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A lot has been written about Joe Calzaghe’s decision to fight Roy Jones Junior. It will most probably be Calzaghe’s last fight in a long and illustrious career. The Italian Dragon or Pride of Wales has fought 45 times. Defending a version of the Super Middleweight title in 23 bouts Calzaghe recently moved up and captured the linear light heavy weight title on his debut at the weight. Calzaghe has held the W.B.A, W.B.O, W.B.C and I.B.F belts at one time or another unifying the division and being declared the Ring Magazines champion. At the time of writing this article Boxrec.com ranks Calzaghe as the pound for pound best in boxing today after the retirement of Floyd Mayweather Junior..
Yet a number of writers on various sites on the internet in articles are calling Calzaghe for taking the Jones Jr fight over a fight with middleweight rising start Kelly Pavlik. There’s no doubt that at this stage in his career a fight with Pavlik would pose a much harder test and bigger risk than the aging, faded former pound for pound great Jones Jr. However comments that Calzaghe is running scared are a joke. On two occasions in recent years Calzaghe has took on and beat the supposed ‘next big thing’ in Jeff ‘Left Hook’ Lacey and the ‘Viking Warrior’ Mikkel Kessler. I think some writers have very short memories. I can remember nobody giving Calzaghe a chance against Lacey prior to Calzaghe taking him to school and completely embarrassing him. ‘The next Tyson’ was a statement that was banded around about Lacey before getting his battering. Some learnt their lesson from this and Calzaghe did start slight favorite against the very capable Kessler. But once again Calzaghe prevailed using his speed and experience to outpoint the Danish superstar. Lacey seems to have lost his way but Kessler will go on to better things. I think in years to come maybe when Kessler gets another shot and reigns as world champion we’ll appreciate how impressive Calzaghe’s win over him was. I don’t think there would be much to choose from in a fight between Kessler and Pavlik.
Calzaghe has fought 4 reigning champions and 4 former world champions putting his career on the line in each of these fights. In all of these fights he stepped up to the plate and come out the other side still unbeaten and champion of the world. He is now 36 and you have to question how much more he has left in the tank. You don’t know a fighter has lost it until it is exposed in the ring. With names like Eubank, Hopkins, Kessler and Lacey on his resume I really don’t see what major difference Pavlik’s would make. He’d earn less money than he would against Jones Jr and get less exposure. Yet the way some people are speaking you would think that Calzaghe’s career is a sham unless he fights Pavlik. I think people should give him a break. He has given enough to the sport since turning pro 15 years ago to be able to pick up a big pay day, in front of a big crowd against an all time great in his last fight. Jones Jr and Hopkins now need him more than he needs them. They avoided him for years and so did the pay days they would have brought with them. Now they need him to prove they still have it at the very top, and you can’t blame Calzaghe for taking what he should have been given years ago. I could understand it more if Calzaghe was saying he was not retiring any time soon and blatantly avoided Pavlik for years but he has public stated this will be his last fight. Pavlik has just come too late.
I can’t help think that the same writers who are making negative comments about Calzaghe would be the same writers who were Calzaghe to beat Pavlik would come out and say he needs to beat Arthur Abraham before he retires to really prove himself. Pavlik is the future of boxing. There are plenty of big fights out there for him. The middleweight and super middle weight divisions are particularly strong at the minute. The likes of Abraham, Miranda, Froch, Kessler, Bute, Inkin and Taylor will fill the void left by Calzaghe, Jones Jr and Hopkins. Let’s enjoy the Calzaghe Jones Junior fight. Lets make the most of Calzaghe while we can and I’ll debate who was batter, Calzaghe or Pavlik with those critics in 10 years time when Pavlik is the longest reigning world champion retiring unbeaten.
Yet a number of writers on various sites on the internet in articles are calling Calzaghe for taking the Jones Jr fight over a fight with middleweight rising start Kelly Pavlik. There’s no doubt that at this stage in his career a fight with Pavlik would pose a much harder test and bigger risk than the aging, faded former pound for pound great Jones Jr. However comments that Calzaghe is running scared are a joke. On two occasions in recent years Calzaghe has took on and beat the supposed ‘next big thing’ in Jeff ‘Left Hook’ Lacey and the ‘Viking Warrior’ Mikkel Kessler. I think some writers have very short memories. I can remember nobody giving Calzaghe a chance against Lacey prior to Calzaghe taking him to school and completely embarrassing him. ‘The next Tyson’ was a statement that was banded around about Lacey before getting his battering. Some learnt their lesson from this and Calzaghe did start slight favorite against the very capable Kessler. But once again Calzaghe prevailed using his speed and experience to outpoint the Danish superstar. Lacey seems to have lost his way but Kessler will go on to better things. I think in years to come maybe when Kessler gets another shot and reigns as world champion we’ll appreciate how impressive Calzaghe’s win over him was. I don’t think there would be much to choose from in a fight between Kessler and Pavlik.
Calzaghe has fought 4 reigning champions and 4 former world champions putting his career on the line in each of these fights. In all of these fights he stepped up to the plate and come out the other side still unbeaten and champion of the world. He is now 36 and you have to question how much more he has left in the tank. You don’t know a fighter has lost it until it is exposed in the ring. With names like Eubank, Hopkins, Kessler and Lacey on his resume I really don’t see what major difference Pavlik’s would make. He’d earn less money than he would against Jones Jr and get less exposure. Yet the way some people are speaking you would think that Calzaghe’s career is a sham unless he fights Pavlik. I think people should give him a break. He has given enough to the sport since turning pro 15 years ago to be able to pick up a big pay day, in front of a big crowd against an all time great in his last fight. Jones Jr and Hopkins now need him more than he needs them. They avoided him for years and so did the pay days they would have brought with them. Now they need him to prove they still have it at the very top, and you can’t blame Calzaghe for taking what he should have been given years ago. I could understand it more if Calzaghe was saying he was not retiring any time soon and blatantly avoided Pavlik for years but he has public stated this will be his last fight. Pavlik has just come too late.
I can’t help think that the same writers who are making negative comments about Calzaghe would be the same writers who were Calzaghe to beat Pavlik would come out and say he needs to beat Arthur Abraham before he retires to really prove himself. Pavlik is the future of boxing. There are plenty of big fights out there for him. The middleweight and super middle weight divisions are particularly strong at the minute. The likes of Abraham, Miranda, Froch, Kessler, Bute, Inkin and Taylor will fill the void left by Calzaghe, Jones Jr and Hopkins. Let’s enjoy the Calzaghe Jones Junior fight. Lets make the most of Calzaghe while we can and I’ll debate who was batter, Calzaghe or Pavlik with those critics in 10 years time when Pavlik is the longest reigning world champion retiring unbeaten.
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