect to you, but it looks like you've been reading posts by fools who have no clue as to what constitutes a great boxer, and there are plenty of fools on here. Maybe somewhere along the way you became slightly brainwashed by the endless **** talk, but the fact is, Calzaghe can punch a hell of a lot harder than you think. The reason he doesn't throw super heavy shots constantly is because, if he did, he'd break his ****ing hands. Joe more than makes up for this in other areas and all-round boxing ability. The guy is a seriously smart fighter. I can only come to the conclusion that you have a problem recognizing talent. What makes it so hard for some people to see it?

Every time someone talks crap about Joe (or any great boxer, come to think of it) I am semi-reluctant to answer back because usually 400 rampant, testosterone-filled teenage baboons jump on me and call me a "nuthugger", but honestly this **** needs straightening out. Read: You pub brawler types need to do your homework when it comes to the sweet science of boxing.

Up until Joe started to damage his hands, he was knocking out plenty of his opponents. So far, he's had more than 120 amateur fights and 44 professional fights. 32 of those pro fights have ended in KO or TKO. It's pretty obvious that if "he couldn't punch himself out of a paper bag" he would have an embarrassing KO record. Which he doesn't. Go get your Microsoft calculator and work out the KO percentage yourself. It's not a bad record by any means, especially considering his hand injuries.

One of his tougher fights was against Robin reid who caught him with quite a few hard right hands. Joe damaged his hand in this fight but still managed to pull out a UD. He was also recovering from food poisoning. He walked through those heavy bombs from Reid and barely even flinched. To suggest his chin is made of iron wouldn't be an understatement. Not that you did, but I like to point out of his many great qualities which make up his all-round genius in the ring.

Before the fight with Lacy, Jeff said "If you look at his fights, wouldn't you call him a slapper?". Two years later, and Lacy still hasn't recovered from the injuries and mental trauma sustained during his heavily one-sided loss to Joe. It's not inaccurate to say he ruined Jeff's career, as he hasn't been the same since.

Here's a picture to remind you:

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That's Jeff, bleeding from both eyes, nose and lips, of course, all damage caused by slaps to the face.

When he needs to turn it on, believe me, Calzaghe can bang. This was proven in the fight against Byron Mitchell (previously unbeaten and never knocked down until he met Joe), when Mitchell knocked him down in the second round. That was Joe's first knock down, too. If I remember correctly, Joe was up by the count of 3 and proceeded to KO Mitchell in the same round.

It's worth mentioning he also knocked down Chris Eubank in the first round. Some may argue that Eubank was too old. That's bull****. Chris was only 31 and continued to fight for a while. One notable opponent happened to be a cruiserweight.

Quote from Eubank: "Joe is the proper article, a true warrior."

I agree with Chris.

11 of Joe's 44 professional fights have ended in first round. 7 of those 44 fights ended in the 2nd round. Only 11 of the 44 fights have gone the full 12 rounds.

Quote from Barry McGuigan: "He punches ferociously, moves superbly and has the best of the European technique and US aggression."

I agree with Barry.

I could also go on, but I think you get where I'm coming from by now. Do you honestly believe this man cannot punch his way out of a paper bag? And how long do you think you yourself would last in the ring with Joe Calzaghe?