OK, It looks like I have to admit it first...

funny I was thinking exactly the same thing looking through the general forum this morning..

'name the fighter who can get closet to Calzaghe from 168-200'

'is Calzaghe the best smw ever?'

'can Joe find the cure to AIDS, swim the atlantic'?

etc, etc. 90% of threads must be about basically the same conversation.

it's all been done to death, a bit boring and some of it cheesy. All this stuff about how Kessler too...how he's 'class act in and out of the ring' as the cliche goes.

didn't we all know before the fight that both seem decent guys and both outstanding fighters?

I'm an ex critic of Calzaghe and what I felt was his comfort zone and hanpicking...I'm happy that I was proved wrong and he fought top guys at 168, but am on the verge of becoming a hater now with all this bandwagon riding and arse kissing going on. No doubt a lot of those kissing his arse now were amongst his many fierce critics as recently as 20 months ago.

 

plus, prime Toney at 168 would've beat Calzaghe. Rushing in throwing as many punches as possible as your main asset would just not cut it against Toney.

 

It'll die down in a couple of days.

 

the limited and not very skilled david tiberi did just that to toney at middleweight, and toney could not really cope with the punch output.

and you would have to admit joe is in another league to tiberi.

 

of course, it's no secret Toney was in **** shape for that, how own fault of course. Same as the Roy Jones fight. I'm not saying 100% Toney would've beat Jones but he was certainly in poor condition there too.
Toney coped very well against top class opponents with high punch output WHEN IN SHAPE.

 

Drake Thadzi? Montell Griffin? Excuses, Excuses..... Toney boxed best against static brawlers. Micheal Nunn was hammering him before the stoppage and most of his opponents were mediocre in his title defences. I'm a big Toney fan too but Joe would have pushed him to his limits.

 

Are you Notorias Ben? he had the same ******ed imput to ESB as you... Well done **** head you've just made my block list.

 

Firstly, prime Griffin was no mug and doesn't deserve to be put in the realms of Thadzi, Tiberi etc......and most thought Toney won both.
as for the Nunn fight, you need to watch it again...yes Nunn was ahead on points 7 rounds in but Toney was knocking **** out of him for 2-3 rounds before the coupe de gras. Amazing the number of people who make out it was a KO from nowhere, it wasn't.

for a better picture see the fights against Mccallum (the first one in particular makes Calzaghe-Kessler look like a couple of kids in the playground in comparison), Prince Charles, Jirov.

anyway, this is about Calzaghe and I admit Toney would have **** all chance against him if underprepared, as he was so often. In-shape and it's another story.

 

Do you not think that Toneys ability to outspeed his opponents was vitally important to him winning.... Prince Charles, Jirov, Barkley and De Witt were all outspeeded and i'd say they were the most impressive performances of his career.

Griffin was a tasty operator and granted doesn't belong alongside Thadzi....

As far as comparing the two- overall Toney is a far more capable performer- he is for me a modern great and his skill is absolutely mind bending.... I love the way he makes it all look so easy and his defence is excellent but I'd give Calzaghe a chance against him. Toney would have to be on top of his game but if he was, your right he'd draw Calzaghe into a war and punish the mistakes he made- something Kessler wasn't able to do.

 

Which was the better fight McCallum 1-2?? Not got round to watching those fights yet.

 

III

No, personally I fought the first was better, their styles meshed slightly better, although it was intresting was rather exciting or compelling.

 

:good

 

Overall I thought Nunn was bossing it until he ran out of steam....

 

Calzaghe has the quintessential style to beat Toney, fast hands and a swarming style, i dont see how Toney could possibly beat him, but then again Toney has to be the most overrated fighter in history