Calzaghe: Taylor running scared

W1LL19y ago

Joe Calzaghe has warned Jermain Taylor he will only win the respect he craves if he faces a "genuine challenge". The Welsh WBO super middleweight king is desperate to meet WBC and WBO middleweight champion Taylor. But Calzaghe's promoter Frank Warren is still locked in negotiations with opposite number Lou DiBella in the hope of matching the rivals in September. "I thought the Jermain Taylor fight could be made but maybe he's becoming chicken," Calzaghe said. Taylor, the 28-year-old from Memphis, laboured to a split-decision win last weekend against the smaller Cory Spinks, who had stepped up from light middleweight for the fight. And the lacklustre win by the American against his compatriot has drawn a scathing response from Calzaghe. "I'm just hoping he doesn't take up any more fights against blown-up welterweights and instead gives the fans what they want to see - and that's a fight against a champion," said the 35-year-old Calzaghe. "I don't understand what his mind-set is. He beat Bernard Hopkins and I thought he would want to cement his legacy by fighting the best. "But he hasn't looked very good in his last two contests where he's been picking easier opponents. "I don't know whether he just fights for the money, but if he is doing it for that and not for the love of the sport then he should find something else to do. "People are getting bored of him picking easy fights. He's not getting respect because he's not fighting anybody. "If he wants respect then he needs a genuine challenge." Taylor has been offered $4m to face Calzaghe but the American is holding out for more money and haggling over the location of the contest. Calzaghe says he is ready to fight in the US for the first time in his unbeaten 43-fight career if it delivers Taylor, although DiBella has told BBC Sport Wales that a fight in the UK is also realistic if the money is right. The only agreement at the moment is that any contest would take place in Calzaghe's super middleweight division, meaning Taylor's titles would not be on the line. "I'll go anywhere to find the big fights. I saw somewhere that Taylor wants in the region of $6m to fight me," Calzaghe added. "If I was offered that I'd go to his back garden and let his mum be the referee. "It's a no-brainer fight for him - he'd get a lot of money and keep his middleweight titles whatever happens. "If he wins then he's got it all, if he loses he's still got his title and the money. "I'm just keeping my fingers crossed that it will happen because it's the number one fight for me." Calzaghe has resumed bag work as he continues his recovery from the severely bruised hand sustained in his third-round demolition of Peter Manfredo Jr last month. The injury ended hopes of a return to action in July but Calzaghe is determined to finish his career with a series of super-fights. WBC and WBA super middleweight champion Mikkel Kessler is also a possible opponent, with Calzaghe confirming that Warren is also talking to the Dane's camp. However, although that fight would be a big draw in Europe, it has far less appeal to Calzaghe's US cable television backers HBO. Calzaghe will present three-division world champion Manny Pacquiao with the prestigious Boxing Writers Association of America's Fighter of 2006 award at their 82nd annual awards dinner on 8 June in New York.

Comments (20)

El_Jesus

Spinks is a natural light welter/welterweight, not LMW, you don't see Calzaghe calling out Jr Middleweights, Manfredo is a natural 160, so was Bika. So before you start pointing the finger, think rationally before hand. Spinks was a champ at 154, one division down from taylor. Calzhage is calling out people one division down from him, which is 160, they essentially do the same thing,its not rational at all to say "manfredo is a natural 160" when he moved up one division to take him on, making him the smaller guy, which defeats your rational in the first place. Not to mention Spinks as boring as he is, has been an undisputed champion and beat a real champion in Roman Karmazin at 154. Manfredo and Bika combined dont have the resume he has, which includes a linear championship in beating judah and mayorga

19y ago

adamk1304

JC should concentrate on picking on someone his own size. Froch, Kessler or has he got the balls to step up and face Clinton Woods?? Woods is nothing more than an average fighter, calzaghe would pulverise him. Froch needs to step up and beat a top 10 contender, and no tatsvesyon or whatever his name was doesn't count. I want to see joe fight kessler but palle and warren can't seem to come to terms. I don't see what all this BS about calzaghe picking on someone his own size is about, taylor is 6' 1" and would have a distinct reach advantage over joe if he did fight him.

19y ago

4557

That really makes me laugh, because I don't think Taylor would have a problem handling him, or anybody.

19y ago

langshof

Calzaghe hater, don't bring up the fact that Calzaghe throws more punches then Kessler and he's the old dog now isn't he? Some ppl on this forum show some JC hatred. But stop being so paranoid when there's real critizism.

19y ago

langshof

So a guy who couldnt finish lacy despite hitting him with 1,000 punches, A guy who couldnt finish Sakio Bika Is gonna make a guy who went 24 rounds with Bernard Hopkins Quit? lol. I agree... JC has had the last KO win of his career. He might be able to pull a TKO against another Pretender like Manfredo, though.

