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

[abadger]

There isn't really anything wrong, but let's call it what it is instead of painting it something else.

Also, we should make note of certain posters that admit this the next time they diss other fighters for doing the same thing (for example, there have been a lot of Calzaghe fans dissing mayweather, odh, etc. for taking only big money fights).



I never mentioned anyones names, I simply stated that I think he does in fact care about his legacy which is why he's fighting 40 year old Roy Jones rather then someone who is more of a threat (could drop several names here)

Totally agree with you. The bottom line is that Calzaghe has left it too late in the day to get the respect of US fight fans who had the privilege of watching guys like Hopkins, Toney and Jones from the beginning and who naturally favour them because they saw most of the big fights they ever had.

I personally don't see a HUGE amount of difference between what Jones, Toney and Hopkins did and what Calzaghe has, other than the rises up to HW that Jones and Toney managed, albeit without ever really being what you would call dominant at the weight. But thats just me, I'm a Brit and I'm sure Americans see it differently.

When I said Calzaghe doesn't care about his legacy, that was perhaps misleading, clearly any fighter cares about what they achieve. I guess what I meant was that Calzaghe has pretty much achieved everything he is going too, and this Pavlik issue is probably a non-issue for him. I'm sure most real fight fans will agree that Calzaghe would be a heavy favourite against Pavlik and that ultimately beating him would be no better than beating Lacy and Kessler. Anyone who wants to quibble about this should realise that ALL the same things being said about Pavlik were said about both of them, until they faced Joe, and it is only since that the notion of them beating him has become laughable. Joe has been there, done that, bought the t-shirt.


As for the question of fans dissing fighters they don't like for doing what Joe is doing, well this thread is partly a reaction against it. To be honest at times boxingscene degenerates literally into a pissing contest between fans of different fighters, roughly on the level of "my dad is harder than your dad", it's silly. I read a quote in a post on here once that said something like "boxingscene is becoming a fansite, problem is that boxers already have fansites" and I think that is very true. Ridiculing the likes of Mayweather, Calzaghe, Cotto, B-Hop, Jones, De La Hoya (the list is endless) is ridiculous frankly. Who gives a **** about where they rank 'P4P' and 'ATG', they are all excellent boxers.

[MELLY-MEL...]

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.

real talk...good post!

[abadger]

i am starting to think he is sealing his legacy as a coward the same way mayweather did. the fans need a fighter who is a true warrior that they can look up to.

Well, I for one look up to Calzaghe as a boxer, he's been the best from the UK of my adult life. You might call him a coward, but really how familiar are you with his career? Remember, before he got onto your radar he spent years as a young champion, before anyone, even he I would imagine, knew how good he was, defending against all kinds of different fighters, and towards the end of his career taking on and beating first the guys who were supposed to be younger and better in Lacy and Kessler, and then the American LHW champion. You may say Hopkins was old, but bottom line is he had the belt, not someone else, and I'm sure Joe would have faced whoever it was. Who would have been more credible?

Also, I'm going to take a guess you are a Margarito fan, and I bet you look up to him? Well I like Margarito too, but would you really say he's been in with guys of the same quality as Joe has? I don't think he has, but I bet you look up to him anyway.

[abadger]

thats fine, if he doesent care, neither do i

if he fights RJJ i'll watch it on sopcast

**** dude, thats up to you. No-one's trying to force you to like the guy!

[Dynamite Kid]

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.

great post

[abadger]

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.

It's not really a matter of "being fine with it", I for one would have LOVED to see him take on Pavlik, but I think at the end of the day this notion that he has to fight Pavlik is based on wildly overestimating the value of fighters from the US. As I've mentioned before, both Lacy and Kessler were in very similar positions to the one Pavlik is in now, Joe beat them both and now they are both written off as worthless wins. This isn't bias it's the truth. What on earth makes Pavlik any different than these two?

As for talking about "imposing a deadline on his retirement", let me ask you what is the alternative? Going on fighting every single boxer the fans ever attribute with a chance of beating him? I'll tell you something, that list is never ending. Every fighter has to retire sometime, and to disparage Joe for wanting to go out on his own terms instead of taking that one fight too many smacks to me of someone who is waiting for him to fail, and not only that, but wanting him too.

[Boofdatruth]

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.

People love 40Cal, so for you to think people aren't happy, is your personal opinion. People felt like that if he hadn't taken on kessler at one time. When he beat kessler, his fans adored him. They will never forget 40Cal. British fans see their man as a warrior, and nothing less. Fans are giving up on him because a couple of you American fans are pissed off he didn't face Pav. Are you Pav fans jumping off the bandwagon because Pav has yet to answer kessler?. Please! Fighters make offers to other fighters all of the time. Be happy 40Cal even took the time to answer the press. Arum and Warren are good friends, so if the fight can be made, it will. Pav fans cackling and calling 40Cal a coward is comical. lol

[Kris Silver]

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.

