"I was pounding the valleys at 2 in the morning, until well gone 3 in the morning every day for months: through the rain, snow and fog! While everybody else was tucked up warm in bed! Jeff Lacy was probably tucked up in bed, having completed his work on the treadmill at the health spa in sunny Florida. No comparison! I was prepared to go to war, he wasn't.. not truly. That was the difference. That's what it all came down to. He wasn't prepared for me, not truly. So he soon went into his shell and that allowed me to shine. He wasn't prepared for 25 years of dedication and frustration being unleashed onto his skull and face. If I didn't keep pumping my arms when I was running those mountains, I'd of died because it was so cold out there. I could feel it in my bones! That's the kind of condition I got myself in. It was my destiny, I had sacrificed my whole life for boxing and had a lot of frustration throughout my career and I'm telling you, he'd of had to kill me that night to beat me!"
He didn't get surgery on it when he had that lay off?
Not when he was in prison. But he's always getting it seen to, but I think he's accepted that it's always going to be fucked and always will get fucked and so now he just wants a good four fights no matter what in '07 and grit through the pain, and hopefully fight Calzaghe or Woods in '08.
Here's a pretty good article: http://www.boxing-monthly.co.uk/content/9807/three.htm
He's not finished yet either, I'm sparring with him all the time and his timing is still there, he knows all the tricks of the trade and has a burning desire to fight Calzaghe for the world title, if Joe beats Woods. Dean beat Tommy Eastwood with one arm for the last six rounds (ala Calzaghe-Ashira), his shoulder went again, but he's still plugging away.. he's serious about this.
I think all the other men in the list, except maybe ashira, could have beaten Francis in the pro ring.
Well then your in the minority. Most would of tipped Dean to get the better of Robin and Richie back then, unless they hadn't followed Dean. Glenn was made for him, every time they sparred he struggled to get past the jab, and I know Dean would of beaten Glenn - I sparred with them both. Collins would of been a tough fight, because he was a pub brawler, crafty grafter and sloppy puncher which made him awkward.. but Dean was more refined, and a better impact fighter. Brewer and Mitchell were top American's but Dean was tops, trust me.
Remember, Deano Machino beat Cornelius Carr in far more impressive fashion that Steve Collins did and beat Starie (who beat Dean at the '93 ABA's) in far more impressive fashion than Calzaghe did.
Dean Francis WHO?
He's not one of the top 20 middleweights of the last 10 years, let alone 9.
Francis was real good, would of went on to beat Calzaghe IMO. Good stiff left jab, and could be devastating when he opened up.
Shame his shoulder kept fucking up, and shame he kept getting thrown in jail.
Yeah, okay, I know him personally and see him almost every day, but he's second behind Calzaghe in that list IMHO. Gave Joe his toughest amateur fight too.
The other nine best super-middleweights of the last 10 years - Steve Collins, Dean Francis, Robin Reid, Richie Woodhall, Omar Sheika, Charles Brewer, Byron Mitchell, Jeff Lacy, and Glenn Catley, with the exception of Steve Collins (who chickened out of the Calzaghe fight 11 days to go) all have one thing in common: all got beat up by Joe Calzaghe.
Manny Siaca and Markus Beyer were the two worst titlists in boxing, and belts don't mean a damn thing in boxing anymore.
Fuck this Kessler guy, bigger fish to fry in the American market...
Kessler in only his second year as champ unified - something that took Calzaghe a decade!
But that isn't even the issue. The issue is that Joe think he is "too good" for Kessler, while he is "just right" for the likes of Ashira, Bika and Manfredo. Anyone should be able to see how ridiculous that is. Calzaghe apparently tries to sell the story that he is so good that he with his WBO and IBF belts do not have to fight the unified champ with the WBA and WBC belts. Reality is rather that he would fight for the belts in a split second if he wasn't such a wuss.
Kessler has never been on TV, so how could I see him fight?
We'll soon how good he is if he steps up his level of competition and takes on the likes of Froch, Veit, Brahmer, Bute or Lacy.. Froch went on Danish Radio earlier in the year and said he'd knock Kessler clean out in 2007 in his backyard, so let's leave it for Froch, and then we can have a Calzaghe-Froch domestic dust-up.
You are the biggest fuckwit I've seen on this place, getting so crybabyish over any opinion. How about you go find where Calzaghe is hiding from Kessler and sit there and tell him how good he is and convince yourselves that Joe isnt fighting Kessler for other reasons than he is scared he might lose.
If Joe was younger I have no doubts he would fight Kessler, but that doesnt change the fact that he is worried (scared) he will lose to Kessler at his current point in his career.
Fuck Calzcrappy. Fight Kessler you fuckin coward
Calzaghe dares not to face Kessler, he even dares not give him an indecent offer in case Kessler just might accept it.
Joe now, finally, has the opportunity to fight one of the real top American guys.. he's not going to pass that up.
Taylor is a bigger fight in the States than Kessler is it not?
see manfredo/calzaghe post below....
How you can justify passing up the opportunity to unify all 4 titles with one fight is beyond me. You're a joke...
If Kessler is trash, Calzaghe can just half ass it like he normally does and become one of the only fighters to ever unify 168. I can see where you'd have an argument is Kessler was one of 4 titleholders. There would be no reason to fight him. But since he has 2 titles and Calzaghe has the other two, there's no way Joe should duck him...
Joe now, finally, has the opportunity to fight one of the real top American guys.. he's not going to pass that up.
Taylor is a bigger fight in the States than Kessler is it not?
Kessler has never been on TV, so how could I see him fight?
We'll soon how good he is if he steps up his level of competition and takes on the likes of Froch, Veit, Brahmer, Bute or Lacy.. Froch went on Danish Radio earlier in the year and said he'd knock Kessler clean out in 2007 in his backyard, so let's leave it for Froch, and then we can have a Calzaghe-Froch domestic dust-up.
Still ranting?
You almost have leagues of people convinced.
A guy who's never seen Kessler fight calling me a novice. How damning. :lol1:
Nobody has seen Kessler fight. He's never been on TV, freak.
And who the fuck calls Sugarboy Malinga 'Thulani Malinga'??
Your a novice!
You know NOTHING.
Still ranting?
You almost have leagues of people convinced.
A guy who's never seen Kessler fight calling me a novice. How damning. :lol1: