Jones, Hopkins, and Calzaghe do not have bad resumes

[warp1432]

A lot of misconception on here is that Roy Jones, Bernard Hopkins, and Joe Calzaghe dominated their main weight class due to "weak competition" What the hell defines a strong weightclass? Granted I wouldn't argue that the 90s Middleweights-Light heavies are better then today's welterweights, but they were still solid weight classes.

Let's go over what usually makes an exicting a division:
-At least someone on the pound for pound list
- Fighters moving up in weight and joining that weight class (but apperently as soon as they are beaten they were blown up)
-Exciting fighters
-Fighters that get a lot of hype
-Fighters that just come up short, but still provide tough and interesting bouts (IE: The Rocky Juraez's and the Jose Navarro's)
-Regraded prospects


Middleweight, Super Middleweight, and Light Heavyweight were missing some of these, but let's make it clear why these divisions weren't regraded as that exciting.

THEY ALL HAD DOMINANT CHAMPIONS.

When you have a dominant champion (IE: Jones, Calzaghe, Hopkins) and they face most of the top contenders, it's not going to seem like much because the contenders didn't get a chance to prove themselves like in other divisions where contenders fight other contenders and then face the champion.

The middleweight division for instance, Hopkins was making such dominant performances against good solid opposition, but they weren't hyped so they are overshadowed.

Like take Omar Shieka, Antwon Echols, Clinton Woods. All these guys were good prospects and personally I think very good wins for them, but they are overshadowed because they weren't hyped.

Former champions like Keith Holmes, Charles Brewer, Reggie Johnson go unnoticed on their resumes too.

Beating all the top contenders if your division like Hopkins, Calzaghe (minus Ottke, but he wouldn't fight him), and Jones (minus DM) did is really respectable to me. Making a lot of defenses against actually top ranked people (not like Chris John, Zsolt Erdei, and Omar Navarez) should be more respected.

Middleweights-Light heavyweights were a really underrated division with some good people in it and Jones, Hopkins, Calzaghe were able to rack up title defenses against the top people in that division. That earns my respect.

[ИATAS]

good post. All three deserve praise for their accomplishments.

[warp1432]

I think this could be said with other people too. Like Louis, Holmes, and even Wlad.

[2501 v2.0]

All are or will be legends whether some immature and ignorant fans like it or not.

[The Monk]

This is what really annoys me about NSB. Here we have a great post that could ignite a discussion about the resumes of three boxers who are hated and loved in equal measure, but sadly it gets largely ignored whereas a topic about an internet group can get countless replies. I could have sworn this was a boxing forum...Anyway, onto the topic at hand.

I am in agreement with you Warp. The three fighters you have named have shown domination in their respective weight classes which i'm not sure we'll see again for a while. All three recieve a lot of criticism on this board and undoubtedly you can pick holes in each of their resumes, but it is possible to do that with every boxer in History. The way I look at it is that you can't win with some people and no matter who you beat people will always find a way to criticise you.

IMO, all three are modern greats and in a decade or so people will look back on all three and realise that the dominance that they showed was not always given the credit it should have been given.

[DiegoFuego]

Disagree about Calzaghe. His resume could be attained by a lot of guys if they stayed in Europe and waited til their only opposition got old

[warp1432]

Calzaghe has a lot of good people on his resume. I don't think he really avoided anyone and fought top competition in that weightclass. If I had to say someone he should have fought, but didn't it was glen johnson, but this was before Johnson KOd Jones.

Calzaghe fought americans too like Charles Brewer and Byron Mitchell. He looked great in both performances too.

[Silencers]

They all have solid resumes.

[Clegg]

You say that Hopkins and Calzaghe were dominant champions.

Hopkins won the IBF belt in 1995, and had his first unification fight in 2001.
Calzaghe won the WBO belt in 1997, and had his first unification fight in 2006.

What made them dominant during the years inbetween?

[warp1432]

You say that Hopkins and Calzaghe were dominant champions.

Hopkins won the IBF belt in 1995, and had his first unification fight in 2001.
Calzaghe won the WBO belt in 1997, and had his first unification fight in 2006.

What made them dominant during the years inbetween?

By the fact they racked up countless title defenses against top contenders that were in the divsion.

Calzaghe had many oppurtunties to have unification, but ****** Ottke kept getting gifts and preventing it. Like Robin Reid was the WBC champ, then bam robbed. Byron Mitchell should have been the IBF champ.

Hopkins went on to face all the other title holders at the time anyway except for the WBO champ. Kind of like Hasegawa in the bantamweight division. He's not unified, but he's making the best defenses out there.