Your not bias, you actually like a few brits, lol, just a lucky few, wow nice of you. Think you may have exposed some of your own bias there, whilst ironically trying to seem the opposite. I'm not bias, I actually like a few yanks, I would never say that. Slipping up saying you like a few (minority) of such and such, exposes your true inner critique/dislike of the majority.

The problem I and many have, especially of late, is with the obsessively trying at every opportunity, to undermine and put down, nit pick at a great active boxer. Why actively exaggerate the cons, minimise the pro's, subjectively invent stuff, and often try to put it off as fact? There trademarks of being jealous, bias and cynical.

Of the fighters you list, if Hops is so shot how come he beat Tarver and Winky Wright in the last few years? How comes he's still p4p, and seen as a tight match for Kessler and many others at the top level?

How comes on Joe Lacy is conveniently scrapped to the side as overrated, but is still #5 in the SMW division, and seen as a decent fight for Taylor?

Kessler is a top level fighter, and hopefully he'll go on to beat some so called names in Hops and or Pavlik to show remaining cynics this. Hopefully Pavlik as how would Kelly beat Joe when he can't beat Kessler.

Kelly's taylor made for Calzaghe and he's not been ducked, Joes at the end of his career and for once has a choice in his career, he always said RJJ was his 1st preference. Having just beaten Tito he has the style more likely to trouble him, and it'll be a great fight.

When dissing Joe now it's increasingly difficult to not be seen as having double standards. Often because those whom he's beaten are then pitched as good fights for another top boxer, or another boxer does the same thing he has. Ppl want Joe to face more and more fighters to prove themselves to them, when infact it's probably impossible. Some are setting an oddly high benchmark for him to be top level in they're eyes, whilst at the same time already saying those with less proven records like Pavlik are already top level and respected more for often subjective reasons. This is a biased double standard and why Calzaghe cannot win with some ppl.

Joe is a top elite active boxer, #1 at 2 weight divisions, favored by most within the sport, and fans of the sport alike as #1 in both, and better than most if not all in those divisions. Yet some of those same ppl he's pitched as being better than, are given a lot more credit and respect than Joe, often to levels indifferent with being balanced and reasonable.

[abadger]

Your not bias, you actually like a few brits, lol, just a lucky few, wow nice of you. Think you may have exposed some of your own bias there, whilst ironically trying to seem the opposite. I'm not bias, I actually like a few yanks, I would never say that. Slipping up saying you like a few (minority) of such and such, exposes your true inner critique/dislike of the majority.

The problem I and many have, especially of late, is with the obsessively trying at every opportunity, to undermine and put down, nit pick at a great active boxer. Why actively exaggerate the cons, minimise the pro's, subjectively invent stuff, and often try to put it off as fact? There trademarks of being jealous, bias and cynical.

Of the fighters you list, if Hops is so shot how come he beat Tarver and Winky Wright in the last few years? How comes he's still p4p, and seen as a tight match for Kessler and many others?

How comes on Joe Lacy is conveniently scrapped to the side as overrated, but is still #5 in the SMW division, and seen as a decent fight for Taylor?

Kessler is a top level fighter, and hopefully he'll go on to beat some so called names in Hops and or Pavlik to show remaining cynics this. Hopefully Pavlik as how would Kelly beat Joe when he can't beat Kessler.

Kelly's taylor made for Calzaghe and he's not been ducked, Joes at the end of his career and for once has a choice in his career, he always said RJJ was his 1st preference. Having just beaten Tito he has the style more likely to trouble him, and it'll be a great fight.

When dissing Joe now it's increasingly difficult to not be seen as having double standards. Often because those whom he's beaten are then pitched as good fights for another top boxer, or another boxer does the same thing he has. Ppl want Joe to face more and more fighters to prove themselves to them, when infact it's probably impossible, they're setting an oddly high benchmark for him to be top level in they're eyes, whilst at the same time already saying those with less proven records like Pavlik are already top level. This is a biased double standard and why Calzaghe cannot win with some ppl.

Joe is a top elite active boxer, #1 at 2 weight divisions, favored by most within the sport, and fans alike as #1 in both, and better than many in and around it whom oddly get more respect. That's how it is.

See now. I make all those posts and what happens? KrisSilver comes in and says it way better.

****er.

[Mr. Philadel]

Every great champion cares about his legacy!