Joe Calzaghe's Greatness......

[Ogecca MaMa]

He fought a bunch of nobodies in his own backyard and never fought anybody good.

When the best names on your resume are a past prime B Hop (split decision) and a decision over a SHOT Roy Jones Jr, there is something wrong.

It isn't difficult to go undefeated if you never take on a challenging contender.

co-sign!!

[The_Demon]

[QUOTE=CarlosG815;9653186]Jeff Lacey was nothing special and was handed a one sided beatdown by a SHOT Roy Jones Jr. Much worse than what Calzaghe did to him.

WTF are you talking about "The Next Mike Tyson?"[/QUOTE]

Thats what the yanks were calling him,not my words,i knew he was overrated

[medium-deek]

Why do people hark on about him not fighting Hopkins in his prime when Hopkins agreed and then chickened out by demanding more money (KNOWING full well that Warren and co wouldn't or couldn't pay that sum). That is well documented and people still go on about it?

As for RJJ, as far as I can recall, he moved up a division during the time of Joes reign at SMW.

People go on about Joe not going to the USA to fight, well the same could be said for RJJ. He never fought Dariusz Michalczewski.

The dude had it all. Chin. Speed. Stamina. Foot movement.

[Scott9945]

I held Calzaghe in low regard until the Lacy and Kessler fights. Then I realized that his speed, workrate, and craftiness made him something special. Like most I would have liked to see more major opponents and different locations, but going unbeaten for that many years puts him in the HOF, and he deserves to be in the conversation with the ATG's.

[Scott9945]

Why do people hark on about him not fighting Hopkins in his prime when Hopkins agreed and then chickened out by demanding more money (KNOWING full well that Warren and co wouldn't or couldn't pay that sum). That is well documented and people still go on about it?

As for RJJ, as far as I can recall, he moved up a division during the time of Joes reign at SMW.

People go on about Joe not going to the USA to fight, well the same could be said for RJJ. He never fought Dariusz Michalczewski.

The dude had it all. Chin. Speed. Stamina. Foot movement.

Good comments, but if Joe truly "had it all" he would have had more pop on his punches.

[CarlosG815]

Good comments, but if Joe truly "had it all" he would have had more pop on his punches.

I disagree with you saying he should be in the convo with other ATGs but I do agree he needed more pop. His pitty patty, slippy slappy punches would never get the job done against a legit ATG or top contender.

I don't see how beating Jeff Lacey makes him a legit great in your views, can you explain what Lacey did up to that fight, or after, that makes you believe that win was noteworthy?

He got beat up by a shot Roy Jones Jr. He actually made Roy look like the Roy of old.

[Scott9945]

I disagree with you saying he should be in the convo with other ATGs but I do agree he needed more pop. His pitty patty, slippy slappy punches would never get the job done against a legit ATG or top contender.

I don't see how beating Jeff Lacey makes him a legit great in your views, can you explain what Lacey did up to that fight, or after, that makes you believe that win was noteworthy?

He got beat up by a shot Roy Jones Jr. He actually made Roy look like the Roy of old.

Whenever the term great or ATG is used, there is a lot of different ways it can be interpreted. I'm certainly not talking top 25 all time or anything like that. But going through a long championship career unbeaten isn't easy or more people would be doing it.

As to Lacy, what I was saying was that after watching how artful Joe C was taking apart Lacy, I realized that I had underrated him. Like I said before I didn't think much of Calzaghe before that fight. And it is unfair to compare Lacy who fought Calzaghe to the one who fought Jones. Lacy had already taken the beating from Joe as well as from Taylor, Mendoza, etc. He was damaged goods by that time.

[Carlsson]

I disagree with you saying he should be in the convo with other ATGs but I do agree he needed more pop. His pitty patty, slippy slappy punches would never get the job done against a legit ATG or top contender.

I don't see how beating Jeff Lacey makes him a legit great in your views, can you explain what Lacey did up to that fight, or after, that makes you believe that win was noteworthy?

He got beat up by a shot Roy Jones Jr. He actually made Roy look like the Roy of old.

Lacy was shot when RJJ fought him. People argue that Joe was responsible for this given the psychological aftermath of such a beatdown, while others argue that Lacy lost a lot of his power afer having surgery in his left shoulder after injuring it in a fight with Vitali Tsypko some time after the Calzhage fight(The left hook being his money punch)

Anyway, while i agree RJJ was shot to **** when facing Joe, Lacy was just as shot when he faced RJJ. And triangle theories are ****** anyway you know

[sonnyboyx2]

I find it hard to rank Joe and his legacy. You think 46-0, probaly best Super Middleweight ever, Ring Champion at both 168lb & 175lb. That impressive.

But then you think 21 Defences of the little thought of WBO Title, against some unworthy challagers or unproven fighters, on home soil. And then the fact he looked farily unimpressive in his USA fights & missed out on fighting the best of his era while in there primes.

How do you rate him and his greatness, & ATG Ranking.

what greatness?

[Joeyzagz]

what greatness?

How many fighters have 21 title defenses? (Joe Louis, Joe Calzaghe)

How many fighters retired with 45+ wins with no draws or defeats? (Marciano, Joe Calzaghe..../END LIST)

How many fighters retire, having beaten all of the top dawgs in their era? (Ali, Joe Calzaghe)


Only the greatest of fighters can match what Joe Calzaghe has done.