How confident are you on your pick?

[TommyGunn.]

Calzaghe has to be considered elite, no fighter goes 19 years unbeaten and makes 21 defences against a high calibre of opponent if they aint. IMHO

[Dirt E Gomez]

Calzaghe has to be considered elite, no fighter goes 19 years unbeaten and makes 21 defences against a high calibre of opponent if they aint. IMHO

That'd be true if he were fighting "high calibre" opponents. His biggest wins pale in comparison to basically every long reigning champ...ever. Similar to Tszyu in that while he might've had a belt for a long time, but he too too long to unify and his wins are simply non-existent over big name opposition.

[TommyGunn.]

Anybody also mentioning stamina is crazy. Hopkins stamina isn't an issue, merely the volume of punches he puts out. The question is, will his limited punches be effective enough to keep Calzaghe at bay and land good counters or will Joe simply throw more, land more, and score an easy decision.

That is the only thing that matters in this fight. Which is also why I favor Calzaghe.

Hopkins has good stamina without doubt, he doesn't have that other gear like Floyd and Calzaghe do though. Calzaghe will make him work for every second of evey round and he'll always be upping his work rate as the fight goes on.

[Dirt E Gomez]

Hopkins has good stamina without doubt, he doesn't have that other gear like Floyd and Calzaghe do though. Calzaghe will make him work for every second of evey round and he'll always be upping his work rate as the fight goes on.

I think it's silly to dismiss B-Hop as not having that extra gear. He could easily have it, but never see him use it. He's simply very mechanical about everything he does and even when he's pressing the advantage he still only increases his punch output a little. To say he can't is simply dismissive.

[TommyGunn.]

That'd be true if he were fighting "high calibre" opponents. His biggest wins pale in comparison to basically every long reigning champ...ever. Similar to Tszyu in that while he might've had a belt for a long time, but he too too long to unify and his wins are simply non-existent over big name opposition.

You dont consider Calzaghe to have a good resumee?

Id say both Calzaghe and Hopkins have beat roughly the same class of opponent. I think Kessler would beat any fighter that Bernard ever beat.

Records mean nothing though, if that was the case Calzaghe would win because he is undefeated and Hopkins has lost 4 fights (i had him 1-1) with JT. of course that is not the case though.

[FRKO]

Both Woodhall and Eubank are fighters who dont stand and trade and Calzaghe dealt fairly easily IMO with both fighters. They were tricky for different reasons, Woodhall was a great boxer who liked to move, he was a stellar amature and carried his natural ability into the pro ranks having great success at british, european and world level.

Eubank, he was just a nightmare to fight for anyone, he had great reflexes he had power in his legs which helped him move like a welterweight too. I wouldn't say Eubank was was primed when he fought Calzaghe but id say he was still around 90% of his best.

I see this fight going like the Kessler fight to be quite honest, i think Calzaghe is very smart in the way that he'll engage a fighter for the first 4/5/6 rounds then when he see's them tire a little he'll go on the outside and switch up those other gears we know he has.

Ive never been one to gauge fighters on who they have fought in the past i like to judge them on what they look like in the ring. At this moment in time i see Nobody who comes close to either Floyd Mayweather Jr and Joe Calzaghe on a P4P sense.

What seperates floyd and joe from the rest for me is both guys have the skill and speed but its that other gear they go up when the other fighters slow down.

I agree with you. Round 6-11 in the Kessler fight is the perfect example of what you're talking about. Joe banked a few rounds early, lost a couple while still trying to figure Kessler out and see how to handle the power, then it's almost like he switched a turbo on in round 6. Kessler never stood a chance from that point onwards. Joe was still aggressive enough in the last round, but I could sense that he knew the fight was in the bag and so he coasted to the final bell.

Kessler took about 3 rounds to Joe's 9, and with Joe straight winning 6-11 in a row, Kessler had no clue how to handle Calzaghe, he looked bewildered and shellshocked. With the second half of the fight being completely different from the first, and it was Joe that made it that way by using different styles, Kessler must have thought he was fighting two different guys. Regardless! He fought a great fight and I have a huge amount of respect for Mikkel Kessler.

[Dirt E Gomez]

You dont consider Calzaghe to have a good resumee?

Id say both Calzaghe and Hopkins have beat roughly the same class of opponent. I think Kessler would beat any fighter that Bernard ever beat.

Records mean nothing though, if that was the case Calzaghe would win because he is undefeated and Hopkins has lost 4 fights (i had him 1-1) with JT. of course that is not the case though.

Does Calzaghe have a good resume? Yes. Is it on the level of B-Hops? I'd think you're smarter than to ask that question or suggest it is.

[TommyGunn.]

I think it's silly to dismiss B-Hop as not having that extra gear. He could easily have it, but never see him use it. He's simply very mechanical about everything he does and even when he's pressing the advantage he still only increases his punch output a little. To say he can't is simply dismissive.

He's 43 and has been fighting for 20 years, i think its safe to say we'd have seen it by now if he had it.

[Addison]

Both Woodhall and Eubank are fighters who dont stand and trade and Calzaghe dealt fairly easily IMO with both fighters. They were tricky for different reasons, Woodhall was a great boxer who liked to move, he was a stellar amature and carried his natural ability into the pro ranks having great success at british, european and world level.

Eubank, he was just a nightmare to fight for anyone, he had great reflexes he had power in his legs which helped him move like a welterweight too. I wouldn't say Eubank was was primed when he fought Calzaghe but id say he was still around 90% of his best.

I see this fight going like the Kessler fight to be quite honest, i think Calzaghe is very smart in the way that he'll engage a fighter for the first 4/5/6 rounds then when he see's them tire a little he'll go on the outside and switch up those other gears we know he has.

Ive never been one to gauge fighters on who they have fought in the past i like to judge them on what they look like in the ring. At this moment in time i see Nobody who comes close to either Floyd Mayweather Jr and Joe Calzaghe on a P4P sense.

What seperates floyd and joe from the rest for me is both guys have the skill and speed but its that other gear they go up when the other fighters slow down.

Good post, TG. I won't devalue your argument, it's most excellent considering. You know of course that there are some arguments that could be made, but I come here for the sake of this sort of debate. Hope you stick around, fella.

[TommyGunn.]

Does Calzaghe have a good resume? Yes. Is it on the level of B-Hops? I'd think you're smarter than to ask that question or suggest it is.

Im smart enough to know records dont win fights.