19y ago

EasyE

19y ago

GEOFFHAYES

Hmmm, im not convinced on his Skills to be honest, i mean, he has skill, but does he have basic technical boxing skills? I would like to see what Juy has to say on this (he will read this at some stage) Juy info on calzaghe's amatuer background if any? My problem with JC, is the way he strikes and his reliance on reflexes, cos relflexes dont last, ask Roy Jones. Im not sure if his dad is a good trainer you know, this is why I'd give Kessler a small chance at beating JC (a small one mind you) he is skilled in the basics of boxing. Joe used to punch properly until he was 15 when he had a chronic wrist injury and was told he'd never box again - so he had to work around that and that's the whole deal behind the slapping right there. His dad basically tried to mould him into an Ali-Leonard-Hagler hybrid! He wanted Joe to work on jabbing like Ali, standing and positioning like Hagler (square in shoulders from southpaw), and throwing combinations like Leonard. Calzaghe's amateur background? 121-9, lost six of his first 30 fights, Robbed against Romanian Adrian Opreda in Prague in Junior European's 1990 at 139 (Opreda had a fencers stance that Joe had never seen, but once Joe got to grips with him he beat him clearly) in what is his last-ever loss - he was 17 at the time, triple ABA champ at three different weights and four-times British Schools champ in the 80's, screwed out of Barcelona Olympics by politricks

19y ago

TheEvilSaint

i dont care how big these fighters are or what their records are or whatever. i have no intrest in this fight and i seriously doubt it will happen. 1. calzaghe doesnt fight anywhere but the UK. 2. taylor doesnt fight anywhere but the US. 3. calzaghe offers to fight kessler, taylor offers to fight sturm, abraham etc. but no1 agrees on anything. expect nothing different. calzaghe is a fragile fisted slapper and taylor is a reluctant boxer. this does not sound promising.

19y ago

drvooh

Joe, you are 35.,........don't wait too long

19y ago

EasyE

Spinks is a natural light welter/welterweight, not LMW, you don't see Calzaghe calling out Jr Middleweights, Manfredo is a natural 160, so was Bika. So before you start pointing the finger, think rationally before hand. Im thinking rationally, both Joe and Taylor have fought smaller fighters in their career so Joe calling out the smaller fighter and insulting him for fighting smaller guys makes no sense. Also, Cory Spinks was the #1 rated light middleweight, so he was clearly comfortable there and came in at 169 pounds on fight night, so size wasnt really an issue.

19y ago

EasyE

Taylor IS an idiot, isn't he? Glad to see you agree. :rolleyes: Are you fucking serious? Nobody in boxing right now can give him more cash than Calzaghe, but that won't stop him from fighting everybody BUT Calzaghe, will it? Taylor got 6 mil for fighting Winky and Joe is offering him 4 mil to come to the UK and fight? WHat a joke. Get your facts straight, DiBella and Taylor said they would except the offer if they got the same amount they reciever for the Winky fight, and Warren hasnt offered shit. And what is this bullshit about Joe trying to insult Taylor for fighting smaller guys when Joe C is calling out Taylor who is a weight class below him. And I dont even need to mention Manfredo here.:rolleyes: Hypocrite.

19y ago

GattiFan

Wait...... Did the guy that just slap boxed PETER F'ING MANFREDO to death just say something about another fighter taking on easy opponents? Nice. So..Um...Zags.... How many future hall of famers are on the old resume' nowaways anyway?

19y ago

Technical_Skill

There's a difference between being a textbook boxer and having the fundamentals of a "technically" good boxer. Calzaghe's hooks are wide, but they're fast and hit the target more often than not, he possesses quick hands which he throws flurries with, he doesn't throw one two's because those require power to be effective, and we all know why he can't throw power shots. Calzaghe DOES rely on his reactions alot, but in a different way to the likes of most stereotypical fighters that actually RELY on it, he doesn't duck and dive shots or shoulder roll, he slips basic punches (not combinations, ala Whittaker/Mayweather) and is either too far away or too close to hit. He drops his hands in order to counter you, which he does great IMO. Basically, when Calzaghe's reactions slow down as he gets older, he won't be affected as much as a Whittaker or Roy Jones, because he has the ability to fight on the inside, as well as mixing it up on the outside, and when he's in a jabbing mood, his gloves are always tight to his face. But basic technical ability, or "Technical Skill" as you like to call it, I'd say he definately has it. Calzaghe has technical Skills of course, i do wonder about how vunerable his unorthodoxy makes him though, especially with his hands, Acutally i saw bits of the eubank fight (Courtesy of Frank Warren's best of Boxing DVD, which my best mate bought, if you want a cheap laugh, buy it please, hillarious) and noticed he was good in that fight, good jab, bit more measured etc, maybe its the hands, I would like to see him work with another trainer, id like to see him pick his shots a little bit better and save energy by doing so, id like to see him use his hands high a little bit more also, he does get hit with silly shots. This doesnt mean he isnt class, its nit picking, after the DLH fight i pointed out several flaws in Floyd Mayweather's blocking, but people convienantly dodged that thread, lol, so im not hating. I do think Kessler's orthodoxy could help him against JC, if he can jab calzaghe coming in, and making it a chess match at a moderate pace, he has a chance, If Kessler doesnt sort out his footwork and thinks he can step to the side every now and again he will be made to look very bad imo. Just considering the options.

