Calzaghe Doesn't Give A **** About Legacy...

[Porter's Dad]

If you think everyone in Britain is fine with Calzaghe ending his career fighting RJJ, then you're even more deluded than I thought.

Of course, he's very popular here but it's not universal. I know alot of people who have questioned him over the years, and still do to this day. I personally think it sums him up that he's finally stepped up the level of opposition, only to then turn around and impose a deadline on his retirement.

You Calzaghe fanboys are a joke. Honestly. If you all shut the **** up and stopped trying to spin everything, JC would be a bit more popular on this forum.

[MANGLER]

His dminance over 168 meant nothin to people outside Europe until he beat Lacy. He knew he had to do that fight to get some respect. Same for the fights wit Kessler and B-Hop. At the ass end of his career he's fightin the best comp of his career cuz he does care about his legacy. Bernard and Roy are past their best but they're still notches above the bulk of the guys he's fought.

[dc6112]

Calzaghe has nothing to worry about in terms of his legacy. He will have these names on his resume:

Eubank- Past prime champ
Hopkins-WayPast Prime Champ
Lacy- Untested Underachiever
Kessler- Solid champ with some good wins, but largely untested against Top competition
RJJ- Way way way way Past Prime P4P great, a shadow of what he once was.
Pavlik- Ducked him completely.

Those are the biggest names on the list of his 44 opponents.

Yeh, I'd say Joe's good name is safe... You Brits really got lucky to have had a champion like him.

Sadly I used to like Joe. I am not biased, I actually like a few Brits. I think Haye could be something special. I root for Hatton in all his fights, and was very sad to see him fail to beat Mayweather. But Joe is not what you all make him out to be, and I think the sooner you admit that the better. He hasn't done anything to put him self listed among the greats in the sport, his big fights against Hopkins and Roy are both 10 years too late, no matter who's fault that is.

[IMDAZED]

Joe Calzaghe doesn't give a **** about his "legacy", at least not the way it will be seen in America. He is a Welshman, and a Brit, and back home he is already a legend who ruled his division for 11 years, became unified SMW champion then went over to America and took the belt off the man at the next weight up. He doesn't need to do a damn thing more, he doesn't care what the USA thinks. He will be remembered as possibly the greatest boxer his own country has ever produced. I think he'll be happy with that!

That's why some posters on here need to quit it with "Roy Jones proves nothing" yadayada, because Joe and most of his fans already know it. It's a megafight taken for money to round off an already great career. Sure it would be nice to beat Pavlik, buts lets be real, he's a MW champion with what, 2 defences who just happens to be the best America can muster right now, not some living legend superfighter, the one and only fighter against whom Joe can prove himself...the whole idea is crazy. He already beat the two guys who were in the same position in his own division.

There will always be another fighter out there for Joe to beat, after Pavlik it would be Chad Dawson, after him someone else. If Joe needs to beat them to prove something to you, then thats cool, but I'd be willing to bet Joe doesn't care. He's already achieved things other boxers literally dream about, and more than he could have ever expected, he sure doesn't need to prove anything to anyone else....

I can respect that. Just the same way Calzaghe will have to understand (whether he cares or not) that he will never be ranked among the true greats of his time around his division (Toney, Hopkins, Jones) simply because he never met them in their primes.

That said, Calzaghe is great in his own right, has carved out a nice legacy and will be a first ballot Hall of Famer.

[Ryn0]

if he didnt care what the US thought, he wouldnt of come to vegas to fight...

OR that's where could have made the most money.....

[Drunk Punch]

OR that's where could have made the most money.....

Calzaghe could make more money fighting in the UK. It's a network decision to suit US television.

[BKM-]

Joe Calzaghe doesn't give a **** about his "legacy", at least not the way it will be seen in America. He is a Welshman, and a Brit, and back home he is already a legend who ruled his division for 11 years, became unified SMW champion then went over to America and took the belt off the man at the next weight up. He doesn't need to do a damn thing more, he doesn't care what the USA thinks. He will be remembered as possibly the greatest boxer his own country has ever produced. I think he'll be happy with that!

That's the thing. Some of us want him to be THE best of a nation that has produced quite a few legendary great fighters. If he accomplishes more and more, he will truly be a special fighter in history. You don't get amazing things like this very often, especially these days in Boxing.

[Ryn0]

Calzaghe could make more money fighting in the UK. It's a network decision to suit US television.

No he made a lot more fighting one fight with B-hop in vegas that in the millenium stadium. For the Lacy fight there a documentary saying he was BARELY doing above average figures for the Lacy fight in comparision to his mandatory defenses.

[Danny Gunz]

We all have the false illusion that every fighter is going to fight the best fighter out there at all times. And that was the case until boxers got so much money.

But really who can say Roy Jones is a better fight for Calzaghe then Pavlik. Either way I think Calzaghe is gonna lose cause just really isnt that good.

[abadger]

I can definitely see why he wants the fight with the most money now, he has been champion for 10+ years but hasn't had those big money fights until he fought Lacy.

Saying that, I would have liked to see him fight Pavlik.

I would have liked to see him fight Pavlik too, but as I say, after that I'd like to see him fight Chad Dawson. I guess what I'm trying to point out is that there appears to be this perception that Calzaghe, in order somehow to be 'recognised' (by who? by what?) has to keep on fighting opponent after opponent in order to achieve some sort of 'status' in the eyes of certain fans, but really what does this mean? Nothing IMO.