PROOF: calzaghe ducked prime jones !

I love Calzaghe and I think he and Lennox are two of the best British boxers ever. But Joe knew he would be in trouble against a prime Roy Jones. A reluctant Roy outboxes Joe the way he did Hopkins imo - easily in other words. A more fired-up, determined Jones (Griffin II, Hill, Woods) could possibly stop Joe late.

Having said all that I don't see why people rate Hopkins as being more skilled than Calzaghe. They are on a par in my book. If the Calzaghe-Hopkins fight had taken place several years earlier it would have been very, very close. Despite his longevity and resume, Hopkins is not on the same level as a prime Roy Jones any more than Joe is. Bernard has lost 4 fights to speedy fighters (Jones, Taylor I and II and Calzaghe).

 

what are you saying Chris said?

 

With a couple exceptions that looks about right. Joe is WAY overrated because of his "Ottke" record. He struggled with a past peak Eubank, looked average versus Brewer, got rocked by Mitchell, looked like Reid level, got a weak ref stoppage over a pissed off Sheika, struggled with Bika, looked like a rank amateur versus a 43-year old Hopkins, got dropped and hurt twice by a stale RJJ (who had been destroyed by GJ and Tarver), got dropped and struggled badly with Salem, was unimpressive versus Starie (of all fighters (LOL)), and if you take away the ref stoppage on a cut of Sheika and the premature stoppage of Mitchell he has TKOd/KOd NOBODY in his ENTIRE CAREER.

Joe was a pretty good fighter. He beat up an overrated overwhelmed Lacy (in a very hostile environment for Lacy) and he came through against the overrated Mikkel Kessler. He managed to win on workrate against a superior talent in the then past peak Chris Eubank. He fought like crap versus Hopkins landing about sixty punches (don't bother with the bs actual punch stats from whatever blindmen were handling that function) over 12. That is pretty much it.

The thought of Calzaghe having anything for any elite fighter in their prime is ****ing ridiculous. Prime Benn and Eubank would have EASILY hurt and finished Joe Calzaghe. Jones would have killed him. Same thing for GMAN. Same thing for prime Hopkins. Hop under 35 was way too tough to lose to a Joe Calzaghe.

 

If Calzaghe really wanted to be the best then why he didn't pursued a fight with Jones?
Everyone knew the only way to become the top fighter and get big money fights was through Jones, yet he didn't want no part of him.
He knew prime Jones was too much for him.

 

I don';t think Jones would have been up for taking the fight either, so I don't think its a case of them "ducking" one another.

 

Because they were in different weight divisions. :roll:
By the time Calzaghe was even known in the USA, RJJ had moved up to LHW.

Why didn't he challenge Lennox Lewis? That would prove his greatness more than beating RJJ. :nut

 

You're right. I don't think either one ducked the other:good

 

one name? Ken Buchanan, John Conteh, Lennox Lewis?

atsch

 

Prime Jones was too much 4 anyone.
Plus Jones would have had no interest in fighting Joe. He wouldn't have gained much.

 

We all know Joe wasn't exactly burning with desire to prove his talent to the boxing world. Literally 1/2 of his title run is a complete farce. But the fact remains that he won his title a year after Jones had moved up to LH. Jones never offered Calzaghe any deal whatsoever, so there was no "ducking". Jones' own resume is not exactly littered with great fighters. Plenty of his opponents would be happy for a moment of glory in sharing the ring with him and receiving a small purse. But Calzaghe, in that quote, is simply implying that he would of wanted a bigger purse. Hardly shocking is it. There's a well known clip on youtube showing Jones and Hopkins arguing over the purse split for a rematch. Was that ducking?