Ten greatest super middleweights of all time

What's overlooked - in my opinion - is that Calzaghe was past his prime by the time as well.

In terms of him challanging himself, He went right at Steve Collins with very little experience under his belt - who was probably number 1 Super Middleweight at the time, with Roy already up at Light Heavyweight. Not his fault that the fight did not happen.
At the end of a day - He also did beat the second best Super Middleweight of his era, in Mikkel Kessler. Only other guy He should've fought was Ottke. I don't think the problem here was Calzaghe, though.

His record is padded, but there are some solid wins and He finished his career on a strong note. I don't think He's an ATG, He's not on B-Hops or Jones's level - but it's not all just smoke and mirrors either.

 

I agree it's not all smoke and mirrors but 46-0 doesn't remotely tell the entire story.

Kessler was a decent fighter with a good chin and fundamentals. When that's your best career performance against a primed opponent... that's slim pickings.

I already said it but... world class but many people paint him as something he wasn't.

 

It wasn't the strongest era of Super Middleweights to begin win - but I think Kessler was pretty clearly the second best guy around, up until the Super Six era at least.
To be honest, I did not see many people call Joe an ATG, but hey - if some do, I'm with You.

 

Have you ever poked your head into General? Lot of people that will swear up and down that Calzaghe was one of the best fighters of the recent past.

 

Ha, rarely. You're probably right, casual fans love shiny records.

 

Too me, the win over a prime Kessler was his best. I rate that win over his wins against Hopkins and Roy.

 

Outside of Bute, Ward beat every top Super middleweight of his era. Kessler, Froch, Abraham, Bika, Green, Dawson. What more could he have done?

 

Roy I don't think was a top 10 fighter anymore, so I don't rate it at all personally. Hopkins was still very good at the time, but then the fight was also extremaly close and could've easily went the other way.
Kessler win was clear cut, so yes - I would agree with You.

 

Very good is levels and levels below greatness.

 

I'd say his lineal reign with 4 defenses bumps Collins off the list imo.

 

It's close but Collins beat Benn twice and Eubank at 168. Canelo hasn't beaten that quality at 168. Plant and Saunders are good fighters but not better than Benn or Eubank imo. Canelo needs to beat Benavidez to bump Collins off my list.

 

That's fair those were good wins for Collins. He had a hell of a chin.

 

The irony is, even though I think Collins has done more at 168 than Canelo, I think Canelo could beat Collins. Collins could be over aggressive and Canelo is a brilliant counterpuncher. I also think Sven Ottke was a hell of a lot better than most. That guy would have picked Canelo apart on the outside like Bivol did. Styles make fights.

 

1. Andre Ward - Depth, longevity, consistency, versatility, and cleared out a stacked division. Quite frankly, I struggle to see an argument for him not being the best at 168.
2. Canelo Alvarez - Maybe a tad premature for a coronation but his list of scalps (and consistency/domination) is better than most at 168 and going undisputed is an impressive feat. Plant, Saunders, Smith, Munguia, and Ryder are all either solid contenders or very capable champs, even old GGG is a better win than I think most say it is.
3. Joe Calzaghe - Not much of a fan but his longevity and wins over Eubank and Kessler demand that he be put in the top 3.
4. RJJ - Not a fan. Toney win is decent but it's overstated how great it was and Vinnie Pazienza was a LW with a broken neck.
5. Mikkel Kessler - Solid champion and one real tough hombre.
6. Chris Eubank - Simply the best...
7. Carl Froch - Got a soft spot for the guy and think he's underrated these days. Groves, Taylor, Abraham, Kessler, and Bute is a strong list of scalps. Could probably be bumped up a slot tbh.
8. Steve Collins - Underrated warrior.
9. Nigel Benn - Love Nigel, always brought the heat and had probably the most exciting tenure at 168.
10. Sven Ottke - I kind feel obligated to include Ottke.