I'm not bothered about what respect he does or doesnt get from fighting Manfredo. I'm not particularly bothered about the manner of his victory either, as long as he wins (I dont care if he is taken the distance or blows Manfredo away in 20 seconds). All I'm bothered about is that this fight reaches a decent audience and is used as a good stepping stone for the big fights.
This is a no win fight for Calzaghe.....QUOTE]
He knew that before he took the fight.
He chose to do it anyway - for financial reasons or whatever.
Neither he or his fans should complain about him not getting much respect (or even disrespect) for taking this kind of fight.
This is a no win fight for Calzaghe.....if he stops Manfredo early..it'll be.."we knew Manfredo was shit"...if joe wins on points it'll be "Calzaghe is shit, being taken the distance by an average fighter"..no matter what the result Calzaghe doesn't come up smelling of roses.....but i think it'll be entertaining shit no less..
It'll be entertaining, but short. Manfredo won't win this, but he'll come out firing on all cylinders and may even get one of those fluky big underdog staggers name fighter moments in the first three rounds before Calzaghe comes out and finishes him off by the fifth.
I don't think it's going to be a FOTY canidate or anything,but I bet it's going to be a pretty good scrap.Also,not nearly as one sided as everyone seems to think.Peter will go the distance,and put forth an impressive showing.
I think it will be fairly entertaining.......while Calzaghe should win pretty easily I do see manfredo being very scrappy and hard to get out of there.
Just read this tody from Calzaghe
"They are the two fights I want," said 35-year-Calzaghe. "Kessler only looked good against an average fighter last time. He beat Markus Beyer but he'd sold himself to the highest bidder. 100% I'll fight the guy."
Good because he will beat Kessler, who is looking as good as Lacy did beating over the hill opponents, but will get beaten by Calzaghe!
If Calzaghe thinks Kessler is like Lacy,he is in for a rude awakening
"They are the two fights I want," said 35-year-Calzaghe. "Kessler only looked good against an average fighter last time.
Calzaghe himself looked like a million $ fighting Bika...
So Manfredo would have his moments. Cause U.S aint had it all their way
In fairness the US and Britain were completely unstoppable when they were fighting against Iraq, and they beat the Iraqi army in quick order. If you wanted to stretch the analogy further you could say that Calzaghe will win very quickly but then be plagued by Manfredo fans sneaking up and happy slapping him for months after the fight...
Just read this tody from Calzaghe
Although Calzaghe wasn't keen on looking past Manfredo, 26-3, he did say that he was still intent on meeting either Kessler or Taylor.
"They are the two fights I want," said 35-year-Calzaghe. "Kessler only looked good against an average fighter last time. He beat Markus Beyer but he'd sold himself to the highest bidder. 100% I'll fight the guy."
Good because he will beat Kessler, who is looking as good as Lacy did beating over the hill opponents, but will get beaten by Calzaghe!
Manfredo fight should be good for the first 6 rounds, but Calzaghe will take over then.
I had a dream that Calzaghe got dropped in the first round, and that Peter was throwing flurries and then backing off, like Leonard used to.. it's just a shame for Manfredo that I dream a load of rubbish.
If this were going to be a war, Calzaghe would be the U.S and Manfredo would be Iraq, that's how one sided it'll be.
So Manfredo would have his moments. Cause U.S aint had it all their way
I hope Manfedo Jr dosnt get hurt too badly and can walk out the ring ok at the end of it.:boxing:
Should be a good fight, calzaghe fights are normally entertaining.
"Calzaghe won't take Manfredo lightlyJoe Calzaghe insists reigning as world champion for almost a decade has done nothing to dampen his enthusiasm for finishing the job and retiring undefeated with his crown intact.
Calzaghe heads into his defence against American Peter Manfredo at Cardiff's Millennium Stadium next Saturday adamant he is just as excited and focused as he was prior to snatching the crown from Chris Eubank in 1997.
"It might be my 20th defence, but I am still excited about it," he said.
"I know what it is like to be the challenger and to want to win. So I have to match that with the same intent and desire as if I was the challenger."
The 35-year-old Calzaghe is well known for refusing to take any opponent lightly, even the likes of 'Contender' star Manfredo, who on the face of it ought not to belong in the Welshman's league.
But Calzaghe has witnessed plenty of upsets during his career as champion and will not be deflected from a two-year end-game which he intends to finish in possession of his unbeaten record and crown.
Calzaghe added: "There is pressure on every single defence of my title and I think pressure is a good thing. Look at Tyson losing to Douglas, Hagler losing to Leonard, and Lewis losing to Rahman.
"The favourites in those fights took it for granted that they were the best. One of my strengths is that I don't take any fighter lightly. I take them all very seriously indeed. Peter has a massive opportunity - the opportunity of a lifetime."
Provided he overcomes Manfredo, Calzaghe will find himself with plenty of future options.
Unbeaten rival Mikkel Kessler has attracted rave reviews in the United States and a unification match-up would be a natural.
And with the likes of Bernard Hopkins and Jermain Taylor also conceivably waiting in the wings, Calzaghe has no intention of hanging up his gloves yet.
He said: "People say 'How long will I keep fighting for?' At the moment I am still as sharp and as quick.
"The day I am not a winner, the day I realise that I am not the best any more, then I walk away.
"At the moment, in an ideal world, I am looking at 16 months to two years." "