Joe Calzaghe vs James Toney Prime 4 Prime?

[Cardinal Buck]

Calzaghe would own Toney. Stylistically, I don't think this works out for James.

[billeau2]

Calzaghe has some decent weapons in his arsenal, amazing fitness, tactically smart, speed of hand and good chin plus the confusing southpaw stance. His biggest weakness are an appallingly low accuracy, very weak power, a lack of bravery and a narrow skillset.

Toney brings high accuracy, fantastic chin and power to the ring plus amazing boxing skills on the inside to middle, with major weaknesses in training and attitude.

Put in the same ring, prime for prime, there is no skill Calzaghe offers that can hurt james, the calibre of whom he has never met and would never voluntarily meet. Joe would have little option but to try to absorb James's blows of shocking accuracy, since he cant outbox James. Toney by very late KO or TKO, unless Joe can somehow get the fight to fight in Wales and do an Ottke on him via a Welsh ref who stops the fight for no reason as Calzaghe did with most of his defences (ie if calzaghe cheats).

His other chance is that JT turns up in bad condition and he can outwork him late on from a distance, he might just edge a decision if he weathers the early storm and make up for losing the first half of the fight as he did with old gassing Bernard.

Exactly. Different class of fighter. Hopkins beat Joe, he put him on his duff. Toney in his prime? Nunn was a much better fighter than Joe and Toney did a number on him. Joe never fought a world class guy in his prime....Even if he got the Otke treatment people would see, like they did with Hopkins, the difference between Platinum and tin.

[Humean]

Exactly. Different class of fighter. Hopkins beat Joe, he put him on his duff. Toney in his prime? Nunn was a much better fighter than Joe and Toney did a number on him. Joe never fought a world class guy in his prime....Even if he got the Otke treatment people would see, like they did with Hopkins, the difference between Platinum and tin.

Calzaghe beat Hopkins. I'm a fan of Hopkins but Calzaghe is the only man to actually beat Hopkins moving forward and taking the fight to Hopkins. It was a dull fight because Hopkins did a lot of holding and did not achieve the success he usually achieves because Calzaghe is skilled much like Hopkins at Holding and punching. You are overrating Toney too much, he ubdoubtedly had a lot of ability but he also had weaknesses and problems with his focus and mental state. Those who think Toney would definitely beat Calzaghe are only focussing on what was good about Toney and not about what was bad. Calzaghe in contrast won every one of his fights. Eubank and Kessler were world class fighters in their prime and the version of Hopkins he beat, prime or not, was still a version that very few could beat especially whilst moving forward against him.

I have Calzaghe by decision.

[RichCCFC]

I'll always be biased towards Calzaghe but he could definitely have beaten James. It's a toss up fight and depends on tactics, Calzaghe I think is smart enough to not try and pressure James and probably good enough to box with him mid range.

[RichCCFC]

Calzaghe has some decent weapons in his arsenal, amazing fitness, tactically smart, speed of hand and good chin plus the confusing southpaw stance. His biggest weakness are an appallingly low accuracy, very weak power, a lack of bravery and a narrow skillset.

Toney brings high accuracy, fantastic chin and power to the ring plus amazing boxing skills on the inside to middle, with major weaknesses in training and attitude.

Put in the same ring, prime for prime, there is no skill Calzaghe offers that can hurt james, the calibre of whom he has never met and would never voluntarily meet. Joe would have little option but to try to absorb James's blows of shocking accuracy, since he cant outbox James. Toney by very late KO or TKO, unless Joe can somehow get the fight to fight in Wales and do an Ottke on him via a Welsh ref who stops the fight for no reason as Calzaghe did with most of his defences (ie if calzaghe cheats).

His other chance is that JT turns up in bad condition and he can outwork him late on from a distance, he might just edge a decision if he weathers the early storm and make up for losing the first half of the fight as he did with old gassing Bernard.

I think you're missing the point with Calzaghe though, he wouldn't go in there looking to KO Toney, he'd go in there trying to out point him and that would be serious trouble for James who likes his opponent to lead and then counter. I don't see the Hopkins fight with Calzaghe being much relevance, Hopkins even at 43 always had vastly superior footwork to James and his defense is different the way he springs forward with his head down and clinches. Toney is a great boxer with a high ring IQ but he's no where near as savy as Hopkins and Calzaghe definitely has room to land his flurries and get out on him.