Larry Merchant : "168(SMW) is a safe haven division in boxing"

[PeROxiDE]

I have never heard of Calzaghe having to starve himself to make weight. Link me then i will believe you. I can't see how calzaghe can stay at 168 weight drained and have the kind of workrate he has. It damn near impossible. I put SMW at 4 or 3rd best division right now considering Pavlik & Taylor should move up. Miranda looks like he's there to stay and their are some decent prospects in Allen Green, Jean Pascal etc.. only 147, 130 and 200 contest with 168.

I kind of knew he was always struggling to make 168, but the only source I can offer you is in his book, couple of examples but the best was when he spent a few hours in a sweatsuit skipping, then that didnt work so he sat in a sauna for a few more hours, all this on the day of the weigh in. The guy has been struggling pretty much since he won his title about 10 years ago.

Edit: Just found this:

“All I’m thinking about is what I’m going to go to Asda to get,” Calzaghe said. “I’m going to go home and I’m going to eat and eat and eat. At this stage you don’t give a s*** about the fight, you just give a s*** about what you can eat out of the fridge. But there’s nothing in the cupboards to eat because I’ve been on starvation until the weigh-in.

“I’ll eat everything. I carb-load after the weigh-ins, then I get a bit naughty because I don’t think it matters what you eat on Friday. I eat anything I want to eat. It’s pretty disgusting all churned up together but then I’ll start carbo-loading, eating sensible food. I can’t wait to have a pint on Sunday – I haven’t had a pint for seven weeks.”

The constant struggle with weight keeps Calzaghe insisting that he will not try to beat Joe Louis’s all-time record of 25 world title defences.

Source:http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/spo...cle2796524.ece

[sparked_85]

I kind of knew he was always struggling to make 168, but the only source I can offer you is in his book, couple of examples but the best was when he spent a few hours in a sweatsuit skipping, then that didnt work so he sat in a sauna for a few more hours, all this on the day of the weigh in. The guy has been struggling pretty much since he won his title about 10 years ago.

yeah in his book he is constantly talking about being dehydrated. I read the whole thing on a coach journey from London to Manchester the journey had no stop offs and having no water or drinks with me I was suffering. Joe's contant bitching about being dehydrated killed me, I can honestly say I have never felt so thirsty. When I arrived I got truly smashed. I blamed Joe for my hangover then next day.

[nmuburner22]

I have never heard of Calzaghe having to starve himself to make weight. Link me then i will believe you. I can't see how calzaghe can stay at 168 weight drained and have the kind of workrate he has. It damn near impossible. I put SMW at 4 or 3rd best division right now considering Pavlik & Taylor should move up. Miranda looks like he's there to stay and their are some decent prospects in Allen Green, Jean Pascal etc.. only 147, 130 and 200 contest with 168.

Ask his fans...they say he has a ridicolous diet to stay at 168.

[SkillspayBills]

Chris Eubank told Calzaghe 'You don't have to go anywhere. You're the world champ, they should come to you.'

And Eubank told Roy Jones that Calzaghe would be 'career suicide'.

Anyway, Calzaghe has been talking about light-heavyweight since before he even turned pro. He only starved himself to make super-middle because that's where all the money was and all the names were - Benn, Eubank, Collins, Roy Jones... and all the great fights - Benn-McClellan, Eubank-Collins, Littles-Liles... and all his rivals - Francis, Reid, Woodhall...

He said after the fight with Byron Mitchell that he'd be moving up light-heavy, but Frank Warren kept talking him out of it, until finally Warren got him a fight with Glen Johnson in 2004 and Calzaghe pulled out late (and again in 2006!)...

I am a Cal fan and even I realize he didn't fight any of these guys. Damn it would have been good to see him face Roy.

[BennyST]

I am a Cal fan and even I realize he didn't fight any of these guys. Damn it would have been good to see him face Roy.

He fought and beat Eubank ages ago.

[BennyST]

I think 130 lbs is the second best.

Pacman
JMM
Guzman
Valero
Barerra
Barrios
Soto
Rocky Juarez

This is better than 147! 135 is nearly as good as well. 147 the same.

[nmuburner22]

This is better than 147! 135 is nearly as good as well. 147 the same.

yeah 147 and 130 are loaded.

[Dick-Sucker]

This is a rediculous comment by Merchant.

These guys are the 4 best fighters naturally from MW to LHW:

1. Calzaghe
2. Kessler
3. Mundine
4. Bute

To me the MW is bad. And LHW is the worst.


The 4 fighters i have mentioned are pure class. And would beat anything in middleweight or LHW. Or at least start favourite.

How can Abraham, Taylor or Pavlik cope with Calzaghe or Kessler or Bute?

How can Green, Erdei, Woods and Dawson cope with all of them?

They can't. SMW has some of the best fighters in the world and its the second best division, only behind the welterweights.