Calzaghe Haters: What Is It You Don't Like?

[Kris Silver]

At the end of the day, the majority of the public, and boxing fans favoured the brilliant, Tyson esk Lacy against Calzaghe, and he got whooped and out skilled, boxed in every way possible, couldn't win a round. I don't care if people conveniently say he was over rated, he's still #5 in the Ring Ratings so is pretty decent, and possibly gona face Taylor with many saying it'd be close.

So to call Calzaghe overated and just a good boxer is totally ridiculous and flawed, sorry.

I believe it's a combination of things;

He's not American, he's only just fought in America this year after over a decade. So he wasn't that well known in America, now to be p4p #2 after only just fighting there and many only just really being that exposed to him, he's clearly seen as very overated as the mentality is, why didn't we know much about him before. Far easier to say, because he isn't that good rather than say, oh, I've been ignorant.

He didn't fight the names like Johnson, Jones, Hopkins (through no fault of his own). When Hops finally didn't back out of a fight and did, Calzaghe beats him and Hops is, too old and past it. Yet he was LHW #1, and coming of wins against greats like Winky Wright and Tarver. Jones is another, he's willing to fight Joe only now when they're both past theyre prime, and it's Roy whom is massively past it, a big exaggeration.

He isn't a big puncher. He does sometimes slap.

He's supposedly ducked Pavlik, when in reality he only spoke out about Pavlik because he wasnt afraid of him, was considering him, but stuck to his #1 preference of Roy.

He's not got a massive personality, or a big talker.

None of these things sit well with the American public, some are partially valid, but even then grossly exaggerated. A fighter doesn't get to p4p #6, then 2, by being just good, sorry.

[abadger]

You're trying to make it sound like a Pernell Whitaker-esque thing. Pernell's superior defense and boxing skills during his prime weren't as appriciated as they are now.

Calzaghe is nowhere near that. I appriciate Calzaghe as much as I appriciate John Ruiz. One clinches & holds and the other slaps but they're both effective at it and have some decent wins. That's as far as it goes.

Sweet Science or the unappricated art of pugilism......I don't think so.

No, I'm not trying to make it sound like Pernell Whitaker, since they are completely different boxers, with skills in different areas.

You are trying to discredit my argument by bringing up a fighter who you believe to be more skilled than Calzaghe, and I agree with you that he is. That does not mean that Calzaghe himself is not technically skilled. I would go so far as to say that Calzaghe is one of the most technically skilled fighters in boxing, certainly around his weight class. Calzaghe's critics seem to have no problem appreciating the subtle skillset of movement, distance and timing when it belongs to Bernard Hopkins, but it seems that their ability
to analyse a fighter disappears when it comes to Calzaghe, and all we hear about is slaps.

[abadger]

Not always but in most cases.

Not knowing about a boxer is never a justification for dismissing him. No valid opinion can be informed without knowledge.

[abadger]

Im not a hater and i dont troll against him but i dont like him. Mainly his messy style, slaps and crappy flurrys piss me off but thats not all, theres something else about the guy i just dont like.

What, if you had to put your finger on it, would you say that is?

[rizkybizness]

I don't like Calzaghe cuz he isnt scandalous like Tyson. There, i said it.

I'd start favoring him in fights if pictures surface of him snorting ******* off a crossdressing ********** midget's *******.

[abadger]

At the end of the day, the majority of the public, and boxing fans favoured the brilliant, Tyson esk Lacy against Calzaghe, and he got whooped and out skilled, boxed in every way possible, couldn't win a round. I don't care if people conveniently say he was over rated, he's still #5 in the Ring Ratings so is pretty decent, and possibly gona face Taylor with many saying it'd be close.

So to call Calzaghe overated and just a good boxer is totally ridiculous and flawed, sorry.

I believe it's a combination of things;

He's not American, he's only just fought in America this year after over a decade. So he wasn't that well known in America, now to be p4p #2 after only just fighting there and many only just really being that exposed to him, he's clearly seen as very overated as the mentality is, why didn't we know much about him before. Far easier to say, because he isn't that good rather than say, oh, I've been ignorant.

He didn't fight the names like Johnson, Jones, Hopkins (through no fault of his own). When Hops finally didn't back out of a fight and did, Calzaghe beats him and Hops is, too old and past it. Yet he was LHW #1, and coming of wins against greats like Winky Wright and Tarver. Jones is another, he's willing to fight Joe only now when they're both past theyre prime, and it's Roy whom is massively past it, a big exaggeration.

He isn't a big puncher. He does sometimes slap.

He's supposedly ducked Pavlik, when in reality he only spoke out about Pavlik because he wasnt afraid of him, was considering him, but stuck to his #1 preference of Roy.

He's not got a massive personality, or a big talker.

None of these things sit well with the American public, some are partially valid, but even then grossly exaggerated. A fighter doesn't get to p4p #6, then 2, by being just good, sorry.

Yes, I can see that it must be kind of surprising for the American public to have a guy appear in the P4P lists if they'd never heard of him before, but really Joe had been champ at 168 for a long time and boxing fans ought to have a damn good idea about him really.

The majority opinion in this thread seem to say it's his slapping punching style they don't like, but this really seems a weak reason to dislike a boxer to me.

[abadger]

I don't like Calzaghe cuz he isnt scandalous like Tyson. There, i said it.

I'd start favoring him in fights if pictures surface of him snorting ******* off a crossdressing ********** midget's *******.

To be honest, thats the best reason anyone's given so far!

[Briandl]

Abraham showed that all you have to do to be liked is go out and win in spectacular fashion, nobody cares where you are from when you do that.

I for one don't like Calzaghes slapping style, and the fact that he's trying to make himself look good by fighting guys past their prime.

I also didn't like that stoppage against Manfredo, I know it wasn't his fault but I doubt he said much against it...

[The Surgeon]

What, if you had to put your finger on it, would you say that is?

Well like i said its MAINLY the slapping but im really not sure, im brittish so it aint that, dunno just little things mabey like when he wiggled around behind Hopkins which is totally unfair because i love it when a roy jones showboats!

[Kris Silver]

Abraham showed that all you have to do to be liked is go out and win in spectacular fashion, nobody cares where you are from when you do that.

I for one don't like Calzaghes slapping style, and the fact that he's trying to make himself look good by fighting guys past their prime.

I also didn't like that stoppage against Manfredo, I know it wasn't his fault but I doubt he said much against it...

He did win in spectacular fashion against Lacy, when most favored that he would not, and would lose. That was more of a boxing lesson then Abraham put on, he just used good defence and some hard shots. He's a big hitter whereas Calzaghe isn't, which was on my list or reasons as to why many aren't so impressed by him.

The cynical side sets in on Manfredo aswell, either way he was getting embarassed, 10 more seconds it probably woulda been ridiculous and a fairer TKO. And Joe did say it was probably to early a stoppage actually.