Round by Round Coverage: Calzaghe vs. Manfredo

By Rick Reeno

The dream of one contender is going to be fulfilled in Cardiff, Wales. Peter Manfredo, Jr. (26-3, 12 KOs) from Providence, RI, makes a long trip across the ocean to achieve a lifelong dream by challenging unbeaten WBO super middleweight champ Joe Calzaghe (42-0, 31 KOs) from Newbridge, Wales. Frank Warren, promoter for Calzaghe, anticipates almost 30,000 fans to pack the Millennium Stadium to cheer on their countryman as he makes the 20th defense of his title.

Manfredo was able to make a name for himself by reaching the finals of the popular boxing reality show, "The Contender." He lost in "The Contender" finals to Sergio Mora by split decision and then lost a rematch to Mora almost 5 months later, also by split decision. While he clearly lost the first meeting with Mora, most ringside observers felt that he was robbed in the rematch.

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Spending a majority of his career at junior middleweight and middleweight, Manfredo was having trouble making weight and decided to make a move to the super middleweight division. Since making the move in 2006, Manfredo has picked up two consecutive third-round knockouts. Last February, he stopped Scott Pemberton in only three rounds. Pemberton was viewed by some as a shot fighter by the time he faced Manfredo, but he was still a step up in class when reviewing some Manfredo's previous opponents. He returned to the ring eight months later to stop hometown rival Joe Spina in three rounds.

Against Calzaghe, he's going to take a considerable step up in class against one the top pound-for-pound fighters in the sport. Calzaghe is a man on a knockout hunt and Manfredo is the prey. The favorite in some betting circles by a 10-1 margin, Calzaghe must not only win, but win in impressive fashion to combat last week's performance by rival Mikkel Kessler.

Manfredo is such a heavy underdog in the eyes of boxing experts that many question how he was able to land a fight of this magnitude. He lacks power, he lacks the size and he lacks the experience. I'm not even sure if he could match Calzaghe's underestimated hand speed.

There is one thing that makes Manfredo dangerous, he has absolutely nothing to lose.

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