Manfredo: "Joe Calzaghe Still Unknown"

[Franko]

Yeah, Calzaghe beat Lacy, Eubank, Reid, Mitchell and many others yet he's an "unknown". This coming from a guy who already has 3 losses on his record and his only claim to fame is being on "The Contender". Say what you will about Calzaghe but he didn't need a reality show to make his mark on the sport.

Good post. However, sometimes 'The Contender' show is subject to unfair criticism IMO. The whole concept of the initial show was to give supposed evenly matched fighters (trying to make their way in the game) the opportunity to gain exposure and win the $1 million prize. In that respect i think that the show was a great idea, but i suppose that people may look at that in other ways and think that the $1 million winner (Sergio Mora in this case) may lose a little bit of hunger as he has already earned a million dollars! I've heard that said but i think it's nonsense.
With regards to the comments made by Manfredo, i think that he is right in one respect, and that is that Joe Calzaghe needs fights in the states to gain further recognition. However, he'll have gained plenty of recognition by beating Jeff Lacy, who was seen as the 'next best thing' in the states.
In the past, Calzaghe has stated that it is not important for him to fight in the states but i think it is becoming more apparent that it is. If (and IMO when) he beats Manfredo I think that people will claim that maybe it was a little too early for the 'Reality TV' star.