19y ago

Technical_Skill

Calzaghe hater, don't bring up the fact that Calzaghe throws more punches then Kessler and he's the old dog now isn't he? Ermm mate, listen i live in the UK Calzaghe is a big thing over here, i dont hate him, what i am doing is being critical of ways in which he can improve, I dont think i have ever denied he is the best at 168.

19y ago

Technical_Skill

What would you say basic technical boxing skills are? A good jab, good defense, firm offense and an arsenal of many, many punches. Calzaghe fits the description IMO. Okay, when i mean basics i mean, good straight punches, you know i think JC's shots are a bit wide. Kessler's straight right is one to avoid lol, its real quick. Good defense?? Hmmm, im not convinced, he has the abilty to slip punches then throw back combinations, so yes in a way he has good defense, but there is question mark with me concerning his actual blocking and how low he holds his hands. Reflexes go fast, i dont think its wise to rely on them, its better to be good a blocking as opposed to slipping, relying on reflex actions are too unreliable. Kessler seems very textbook, compact, jab, straight right, thats what i mean, Textbook boxer, Whereas Calzaghe (cos he is trained by his dad imo) is unorthodox, Now im not sure ive explained that correctly. So your gonna have to correct me im sure. Very good question though.

19y ago

Technical_Skill

I wasn't trying to knock you, just asking. I think that would be a decent fight, although I'm not sure who'd win. If Taylor moved up to super middle I wonder what kind of power would go with him. I heard he showed some good power once upon a time. Oh, okay, you know that Lacy and Taylor were meant to fight? if Lacy had beat Calzaghe, that fight was a real possibility, Ring magazine kept going on about it, mind you this was when Lacy was the future of the US middleweights. lol. People shouldnt be so quick to write off lacy, i honestly think he got intimidated by the atmosphere, summin was wrong with him that night, was surreal. I remember watching it live with my best mate, who is the reason i got back into boxing, he was picking lacy, Ill never forget the look in Calzaghe's eyes as they were wrapping up his hands in the back, he was scared, but the fear made him focused, he was so concentrated, I looked at my best mate and said "He's gonna knock him out you know"

19y ago

Technical_Skill

Calzaghe was a banger, once upon a time. I think his brittle hands are a blessing tbh, he would dive in trying to take every opponents head off before his hands got seriously bad, he now shows the skills he's always had, but didn't show. Hmmm, im not convinced on his Skills to be honest, i mean, he has skill, but does he have basic technical boxing skills? I would like to see what Juy has to say on this (he will read this at some stage) Juy info on calzaghe's amatuer background if any? My problem with JC, is the way he strikes and his reliance on reflexes, cos relflexes dont last, ask Roy Jones. Im not sure if his dad is a good trainer you know, this is why I'd give Kessler a small chance at beating JC (a small one mind you) he is skilled in the basics of boxing.

19y ago

W1LL

Im not really qualified to make a proper assesment on that, What i can say is i have only been on here one month, thus i was not on here during the fight, I did pick Calzaghe By Knockout in Round 10 over Lacy, so dont confuse me with one of those people who picked Lacy. To me Speed and Skills > Power (not in all cases though) I wasn't trying to knock you, just asking. I think that would be a decent fight, although I'm not sure who'd win. If Taylor moved up to super middle I wonder what kind of power would go with him. I heard he showed some good power once upon a time.

19y ago

Technical_Skill

How do you think a Jeff Lacy - Jermain Taylor fight would go? Im not really qualified to make a proper assesment on that, What i can say is i have only been on here one month, thus i was not on here during the fight, I did pick Calzaghe By Knockout in Round 10 over Lacy, so dont confuse me with one of those people who picked Lacy. To me Speed and Skills > Power (not in all cases though)

19y ago

hugh_grant

Whether or not JC talked shit about JT before Cory spinks fight i dont care. At least with JC talking like this he means business and wants to get it on. JT has gone a bit quiet.

19y ago