Why did Joe Calzaghe Waste His Prime Years Feasting on Weak Opposition?

I know you're joking but seriously...

I get behind the Brits too but some people are getting carried away. He's a good fighter who bided his time and found an opportunity to win a few big fights. He's not on the level of a Mayweather or prime Jones Jr

 

joe had fought some duds, but his title campaign is comparable to most long reigning champs.

I think it is a few things, injury has been a problem, not only to time out of the ring but also in his fights looking average. Also the best 168ers were Germans Ottke/Beyer, neither jumping at the chance of facing Joe. There was a period of time when they were just beating each others oponents, and trying to look better doing, lucky for joe, Sven Ottke never looked good when winning anything.

I think you will find that Jeff Lacy was the only real threat/ big enough name, with a belt of his won who was willing to get in with Calzaghe, super middles havnt been blessed with talent, in fact i would say it is much better now, then when it was just Joe and Sven at the top.

So after many years of Calzaghe sometimes fighing on Showtime, sometimes looking good (Brewer,Mitchell, Shieka fights) sometimes looking mediocre (Starie, Jiminez fights), Showtime come up with an oponent, who is looking good, undefeated and with the right amount of fan base. joe spanks him and IMMEDIATELY he gets a HBO contract. Without HBO interest fights against the likes of Bernard Hopkins are impossible. Thats why all of his biggest fights are coming later in his career.

Calzaghe is not the only guy who gets his best wins late on, Bernard Hopkins AND Marvin Hagler, two of the greatest middleweights ever both peaked late and made most of their money well into their 30's.

It is not uncommon and as the saying goes better late than never!

 

a few reasons why in no particular order

1/ he decided to be a career 168 fighter

2/ he let warren pick and chose

3/he was happy to pick up warren`s money

4/he likes fighting in the uk

5/warren would not stump up the big purses needed to get the ottke/beyer fights.

6/hopkins leftovers simply never ever ventured into 168 and did anything.

7/the money on offer in america at 168 was 1/10th of what you got in europe at that time .

8/the tv companys not putting there foot down and rejecting warren opponents as they are doing now, albeit still not as much as i would like.

9/the apathy of american tv execs in showing boxing from outside america.

10/calzaghe never threatened to walk.
he has openly said mickey duff his first manager barely spoke or even acknowledged him, whereas warren showers him with gifts throughout.

 

Great post :good

 

Great post. It would be nice if some Calzaghe fanatics would at least concede that Joe is partially to blame for his low profile career.

 

Don King offerd Calzaghe a 3 year fight deal which included a fight with roy jones but was told to move to america, but after a few careful considerations calzaghe turned down the offer n stuck with warren this was a few fights after the eubank fight, he had also the oppertunity for a celebrity lifestyle been offerd to do modelling for Marks n Spencers n also frank warren gave calzaghe the oppertunity for the title which his last promioter couldnt do so he decided to stick with warren!

 

Very interesting but can you quote citation before the Calzaghe zealots tear it to pieces?

 

sorry but i dont understand the term u mean

citation?

n Zealots?

 

he means PROOF!!

 

ahh am lookin a cnt find it

jus wht ya here over the years

 

in calzaghe`s book possibly ?
sounds like something that might come up in a boxers autobiography.

never read many biographies though , usually they are sugar coated .

much better doing a biography when you retire so you can do it warts and all .

 

I put 40% blame on Joe and 60% on Warren. Joe could have walked away like Ricky did but made a choice not to. Frank just wants to make as much $ as he can so you don't see Joe in big fights til its too late.

 

Did he ever had some prime years ?

 

Very true Paulie

Joe Calzaghe never had prime years. He is a boxing God, that has always been fighting at an amazing level, it is impossible to distinguish