Calzaghe Turns Down Kelly Pavlik, Wants Roy Jones

[Clegg]

Calzaghe has wasted his career fighting bums in the UK. He has never risked anything. His period was the 90s, where he turned down Jones Junior, Steve Collins, Toney, Tarver etc. Turning down the Jones, Toney, Tarver and Johnson fights because he didn't want to fight abroad, dodging the top american super-middleweights - Jones Junior, Hopkins, Toney, Tarver, Johnson. He has managed to go 15 years without getting in the ring with Jones Junior, Hopkins, Toney, Glen Johnson, Tarver, Jermaine Taylor. You kind of forget to mention the entire 1990s, where Calzaghe dodged 2 fights with Hopkins, 2 with Jones Jnr, 1 with Glenn Johnson and 1 with Steve Collins. Calzaghe has dominated a terrible division, and hasn't beat any of its top fighters in the last ten years (Jones Jr, Tarver, Toney, Hopkins, Johnson). Tarver, Glenn Johnson, James Toney and Roy Jones were all fighting at Super Middle until 2002. They were the class of the division, and Joe didn't get in the ring with any of them. Your kind of forgetting that he hasn't fought any of the top middle/super middleweight fighters of his generation. James Toney, Glenn Johnson, Antonio Tarver, Hopkins, Jermaine Taylor, Roy Jones and the fact that Joe C ducked absoultey every contender of the 90s. Jones, Tarver, Johnson, Toney etc. He spent his 20s and early 30s fighting trash, when he should have been over in America, chasing Toney, Hopkins, Jones, Tarver, Johnson, Taylor. Everyone knows that Calzaghe has missed/ducked every viable fight that has been available in the last 15 years. From middle to Light Heavy- they were all there for years. It's only maybe 2003-present that he has been interested in fighting anyone!

I am guessing that this is a joke post? Collins retired so as to avoid fighting JC, and Calzaghe never turned down Jones or Tarver. And as for James Toney still fighting at 168lbs in 2002...check your facts.

Calzaghe isn't perfect but you make it hard to have a rational discussion with comments like this.

[fightingfigs]

I just dont get some of you guys. Have you watched a jones fight in a few years? When I seen the Hanshaw fight I really prayed for him to retire, and most people I heard talking about the fight said that he should retire before he gets hurt. A prime Roy Jones would have destroyed Hanshaw. But instead it went to the cards with me only seeing maybe two good flurries from Jones. Before the fight Jones promised he'd show his hand speed and all those other things that we all loved him for. But he just couldnt physically do it, it was almost sad to watch.

I really think you have not seen him in a long time.

+1 i saw the henshaw fight and Jones looked bad. Even against Trinidad he looked like ass.

Joe Calzaghe is embarrassing

[Boofdatruth]

AKA another way to say I dont want to take the risk of fighting Pavlik. If he seriously knew he could beat Pavlik he wouldve taken the fight.

Lets face it even max kellerman said it himself Pavlik is the GODZILLA of the middlweight division and was willing to move up to fight Joe.

How can Joe say he thinks Pavlik doesnt want to fight him? This is a bad copout.

Max was basically saying Pav should step his game up, and Pav said he will fight who they put in front of him.

[Chase8400]

Being scared of a fighter, and being scared/nervous before a fight are two totally different things.

Right, as i stated right after saying that he uses fear as motivation. It was not a knock on Joe. Just an observation of a past interview i read. Read on sir.

[Boofdatruth]

I am guessing that this is a joke post? Collins retired so as to avoid fighting JC, and Calzaghe never turned down Jones or Tarver. And as for James Toney still fighting at 168lbs in 2002...check your facts.

Calzaghe isn't perfect but you make it hard to have a rational discussion with comments like this.

This is only one of which you picked out Clegg. There are about 40 in here right now, maybe 60 of these posts.

[Boofdatruth]

Right, as i stated right after saying that he uses fear as motivation. It was not a knock on Joe. Just an observation of a past interview i read. Read on sir.

I saw when 40Cal said those words on more than one occassion.

[rod25]

Roy Jones, who weighed 173˝ when he beat Eric Harding on Sept. 9, 2000, was making noise about dropping a few pounds and making a run at some super middle belts. That made sense, since he’d cleaned out the best and brightest at the 175 mark. Calzaghe seemed excited at the proposition of proving himself against the best fighter in the world, RJJ. "It's the ultimate fight for me,” Calzaghe told The Associated Press. "Roy Jones is one of the best in the world, pound-for-pound, and that's the sort of opponent you need to prove you're a great fighter.” Calzaghe also hinted that it was getting too hard for him to make 168, so maybe he would gain a few pounds to make it happen with Roy if Roy didn’t want to diet. But Jones didn’t drop down, instead continuing his OCD-level cleaning of the division. He hammered out Derrick Harmon, Julio Gonzalez, Glen Kelly and Clinton Woods, which brought him to Sept. 2002. And Calzaghe didn’t head for the all-you-can eat chip shops, or whatever they have over there. He instead occupied himself with fights that certainly did make him money, but as for the aforementioned hunt for glory…

[Boofdatruth]

Right, as i stated right after saying that he uses fear as motivation. It was not a knock on Joe. Just an observation of a past interview i read. Read on sir.

I knew you weren't knocking 40Cal.

[Pugilistic™]

A fight with Pavlik can wait and at the end of the day its all up to who Calzaghe wants.

[Kris Silver]

I just dont get some of you guys. Have you watched a jones fight in a few years? When I seen the Hanshaw fight I really prayed for him to retire, and most people I heard talking about the fight said that he should retire before he gets hurt. A prime Roy Jones would have destroyed Hanshaw. But instead it went to the cards with me only seeing maybe two good flurries from Jones. Before the fight Jones promised he'd show his hand speed and all those other things that we all loved him for. But he just couldnt physically do it, it was almost sad to watch.

I really think you have not seen him in a long time.

Some of you guys? There's a difference of opinion on different aspects to various degrees from all ppl, of all countries, let's get that straightened first.

I think you judge on hype too much. We know Roy is a legend and was incredible in his prime, but dude, many believe Calzaghe was/is too, and is vastly underrated. Many in America are coming to realise he has to whatever extent been underrated, but I doubt many will accept he'd have beaten a prime RJJ. Fact is none of us know, but having watched many Roy and Joe fights it would have been close, it still will be close. They're similar in many ways, even roughly age.
Excuses need to stop already, it's a great matchup that would've been great years ago for whatever reason. For me Roy didn't really want anything of Roy, he barely made tight deals wit folk in him homelands let alone abroad. Glad it's happening now. Doubt Roy will get his 2 fight deal of one in Wales, one in the US. Hopefully Kelly next, but Calzaghes getting old too and it'd be a high risk match, a send off against Roy in his home country would be perfect.