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I think I agree with you. I rate him among the three best p4p today but it's based far more on longevity than anyone he's beaten. Still, he's a Hall of Famer.
However, what I bolded from your quote is nothing to gloss over. And it is the crux of every debate here regarding him. Calzaghe just didn't dare to be great. Jeff Lacy, as one-dimensional and overrated as he was by some, dared to be great; attempting to prove he was the next great thing by fighting in the other guy's backyard. Kessler did this as well.
In his prime - when he was Lacy or Kessler's age - Calzaghe never sought to do that. And the guys he fought during that time just weren't awe inspiring, or anything close to it. Whether it's his fault or Warren's, Calzaghe didn't take that blind leap of faith. And that is what the threadstarter was getting at - hindsight or not.
It's funny how times change. There was once a great amateur who big things were expected of when he turned pro. Except he went the Andre Ward route; critics began saying he was overprotected. The prospect finally worked his way to a title shot - picking up a vacant crown beating some guy no one had ever heard of.
At that point in his career, the questions surrounding him were kinda similar to the ones that followed Hamed before he came to the US. Then he gave up his title, moved up a division and fought one of the best fighters in the world - when the obvious choice was to stay in his weight class and build himself up. It was a pretty risky move.
The fighter he beat for his first title was Bernard Hopkins. And the guy who he moved up to beat was James Toney. Funny how, in spite of all that, Jones was never able to shake that label of not taking risks. What then, can we say about Calzaghe?
However, what I bolded from your quote is nothing to gloss over. And it is the crux of every debate here regarding him. Calzaghe just didn't dare to be great. Jeff Lacy, as one-dimensional and overrated as he was by some, dared to be great; attempting to prove he was the next great thing by fighting in the other guy's backyard. Kessler did this as well.
In his prime - when he was Lacy or Kessler's age - Calzaghe never sought to do that. And the guys he fought during that time just weren't awe inspiring, or anything close to it. Whether it's his fault or Warren's, Calzaghe didn't take that blind leap of faith. And that is what the threadstarter was getting at - hindsight or not.
It's funny how times change. There was once a great amateur who big things were expected of when he turned pro. Except he went the Andre Ward route; critics began saying he was overprotected. The prospect finally worked his way to a title shot - picking up a vacant crown beating some guy no one had ever heard of.
At that point in his career, the questions surrounding him were kinda similar to the ones that followed Hamed before he came to the US. Then he gave up his title, moved up a division and fought one of the best fighters in the world - when the obvious choice was to stay in his weight class and build himself up. It was a pretty risky move.
The fighter he beat for his first title was Bernard Hopkins. And the guy who he moved up to beat was James Toney. Funny how, in spite of all that, Jones was never able to shake that label of not taking risks. What then, can we say about Calzaghe?
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