Why cant Ward move up to LHW like Calzaghe did?

The only problem with that tournament was it's name. It should have been called the semi super 4.
Without the super SMW Champion it was basically an organized blackball of the best SMW in the world.

Ward is not overrated. He's the second best SMW on the planet and at least 90% of fans rate him #1 or #2.
Had Bute been in that tournament the outcome woulda been completely different. Ward woud've been beaten in his first fight, and maybe Dirrel don't get to cop out and he'd be given the chance to fight Ward and be the #3 sending Ward to #4.:thumbsup

 

:huh How do you work that out?
Calzaghes win over Eubank was better than Wards over Kessler
Calzaghes win over Mitchell, Reid, Woodhall was arguably better than Wards over Froch
Calzaghes win over Lacy would at this time arguably be better than if Ward beat Bute
Calzaghes win over undefeated Kessler is better than anything Ward has done

Calzaghe then has a wealth of other top SMW wins also.

 

What took him 13 years? He beat Eubank a far greater win than anything Ward achieved in his first world title fight. Calzaghe had a better resume than Ward does at the same age

 

Good post and very correct.
I remember how Butler was ranked in The Rings top 10 years ago yet had a far less impressive resume than many (little known to American) European SMWs

 

Bute is quite possibly my favourite active fighter and while I would agree to an extent, Bute has that what should have been a stoppage loss to Andrade.
Now what do you think are Butes best wins? Berrio maybe Magee, well Lacy had a better win against world rated Reid and Lacy also beat world rated Tsypko with a bad arm who beat Magee close fight, Lacy beat still world rated Manfredo when with his injury. Lacy also beat then world rated Pemberton who was a better win than Miranda at that time, Lacy beat world rated Vanderpool who was a better win than say Mendy.
Now Bute does look impressive most of the time, but so did Lacy, so much so it was thought that he was going to walk through a SMW with a far greater resume in Calzaghe.
I think Lacy is a far better win than Froch. Lacy was busier, had a better workrate, and punched as hard if not harder. People forget that Froch had looked lucky to many against Adamu, and to many against Dirrell and was taken to a MD by old SMW journeyman Johnson who had lost to Sheika who Lacy beat and that Froch was an old 34.
Then there is the Eubank win and undefeated Kessler and undefeated Lacy, undefeated Veit, Reid who looked unlucky years later to Ottke, Mitchell, Brewer, Woodhall who were all top world class and SMW champs at some time.
Ward hasnt yet tested himself against a top SMW who hasnt tasted defeat.

How are Butes credentials so much better? HE has had more world title fights but not against as good a comp when you think how Reid put undefeated Magee down 4 times and the other wins to go with

 

ummm....you crazy

 

Calzaghe was 35 when he moved up. Ward is good where he is for now.

 

eubank was shot to **** and never won another fight after joe.
eubank had just lost 2 times to steve collins with a few wins scattered in between vs club fighters

eubank was a faded legend that is just a nice shiney name on his resume at this point

much like mike tyson being a name on danny williams resume of wins...

so keep thinking joe gets credit for beating up a guy like eubank who lost all 5 of his final 5 title fights..... :rofl

 

Why is he crazy?
By that age Calzaghe had a far greater resume than Ward. Calzaghe had beaten Eubank a far greater win than anything Ward has plus Calzaghe had beaten top ten rated Reid a former champ who looked unlucky years later against Ottke and who beat current WBA int champ Magee, top 10 rated Sheika who was a better win than Green, top 10 rated Starie, Woodhall who was a top 10 SMW and former champ and Veit who would go on to be a SMW world champ. Woodhall and Reid were greater wins than Froch

 

Heres an old post that really covers it all.
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So many people rate Wards win over Kessler as something special yet dont rate Calzaghes victory over Eubank. Why?

It was Wards 21st fight, Ward was 25
It was Calzaghes 23rd fight, Calzaghe was 25

Ward won at home
Calzaghe won away

When Ward beat Kessler, Kessler was 42-1-0
When Calzaghe beat Eubank, Eubank was 45-2-2

Kessler was 31
Eubank was 31

Kessler was 8-1 in world title fights
Eubank was 17-2-2 in world title fights

It was just under 3 years since Kessler beat a world rated opponent
It was just under 3 years since Eubank beat a world rated opponent

Kessler had only fought 3 completed rounds in 1 fight in a year before fighting Ward
Eubank had only fought 7 completed rounds in 2 fights in a year before fighting Calzaghe

Kesslers only loss was clear
Eubanks 2 losses - first was very close (debateable) the second was a SD, to the same fighter.

Kessler was favourite to win.
100 years of Boxing News claims Calzaghe was underdog, I have read Calzaghe was underdog but some posters claim he was betting favourite, though.

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Notes Eubank was a strong favourite, but dont know where the site got its info.

Both Ward and Calzaghe had dominant performances with Calzaghe scoring 2 KDs.

After the loss Kessler beat undefeated WBC champ Froch
After the loss Eubank fought WBO CW champ Thompson and lost a close decision scoring a KD. Eubank fought a return with the bigger Thompson and lost on injury when ahead. Thompson was a CW and the only fighter to have beaten D Haye.

I have read how people on ESB say Eubank was shot so -
How far past prime was Eubank to you then?
Eubank had lost a close decision to Collins, that many thought he won, had a couple of tune ups and rematched Collins to a SD, had a couple of tune ups and lost clearly to underdog Calzaghe. After that loss Eubank went up to CW and challenged world champ Thompson losing a very close decision and then rematched Thompson losing on injury when ahead. Thats Thompson who years later past his best KOd D Haye.
Consider Eubank only had 2 losses to one fighter when he fought Calzaghe, the second by SD to a world champ and was 31 then went on to challenge a big CW flooring him etc, how past his prime do YOU think he was?
Remember Kessler is Wards big win and was the same age as Eubank here and had around the same amount of fights, so is Kessler shot as well, because Kessler has a serious eye problems and was an unwell double vision suffering fighter who has been inactive for a while now due to his injury


Remember when you make silly comments about losses was G Johnson considered past his prime when years ago after losing to Hopkins he went 7-9-2 including the Hopkins loss
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Consider this
So Eubank was shot and old when Calzaghe beat him yet Mayweather beat a prime or near prime Cotto
Well...
Eubank was 31
Cotto was 31

Eubank was 17-2-2 in world title fights
Cotto was 17-2 in world title fights

Out of the losses Eubank had only lost to one fighter, first time by debateable decision and second time by SD
Cotto had been stopped both times

Cotto had been shaken up and hurt more seriously than Eubank throughout his career

 

Its hard to judge because he hasnt fought as good a comp at this time. I dont doubt that prime Lacy would have blasted out Mendy the same way, he was doing just that against better fighters, and as said the Reid win was greater than anything Bute has done

 

Joe's resume at age 28

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Wards wins of Kessler and Froch are just a little better than Joes biggest wins at this point... shot to **** eubank? robin red and omar sheika ...really?? WOW

i like joe...but he fought alot of 2nd hand crap for a looooonnnggg time.....

 

:deal