i only seen calzaghe fight about twice..and it seems he has good speed..but he seems he throws smack punches but other then that he seems like a good fighter..whats his weaknesses?
i only seen calzaghe fight about twice..and it seems he has good speed..but he seems he throws smack punches but other then that he seems like a good fighter..whats his weaknesses?
I he wants to call himself the best smw, then the answer is "Mikkel Kessler".
He should've came to the US to fight Jones pre Tarver but he was comfortable sitting in Wales making mandatories. He's never really put forth a strong effort to get a career defining fight. Don't give me Lacy either because Lacy called him out before they fought.
Well actually less than half of his defences have been in Wales, but never let the facts get in the way of a good rant eh.
I suppose he could have gone over to the US to fight some inferior opposition to force some of the big names in the other weight classes to fight him but you can't say it was him dodging people when it was Hopkins who walked away from their agreement to fight.
All of Calzaghe's boxing vices and virtues were put on display against Lacy. Like Roy Jones he likes to throw wide punches with little thought of defense then uses his superior speed and agility to avoid getting hit. This is a flawed style which replies on innate talent rather than acquired skills, and it will sooner or later come back to haunt him once he faces a difficult opponent.
What Bika needs to do to have any reasonable chance of winning is tighten his defense, crowd Calzaghe and throw short crisp punches on the inside. It would be interesting to see how well Calzaghe can adapt to a style which exploits his customary weaknesses. Only then will we know if he is a superstar.
Nigel Benn said Calzaghe just needed to be fighting more than every five or six months to sustain interest (or create interest) on both sides of the Atlantic, and thus making the 'super-fights' with Jones Jr, Hopkins, Tarver etc more likely, OR should of "just crossed the Atlantic and bashed up some American boys" to force them to take notice.
He says Frank Warren is not to blame, mentioning Warren got him(Benn) his career-defining fight (ie McClellan), Frank Bruno his world title, Hamed his American venture, and Tszyu for Hatton in his hometown.. and thinks Warren could of got the fights on with the big-name American's if Joe was either more active or bashed up an American in their backyard.
I don't think he's avoided solid counter-punchers - Starie, Woodhall and Veit were pure boxers/counter punchers. Infact, he's not avoided anybody.
He should've came to the US to fight Jones pre Tarver but he was comfortable sitting in Wales making mandatories. He's never really put forth a strong effort to get a career defining fight. Don't give me Lacy either because Lacy called him out before they fought.
Fighting a solid counter puncher is his weakness which he's avoided since his close win over Robin Reid. JC would have trouble with a fighter like Hopkins that likes to counter because he throws wild/wide punches at times. That's why I believe he'd never beat Jones in his prime because Jones was a phenomenal counter puncher.
I don't think he's avoided solid counter-punchers - Starie, Woodhall and Veit were pure boxers/counter punchers. Infact, he's not avoided anybody.
Fighting a solid counter puncher is his weakness which he's avoided since his close win over Robin Reid. JC would have trouble with a fighter like Hopkins that likes to counter because he throws wild/wide punches at times. That's why I believe he'd never beat Jones in his prime because Jones was a phenomenal counter puncher.
He never went down in a playground scuffle? Are you sure because I heard he did?:crazy:
No, they were only Euro bums in the schoolyard anyway so it's no great feat unless it was a schoolyard in the States.
Calzaghe had never been down in his life, not in the pro's, amateurs, not even in the gym ever or even in playground scuffles. Mitchell put him down, and we always wondered how he'd react if he was put down and hurt - he got up and bashed Mitchell up. He loves a punch-up, he just can't help it (although he did help it against Lacy, thankfully).
He never went down in a playground scuffle? Are you sure because I heard he did?:crazy:
I agree that when tagged he can sometimes lose his head a bit. An example of this is the Byron Mitchell fight where Mitchell floors Calzaghe with a big punch. Calzaghe is clearly shaken by this but immediaetly goes on the attack as he gets up. Had Mitchell been a little more cool right after the knock down or landed another big one Calzaghe might have been stopped since it was a rather reckless attack Calzaghe made on Mitchell.
Roy Jones cited that as his reason for a Lacy win.
Jones Jr's words:
"Lacy wins, and I'll tell you why. One of the main factors that would lead to a Lacy win is Calzaghe's heart.
"I'm not saying Calzaghe dosen't have heart, I'm saying he has too much!
"When Lacy nails Calzaghe and hurts him then Joe will try to get payback, and then he will be open to really get hurt - which he will."
Calzaghe had never been down in his life, not in the pro's, amateurs, not even in the gym ever or even in playground scuffles. Mitchell put him down, and we always wondered how he'd react if he was put down and hurt - he got up and bashed Mitchell up. He loves a punch-up, he just can't help it (although he did help it against Lacy, thankfully).
The most intelligent answer I ever read on this subject came from an old member here, Elveil: "his vanity".
Remember the way he dropped his hands repeatedly against Lacy to showboat? Or the way he goes into his windmill attack and lets macho pride take over when he gets tagged? If there's an undoing, it will be a psychological one (or, as Juice said, a slight openness to a right hand).
Very intelligent answer from Elveil I thought...
I agree that when tagged he can sometimes lose his head a bit. An example of this is the Byron Mitchell fight where Mitchell floors Calzaghe with a big punch. Calzaghe is clearly shaken by this but immediaetly goes on the attack as he gets up. Had Mitchell been a little more cool right after the knock down or landed another big one Calzaghe might have been stopped since it was a rather reckless attack Calzaghe made on Mitchell.
Honestly Calzaghe is as tough as nails, he had a tough time growing up on a council estate without much material goods and was always, always bullied.. he let out his frustrations in the boxing ring from the age of nine, and went to war every time he climbed through the ropes - right the way through to the present day. He's been training like a pro since he was 13, running up the lonely valleys in Newbridge every morning. Guy is a tough cookie, he's spent most of his life either pounding the valleys or in the boxing ring, no problems at all in the toughness department. He's been fighting through excruiating pain since he was a kid - he's always had hand injuries because he could always whack abnormally hard (putting bigger and older kids to sleep with wild lefts).
It's funny watching old clips of Calzaghe in the amateurs when he was a young schoolboy because all he did back then was just close his eyes, look to the floor and swing big left hands over the top all the time!