Why Calzaghe deserves more respect around here.

**ALT-Assassin** · 08-02-2008, 07:34 AM

Originally posted by .Mik.

Hear me out.

I'm not saying that Calzaghe is the best fighter on the face of the planet, nor am I saying that he could not have done more with his career, nor am I saying that he's the greatest fighter of all time. He should've done more, he should've proven his abilities. He should've gone to America and he should've faced higher opposition earlier, taking a knock in money and home advantage for legacy.

HOWEVER, there are so many posts on here about how he is overrated, how he deserves no respect, how he is a bum, how he is a coward, how he would get exposed etc etc. Lets put this straight...

Out of the top guys in and around his division, if we were to put it to vote on an admittedly American-bias (and fair enough, there are more of them around) forum, who would win in a bout out of them and Calzaghe, not a single one of them would get the majority of votes over Joe. But there is a discrepancy between expectations and respect.

Bernard Hopkins
Kelly Pavlik
Roy Jones Jnr
Chad Dawson
Glen Johnson
Antonio Tarver
Jermaine Taylor
Mikkel Kessler
Anthony Mundine
Lucian Bute

Not a single one of them would take anywhere near 50% of the vote against Calzaghe and while he doesnt deserve credit for beating them (because he hasnt) he does at least deserve for the respect that you're showing him in suggesting that he would, to be demonstrated on this forum. If you cannot name a single fighter around his division, the one above and the one below that you could get a majority to agree would beat him, then you've got a ****ing top top fighter there, NOT an 'over-rated euro limey f.a.g bum'.

I respect him and his accomplishments.It is just fun to joke about his fighting style.

**.Mik.** · 08-02-2008, 07:38 AM

His style is awkward to watch and its embarrassing at times with the wide way he hooks his punches and also the fact that he has to take a lot of the **** out of his shots. However, its also exhilirating to watch with his hand-speed sometimes and the fact that he ALWAYS puts himself into danger creates an exciting fight. Too much importance is put into style, whereas the result is the most important thing, particularly when Calzaghe creates exciting fights (most of the time) and gets the result (all of the time). Too much importance is put into knockouts too. The fact that Calzaghe has had to adapt due to being unable to utilize the power he had in his younger days should be considered impressive, he now has to win the entire fight every time, rather than just the single instant where he knocks his opponent out.

**theghost#1** · 08-02-2008, 07:49 AM

Originally posted by .Mik.

Hear me out.

I'm not saying that Calzaghe is the best fighter on the face of the planet, nor am I saying that he could not have done more with his career, nor am I saying that he's the greatest fighter of all time. He should've done more, he should've proven his abilities. He should've gone to America and he should've faced higher opposition earlier, taking a knock in money and home advantage for legacy.

HOWEVER, there are so many posts on here about how he is overrated, how he deserves no respect, how he is a bum, how he is a coward, how he would get exposed etc etc. Lets put this straight...

Out of the top guys in and around his division, if we were to put it to vote on an admittedly American-bias (and fair enough, there are more of them around) forum, who would win in a bout out of them and Calzaghe, not a single one of them would get the majority of votes over Joe. But there is a discrepancy between expectations and respect.

Bernard Hopkins
Kelly Pavlik
Roy Jones Jnr
Chad Dawson
Glen Johnson
Antonio Tarver
Jermaine Taylor
Mikkel Kessler
Anthony Mundine
Lucian Bute

Not a single one of them would take anywhere near 50% of the vote against Calzaghe and while he doesnt deserve credit for beating them (because he hasnt) he does at least deserve for the respect that you're showing him in suggesting that he would, to be demonstrated on this forum. If you cannot name a single fighter around his division, the one above and the one below that you could get a majority to agree would beat him, then you've got a ****ing top top fighter there, NOT an 'over-rated euro limey f.a.g bum'.

Joe is an awesome fighter with great handspeed, footspeed, skills, the only thing about joe is lately he been slapping with his punches, But after breaking your hand about 8 times it's pretty understandable why he slap with his punches. Some people don't remember when he was considered heavyhanded like I do. You have to remember that there is a lot of immature posters around here that love talking ****. Joe would be the favorite against anybody in the world right now including Pavlik, Jones, Dawson, Etc, And that bothers his haters. If he beats Jones like he should and beats Pavlik, I think he wil go down as a legend, And probably the best British fighter ever. The last time Joe lost a fight Milli Vanilli was on top of the billboard charts back in his amatuer days.

**Chunk..** · 08-02-2008, 07:52 AM

Calzaghe has nothing to prove. He is not overrated at all. People just don't like him because they view his technique as "sloppy", or think he's only fought cans.

Calzaghe does not have sloppy technique. It's boxing, you hit, get out, and hit again. It's not some flowery bull**** where everything has to look nice (although, fluidity and flow are very important). His speed is maddening. Very good power in his hands. He just knows how to win. As for the fact why he has not fought Taylor, Prime Roy, Wright, etc... different weight classes. Why should he have to cut weight or move up? why not have those guys step up in weight to meet him instead?

