By Mark Vester
Former champion and UK legend, Nigel Benn, has a lot of respect for his countryman Joe Calzaghe. After weeks of speculation, the Welsh fighter announced his retirement on Thursday. Benn says that Calzaghe always stepped up his game against the best opponents like Jeff Lacy, Mikkel Kessler, Bernard Hopkins and Roy Jones Jr. He even goes as far as admitting that Calzaghe would have likely beaten him if the two of them were around in the same era.
“Joe struggled against nobodies. But when he stepped up in class to fight the likes of Jeff Lacy, for instance, he made them look like nobodies. I’d have loved him to have been around in my heyday. I’ll be honest enough to admit I think he would have beaten me — he’d have been in a fight though," Benn told The Sun.
Benn says that Calzaghe would have beaten the best middleweights to ever lace up the gloves, including Marvin Hagler, Tommy Hearns, Sugar Ray Leonard and even Roberto Duran, who was actually a much better fighter in the lower weight divisions. In his opinion, it will be a long time before the UK sees another fighter like Calzaghe.
“Old timers will tell you he would never have lived with Roberto Duran, Sugar Ray Leonard, Marvin Hagler or Tommy ‘Hitman’ Hearns. I disagree — Joe would have beaten them all. How many fighters would love to finish with a record like Joe’s? Outside of Wales I don’t think he got the recognition he deserved. Forty six fights unbeaten is a heck of an achievement. I don’t think we will ever see his like again," Benn said.
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