Hard to believe it’s been a dozen years.
And as I sit this morning watching the outer bands of a tropical storm test the flexibility of my backyard trees, I vividly recall stepping into a rental car in Philadelphia back then and thinking, “Damn, it’s cold.”
Because if I hadn’t, I’d have missed the final show of a true ring master.
And no, I’m unfortunately not referring to Roy Jones Jr.
When he announced his retirement a couple months later, Joe Calzaghe retroactively made a chilly night at Madison Square Garden quite significant to both my journalism career and the sport’s history.
The jazz-reared Welsh import was at his free-form best in a stirring Gotham City premiere, replicating scat-like weapons from Jones’ best days and using them with virtuoso skill after climbing off the deck against a faded, but still-dangerous foe.
That he won as a clear betting favorite surprised no one.
That he won by sweeping 11 rounds after a first-minute stumble certainly did.
And though we at ringside didn’t know it at the time, it was the final high note of a brilliant career.
“(After the fight) I felt it, I knew that I was ready to call it a day and to move onto the next phase in my life,” Calzaghe said awhile later. “I confided in a few people that I trusted that I felt it was all over and then when I met the British press the next day I made it clear that I was pretty sure I was done.”
Done with a career that earned him an International Boxing Hall of Fame plaque six years later, against an opponent who’ll certainly join him there, when and if he ever decides to walk away for good.
And while the debates can continue elsewhere as to whether Calzaghe was truly as good as his pristine record indicates (for the record, I believe he was), there’s no argument in my mind that the fight was a matchup – in name, if nothing else – of two of the best of their generation.
So in a month dedicated to giving thanks, I wanted to spend this part of it expressing gratitude for the fact that it’s not the only time I’ve been lucky enough to at ringside to see two IBHOF’ers go at it.
And no, it doesn’t happen as often as you might think.
For example, while fighters like Vasily Lomachenko and Teofimo Lopez might ultimately share space in Canastota, too, their paths are in no way as certain as Calzaghe’s and Jones’ were that night in 2008.
Toward that end, here’s a brief list of the times it’s happened to me:
Roy Jones Jr. vs. Bernard Hopkins II (April 3, 2010)
Funny how Roy’s name keeps popping up in these things, right?
He was another 17 months past vintage by the time he got back in the ring with B-Hop to run back their middleweight match from 17 years earlier. And only the die-hardest of Jones’ die-hards gave him any chance at beating a version of Hopkins, at 45, who was between defeats of Kelly Pavlik and Jean Pascal.
This just in: He didn’t.
In fact, he lost every round past the fourth in a fight as dull as it was unnecessary.
Bernard Hopkins vs. Felix Trinidad (Sept. 29, 2001)
Even if I live to be 1,000, I’ll never be able to replicate the atmosphere that was present in the Garden just 18 days after 9/11.
The smoke was still hanging over Lower Manhattan as I came in on the train, creating the eeriest and most chilling vibe I could imagine. Then, once inside, I thought I’d stumbled into downtown San Juan.
For much of the fight, the Puerto Rican contingent was at its throaty best, but as the late rounds arrived and it was clear what was happening in the ring, the few hundred from Philly drowned them out.
I sat next to a former New York Jet – Johnny Sample – and laughed as he told me early on, “That kid’s in there with a man tonight.” But by the time the end came, he was the one laughing. Loudly.
Floyd Mayweather Jr. vs. Canelo Alvarez (Sept. 14, 2013)
Yeah, I’ll say it. Canelo is a Hall of Famer.
And though this was way early in the cinnamon-haired kid’s career, he was already a star.
I spent nine days that summer as the official blogger for the Showtime press tour and made every stop of a 10-city whirlwind. And what amazed me the most, even then, was the fan support Alvarez had even as a 22-year-old with nothing more than Shane Mosley and Austin Trout on the resume.
He was a crowd favorite in every city except Grand Rapids, and the spectacle of 30,000-plus people at a park in Mexico City was something I’ll never forget. Turns out the fight wasn’t nearly as memorable, but it’s a near-shutout that looks better for Floyd every time Canelo conquers another high-profile name.
Manny Pacquiao vs. Timothy Bradley III (April 9, 2016)
Is Bradley Hall-worthy? Maybe. But for these purposes, and because I didn’t want to include two Mayweather wins by using the 2015 fight with Manny, we’ll say absolutely yes.
Regardless, it’s easy to forget that Pacquiao’s next fight after losing to Floyd was a third go-round with a still-relevant Bradley, who’d gone 4-1-1 since “winning” their first encounter four years earlier.
I thought Manny was done and that Timmy would take the rubber match, but the old man (yeah, he was 37 then) outhustled and out-landed his foe for nearly all of 12 rounds to begin his career’s still-ongoing final chapter. My biggest recollection, though, was that Pacquiao walked to the ring to a Katy Perry song.
Coming out with a live rapper is one thing. But beating a guy up after entering on the coattails of a pop princess? Yeah, that’s pretty badass.
Miguel Cotto vs. Sergio Martinez (June 7, 2014)
Though Martinez might be a borderline IBHOF call for some, he’ll get my vote when the time comes. Same for Cotto, who, as I specified in last week’s column, ought to arrive with a star-studded Class of 2021 next summer.
They met in 2014 for Martinez’s share of a middleweight division that was being ravaged elsewhere by Gennady Golovkin. And though he was recuperating from injury and hadn’t fought in better than a year, I thought the Argentine was too good for a Cotto who at that point had never fought past 154.
Once again, I was wrong. Cotto darn near ended things with a first-round blitz and it’s a testament to Martinez’s guile and courage that he was able to last until the 10th while fighting on one good leg.
The crowd was predictably insane and the atmosphere outside, with the Rangers having advanced to the Stanley Cup Finals, was as electric as could be. Another amazing night at an amazing venue.
* * * * * * * * * *
This week’s title-fight schedule:
WBO welterweight title – Las Vegas, Nevada
Terence Crawford (champion/No. 2 IWBR) vs. Kell Brook (No. 5 WBO/Unranked IWBR)
Crawford (36-0, 27 KO): Fourth title defense; Has won 11 of 14 title fights inside the distance
Brook (39-2, 27 KO): Seventh title fight (4-2); Lost title fights at 147, 160 since winning first four
Fitzbitz says: I really want to like this fight. Brook was a worthy champion at 147 and gave Spence a good go coming off a loss to GGG. But Crawford is just too good at everything to lose. Crawford in 10 (95/5)
This week’s garbage title-fight schedule:
WBA “world” super flyweight title – Las Vegas, Nevada
Joshua Franco (“world” champion/No. 9 IWBR) vs. Andrew Moloney (No. 2 WBA/No. 10 IWBR)
Why it’s garbage: It’s to the point that simply having a WBA belt up for grabs is reason enough – thanks to super, world and gold champions in one division. Oh, and Kriegel and Tessitore will talk on TV. A lot.
Last week's picks: 2-0 (WIN: Nakatani, Haney)
2020 picks record: 31-6 (83.7 percent)
Overall picks record: 1,148-371 (75.5 percent)
NOTE: Fights previewed are only those involving a sanctioning body's full-fledged title-holder – no interim, diamond, silver, etc. Fights for WBA "world championships" are only included if no "super champion" exists in the weight class.
Lyle Fitzsimmons has covered professional boxing since 1995 and written a weekly column for Boxing Scene since 2008. He is a full voting member of the Boxing Writers Association of America. Reach him at fitzbitz@msn.com or follow him on Twitter – @fitzbitz.