**Kris Silver** · 08-02-2008, 08:18 AM

Originally posted by Chunk

Calzaghe has nothing to prove. He is not overrated at all. People just don't like him because they view his technique as "sloppy", or think he's only fought cans.

Calzaghe does not have sloppy technique. It's boxing, you hit, get out, and hit again. It's not some flowery bull**** where everything has to look nice (although, fluidity and flow are very important). His speed is maddening. Very good power in his hands. He just knows how to win. As for the fact why he has not fought Taylor, Prime Roy, Wright, etc... different weight classes. Why should he have to cut weight or move up? why not have those guys step up in weight to meet him instead?

Well put Chunk. Miks making a welcome point in that there's too many folk accusing obvious top level boxers of being bums or fighting bums, not being elite etc. All to often if someone's supported the guy whom has lost, and the guy whom won was not a big name in there radar 5 years ago, they get on the hate train and spurt words like overate and not great.

That's what Mik was saying in another thread in a broader statement, and I totally agree. A lot of people struggle to be objective and complimentary about a fighter they ultimately refuse to like or support.

It gets on my **** because obvious #1 guys in divisions like Calzaghe, Hatton, Haye (CW), and many others are clearly great and talented fighters, there's no one better than them in their divisions you twurps.

Plus boxers whom are clearly #2 like Abraham and Kessler aren't complimented for working to that position, and calls of "haven't been tested or fought big names" are made. Sometimes ppl just pick at any possible thing to try to discredit someone. Even when it's obvious by the ratings and history there at the top level, they refuse to accept it and exaggerate as to the differences in ability to ridiculous proportions.

**abadger** · 08-02-2008, 08:48 AM

Funny this post should appear now. I watched some fights from Joe's prime last night and I'd actually forgotten what he used to be like. At his best, after he got over his very early hand injuries, he was a real monster. Best way to describe him would be a talented brawler. He could box, sure, but more often than not was happy just to try and blast them out of there. Not only that, but he posessed, deadly accuracy, which combined with his speed and variety made him simply far too good for most of the opponents he faced. A few people on here would really have their eyes opened if they watched Calzaghe between say Sheika and Mitchell.

As for why Calzaghe hasn't got the respect that someone of his stature normally would, there are a few reasons. First of all he spent 24 months immediately after beating Reid suffering from elbow and hand injuries and turned in some pretty poor performances, some of which were broadcast on Showtime. He didn't catch on in Britain with these efforts so I imagine he turned America off. After he recovered from the injuries, and was boxing well he still seemed to struggle to find a meaningful opponent, with more than one late substitute coming in instead of a decent American name. He and Ottke were dominating the division at the time too, so even when he did beat a good American (Sheika, Brewer, Mitchell) they weren't exactly household names. Doubtless though this period did earn him a bit more respect, as he had some good performances on US TV, but a much talked about fight with Hopkins never came off, and Jones couldn't be made because of TV contracts.

Immediately after this period, Calzaghe went into another so-so one, with average performances against average boxers like Salem and Ashira. When he should have been taking on the world he was back to fighting nobodies and not even looking that good doing it. He also started to get bad injuries again. At this point he looked like a fighter in decline, who was finishing out his career against cans because he couldn't beat the best. I think the truth is he probably should have moved to LHW by now where fights with Johnson and Woods would certainly have been makeable, and we can probably blame Warren for that. This slump was what contributed so strongly to the perception that Lacy would beat him, but the rest is history. Joe says he wasn't motivated for his late career fights and considering what happened to Lacy and Kessler, we should probably believe him. He was certainly lucky that Lacy and Kessler did come along though, or he might have been remembered as at best a wasted talent.

His whole career is basically a story of being in the wrong place at the wrong time, until very recently. Credit to him though, because when he finally did get his chance, he took it with both hands.

**Joe2608** · 08-02-2008, 08:48 AM

Calzaghe is very underated on this forum, mostly because he is not American. Brits never get the credit they deserve from the American's and i don't know why, i give lots of credit to fighters than are not from my country and never call any fighter an "overated hype job". Calzaghe's hand speed is amazing and his boxing skills are just a pleasure to watch. His power is highly underrated too because apparently he "slaps" but if he slapped then he wouldn't have 32 KO's on his record and he wouldn't have got by people like Kessler and Hopkins by "slapping" because they both have great chins and would have just walked straight through his punches.

**.Mik.** · 08-02-2008, 08:53 AM

I just think that its weird that people can say stuff like:

Yeah, I guess he'd beat him, yeah him too, yeah in fact I'd make him favourite to beat pretty much everyone in his division, the one below and the one above his division...but he's still an overrated bum. Joe isnt claiming he's the best of all time, he never has. He's the best at the moment though.

**Check** · 08-02-2008, 08:55 AM

Who cares about fake ass polls. Real champs prove it in the ring not on fan polls. Till then Joe gets **** from me. So if some fan poll makes you happy thats up to you but then your no better than floyds legacy. peace.

Why Calzaghe deserves more respect around here.