By Terence Dooley
March saw an event almost as significant, plus rarer, than Haley's Comet as two unbeaten, world-rated, super-middleweights collided in a title unification fight here in Manchester.
Now Joe hopes to build on this win with a fight against Sakio Bika in the very same city.
Although on the flip-side Joe’s impressive inroad on the division number one spot will be overshadowed when Mikkel Kessler and Markus Beyer fight to unify two of the more traditional titles (WBA/WBC respectively).
Joe Calzaghe, the long unbeaten pride of Wales, took on Jeff Lacy in March and I am tempted to say the two men fought but that would be a misnomer; Joe Calzaghe fought, Jeff Lacy, conversely, copped a beating. Some experts, and people like myself who aspire to some level of expertise in this sport of ours, had predicted a one-sided whipping administered by the American heir apparent Lacy.
Calzaghe had long endured the slings of brittle bone structure and the arrows of wayward matchmaking yet in his decisive moment he had emerged the clear victor has had his promoter Frank Warren. Warren had been criticised for, allegedly, keeping Joe under wraps to protect his investments only to confound that criticism and leave us thinking that maybe he had been protecting other super-middles from a shellacking at the hands of Calzaghe.
Joe had been kept bubbling under and had come to boil at exactly the right moment, American critics were silenced and British fans were, truly and emphatically, converted. Joe had been moved correctly after all. Flowers blossom and grow the world over under varying conditions and it seems that the Calzaghe team, including Joe's forthright father, who called the Lacy fight spot-on, had carefully germinated his career so it could flourish during a fine final few furlongs.
However, Joe missed out on his Welsh homecoming due to hand injuries and, for many, he also missed out on the chance of ensuring it was he, not Mikkel Kessler or Marcus Beyer who finished the year the dominant 168lb fighter.
Criticism over Sakio Bika seems just when one considers that he has fought at an average weight of 159lb, and although he has fought at higher weights the fact that he has weighed as high as 171lb suggests some indiscipline may have been a contributing factor to his higher weight fights.
Yet Bika has some pedigree through his performance versus Beyer and given that matchmaking is as esoteric and flippant as alchemy the fight is not the worst thing that could have happened.
For my part I can attest that the Manchester fight community is pleased to be welcoming Joe back to the scene of his biggest triumph and one member of that community in particular is particularly happy to welcome Joe back.
Prior to the arrival of the American Jeff Lacy in March there had been a buzz about seeing the unbeaten US prospect yet local trainer Bob Shannon – who puts his fighters through their paces at his Fighting Fight gym - had been nonplussed by the arrival of Lacy. He was, instead, convinced that Calzaghe would emerge a big winner; Shannon knew that Calzaghe was as tough as they come.
I, in my infinite wisdom, had gone for Lacy. I like clear, logical boxing procession, one fighter taking another's title and reputation yet still being young enough to maximise that energy. I had been sold on Lacy in the short term, long-term I felt he would provide a perfect foil for my current, preferred, pugilist Jermain Taylor.
Bob and I were talking in his office after the Lacy-Calzaghe fight was inked and I went for Lacy big style, Bob shook his head and told me Joe was too tough for any fighter in the world. I continued to go for Lacy big-style, I am an Internet boxing writer so what don't I know about boxing? I went home and watched James Toney versus Michael Nunn and patted myself on the back.
Single mindedness is a powerful thing yet the dictates of reason are all pervading and I was given another jolt during the gym workouts of Calzaghe and Lacy. Jeff was brash, bad and belligerent and gave the impression of either being very confident or very scared. Joe was relaxed and seemed to be treating the fight like any other fight in his career.
A person who knows something well will be genteel in his manner and satiated by his higher understanding, when both men had left the gym Bob told me that Joe was a true gent. Bob then told me that Lacy was terrified, and he then asked me if I fancied changing my pick.
The rest is history.
So what does Bob think about his guy Calzaghe.
“He is by far the best super-middleweight out there in the world no matter what. He is probably finding it hard to make a fight these days because who is going to queue up to fight him? He has the best manger/promoter in the world behind him and you really need that. That is what it is all about now, who wants to fight Joe Calzaghe after what he did? For me he is pound for pound the best fighter in the world, there is no doubt about it.”
I asked if the stick Joe had taken in the past was now something that should be as far behind him as Lacy was on points the night he fought Calzaghe:
“Oh yes! He has proved it, what more do they want? He is unbeaten and he has had loads of hand trouble and has looked fantastic for periods then had to ease off against guys who can't touch him but he looked fantastic all the way through against Lacy. He destroyed him!”
Bob was also pleased that his number one rated fighter was going to be back in Manchester:
“It is great for us all. I hope he comes to this gym again, it is a winning gym for him to come to but he doesn't need a winning gym he brings the wins with him. He is a winner and an inspiration to all my lads so feel welcome to come around Joe!”
“Outside the ring he seemed a smashing lad and inside the ring he was an animal and that is what you do in boxing, you set the fire and do what you are good at. I've got a load of respect for him.”
“Lacy? He was too tense, I think he'd watched so many videos of Joe he was thinking to himself ‘what am I doing here?' He was here to get beat-up and he did get beaten-up didn't he.”
“There will be even more attention around Joe this time as people didn't realise how good he is but they know now and there will be a lot of people wanting to see him fight in Manchester again. When he was here Joe was such a nice lad, he went out of his way for everyone and signed autographs. He thanked me for letting him use the gym. That impressed me; it is down to his family giving him the right values. It is the same with Richard Hatton, one of the best fighters in the world but what a great lad he is as well. They do us proud.”
On the other hand Lacy had been breezing out of the door and had to be persuaded by his entourage to shake the hand of the man who had opened his gym doors to the foreign fighter.
That had been the clincher for Bob and his prediction. What I perceived as hunger he had correctly analysed as fear and trepidation, the lack of gym etiquette had merely compounded Lacy's lack of manners.
Fortunately for me, and my “picks” (for want of a better word), the upcoming Bika fight seems to be a mere formality for Joe, if he does get his big fight early next year, versus one of the many guys who should be free, then he will again go into a, on paper, testing fight.
This time I will not ignore the signs, I have asked Bob to do my pre-fight prediction.