Liverpool FC Forum

by **Number 9** » Wed Apr 23, 2008 3:32 am

taff wrote:Calzaghe was outed as a class act from his amateur days when he outshined Naseem, he has never ignited the public imagination especially after the Benn Eubank era.

However he wanted to fight but was not a box office attraction and the yanks knew exactly how good he was and in all honesty he was the guy that got avoided as he would have taken someones belt for a small amount of money

He also had serious hand injuries which put him back but he still fought as he was conscious of keeping up his profile.

The fact that he is not comfortable with the media should not detract from his achievements and skill, he is one of the best British fighters of all time

I am proud of him being Welsh but this is a non patriotic post and I am amazed at how people dont rate him so, dont always believe the hype

If he was English they would have him meet the bloody queen!Great fighter,great ambassador(sp) for Wales.Hes the next best thing after Catherine Zeta Jones and the Leak or train set!

Im messin btw,great fighter! :nod

by **Big Niall** » Wed Apr 23, 2008 12:57 pm

Marvin Hagler had no big backers or promotions or anything like that and was dodged for years at a time when there was only one champion per weight. Eventually he went to England to fight Minter in his own back yard (not literally!) and beat him to become number 1. He then fought all comers.

That is the standard of greatness.

Calzaghe could have gone to America and fought his way through the ranks to fight the best. Instead he fought fighters we never heard of for a wbo belt (which nobody in America rates).Jones,Toney,Hopkins(when young),Mosely,Trinadad(fought at middle), were all fighters he never fought.

He is like a footballer that scored loads of goals in the scottish league throughout his career and is a legend in Glasgow as a result. Impossible to know how good he really was.

His hands are gone(maybe always were) and he slaps a lot. Good fighter but don't abuse the word "great"

by **taff** » Wed Apr 23, 2008 3:12 pm

Ok I wont abuse the word great alongside eery boxing commentator in this country

Being a world champion for ten years is not great

Asking for fights and being rejected but you criticise him for not dropping down countless levels so one day these Yank superstars might give him a fight

As long as I have watched Calzaghe he has never looked like losing, the main criticism from America is he doesnt get their public excited he even conceded to fight a reality TV star to get him fights against their names and now he is a name himself their fighters want him, its a payday for them.

He will go down as one of the greats

by **Big Niall** » Wed Apr 23, 2008 3:47 pm

Why didn't he fight anybody before the age of about 35?

Why didn't he go to America and fight there - Lennox Lewis left his comfort zone to go to America and beat Golota,Rudduck,Tua,Klitchsko,Holyfield,Tyson(past his best though),Morrison,Tucker, every heavyweight except for Bowe.

Why didn't Calzaghe beat anybody.

I understand being Welsh he's a national hero, and rightfully so, but the "world" of boxing won't remember him as he did next to nothing on a world level, 36 before he fights (a middle aged man) in America is ridiculous.

He is about the same level as Davey Boy McCauley - a northern ireland boxer who fought mostly in northern ireland for some version of a world title and held onto it for about a decade - hardly anybody outside of northern ireland knows who he is though.

by **taff** » Wed Apr 23, 2008 4:59 pm

Hand injury and they didnt want to fight him

I dont know what else I can say if you dont like him fair enough but please ask boxing experts about him

by **Big Niall** » Wed Apr 23, 2008 5:24 pm

guess we'll agree to differ.

Nothing personal against the guy as he seems decent and I don't doubt that he is a very good fighter.

I just don't see why every other great fighter manages to get to fight other great fighters but he didn't.

by **taff** » Wed Apr 23, 2008 5:42 pm

Because he was a cheap fight financially due to his profile but too dangerous as they stood a good chance of losing

by **woof woof !** » Wed Apr 23, 2008 6:28 pm

Sugar Ray Leonard, I packed in watching soon after he stepped down.

by **Thingy** » Wed Apr 23, 2008 11:33 pm

Went to America too late to prove things Calzaghe. Roy Jones would be a great fight but again, if he wins its another over the hill 40 year old. If he fought Kelly Pavlick, or Hopkins even 5 years ago, he would get mullerd. No doubt at all. Hatton went to America, didnt hide, fought the best in the business and lost, fair play to the lad, he tried, and he will try again. Calzaghe wants money now, hes said so himself, hes not a legend, more of a better than average overrated boxer.

by **Red @ Heart** » Thu Apr 24, 2008 5:57 pm

Thingy wrote:Went to America too late to prove things Calzaghe. Roy Jones would be a great fight but again, if he wins its another over the hill 40 year old. If he fought Kelly Pavlick, or Hopkins even 5 years ago, he would get mullerd. No doubt at all. Hatton went to America, didnt hide, fought the best in the business and lost, fair play to the lad, he tried, and he will try again. Calzaghe wants money now, hes said so himself, hes not a legend, more of a better than average overrated boxer.

the thing is with Calzaghe he isnt the cockey type of fella, he lets his boxing do the talking,

by **Ace Ventura** » Thu Apr 24, 2008 9:34 pm

taff wrote:Because he was a cheap fight financially due to his profile but too dangerous as they stood a good chance of losing

You think thats all there is to it taff ?

Nothing to do with Warren not getting him the fights he should of ?
The yanks supposedly didnt want to come to Wales to fight Joe, and to be fair why should they ?
Calzaghe has had something like 45 fights and if i am honest i think more than 30 would of been against less than credible opponents. I may be being harsh and OTT with the amount but what i mean is for years Warren has done the same with his fighters.
Amir Khan has already fought how many pointless fights, i know he is young and needs to gain experience but you dont get experience fighting people nowhere near your level, fights that you can go through the motions and still win.
I have seen numerous Calzaghe fights were he has been lacklustre and not seemed up for it, and he himself afterwards has blamed the opponents.
We should of seen Joe fighting big names for at least the last 4-5 years, and i for one dont believe for one minute that americans ducked him as much as Warren likes to make out.
Funny how they dont appear to duck anyone else.

The thing about him not financially being a big enough draw that may have been the case, but wouldnt a top promoter have taken him over to america, made him fight a few fights like Hatton did with Collazo and Urango etc, get him in the american public eye, show him off then get him the top fights.
Hatton got his within 3-4 fights.

by **Thingy** » Mon May 05, 2008 2:17 pm

Anyone watch De La Hoya vs Forbes? Went the 12 rounds but De La Hoya won 10, maybe all 12. Mayweather fight is a certainty. He didnt tire untill about the 10th and still he wasnt as tired as he usually is. Forbes put on a good show though, kept coming back for more and was a tricky lad to land punches on. Id love De La Hoya to win, but I just dont think he can hack it. Hope im proved wrong, though.

by **Big Niall** » Mon May 05, 2008 3:36 pm

I like De la Hoya for taking on all comers but as he is 35 now I don't think he can beat Mayweather :down:

by **The Manhattan Project** » Mon May 05, 2008 6:21 pm

Nobody can beat Mayweather.

by **NiftyNeil** » Sun May 11, 2008 7:23 am

What a difference 6 months make eh? It was being heralded as the golden age of British boxing last November, but thing's have gone somewhat tits up since then.

Ricky Hatton - beaten (lost undefeated record)
Enzo Maccarinelli - beaten (lost WBO world title)
Gavin Rees - beaten (lost WBA world title)
Clinton Woods - beaten (lost IBF world title)
Junior Witter - beaten (lost WBC world title)

Joe Calzaghe could of easily been on that list too.

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