Roy is NOT shot

[hishaam15]

Roy's only chance, and I mean his only chance, is if he jumps Zaggs early, before he gets warmed up and into a rythem. He has to let 'em go like he hasn't done for 5 or 6 years. If he does this, and gets more than a little lucky, he might catch Zaggs with that magic punch and hurt him enough to get a stoppage. Roy, for all his current drawbacks, still has fast, accurate hands, with decent power, plenty to get the job done. The only time Calzaghe has ever been down is early, so that's when he's got to do it. If the fight goes 4 rounds, it'll be too late and the die will have been cast. Roy can't throw at Calzaghe's pace for 12 rounds, or even 8, in my opinion, and Calzaghe will start hitting his sweet spot after the 4th, and will probably win by 7 maybe 8 rounds if he doesn't stop Joe before that.

Now then, of course this strategy comes with a huge drawback....if Roy does try for the KO early, he'll be too spent to keep a defense late, and will probably (almost certainly, in my opinion) end up being TKO'd himself, but then there are always drawbacks to every plan.

If I were Roy, I'd ****ing go for it. Like I said on another thread, better to go out in a blaze of glory with a reasonable chance of becoming a legend a second time around than to go out with a whimper in a lopsided decision against an opponent who's younger and has a bigger gas tank.

if i were Roy i would come in with he stategy of staying in the centre of the ring, reducing calzaghes workrate, and making all of calzaghes punches hit the arms and gloves, the NY judges wont give him the rounds for that. then when the last 30 seconds of the round come, do just enough to steal the round from calzaghe. boring for the fans i know, but a winning strategy nevertheless. tarver did it against jones in their first encounter, and managed to steal many rounds

[Pugilistic™]

I wouldn't say he's shot but he is past his prime no doubt.

[WESS]

The concept of Roy being shot is a strange one. He was so fast that you have to ask how old he would have to be just to get back down to normal human levels. However, I do think he is finished as far as as elite level goes, its no great mystery, he just has the look of an old fighter now. My gut is telling me that he's going to look really bad against Calzaghe. Everyone in America drastically underrates Calzaghe and I think Roy is no exception. Joe's style is unique and I think most of his opponents have only realised how tough it is to handle once they get in the ring with him.

Fair points, but I don't underestimate Joe. Just because I don't choose him to win doesn't mean I underestimate him. I pointed out his strengths and they have proven to be great ones. IMO all he has is his work rate and endurance in this fight. This is nothing I over looked and I don't think Jones has either.

Point being, Jones is up against a guy that can flurry little shots to "wow" the judges. Jones is somewhat shy when in with a SOLID puncher. You and many others have stated Joe's hands are not the same. I agree. His hands are shot to **** and will only commit when pissed off and when doing so he will be countered by Jones. I still dont see him FULLY commiting though.

I think "people" are seriously underrating the 39 year old Jones. I doubt VERY seriously he will look bad by anything Joe attempts to throw his way. Jones can STILL take a punch, especially from a guy that one could consider not even a REAL puncher now a days.

You with me or no?

Don't get me wrong I'm not saying in anyway that jones will KILL Joe or Joe will KILL Jones. It will be a VERY tough fight for both aging guys......

[hishaam15]

Fair points, but I don't underestimate Joe. Just because I don't choose him to win doesn't mean I underestimate him. I pointed out his strengths and they have proven to be great ones. IMO all he has is his work rate and endurance in this fight. This is nothing I over looked and I don't think Jones has either.

Point being, Jones is up against a guy that can flurry little shots to "wow" the judges. Jones is somewhat shy when in with a SOLID puncher. You and many others have stated Joe's hands are not the same. I agree. His hands are shot to **** and will only commit when pissed off and when doing so he will be countered by Jones. I still dont see him FULLY commiting though.

I think "people" are seriously underrating the 39 year old Jones. I doubt VERY seriously he will look bad by anything Joe attempts to throw his way. Jones can STILL take a punch, especially from a guy that one could consider not even a REAL puncher now a days.

You with me or no?

Don't get me wrong I'm not saying in anyway that jones will KILL Joe or Joe will KILL Jones. It will be a VERY tough fight for both aging guys......

hopefully a V entertaining fight too

[MindBat]

How I see it?

After Roy's heavyweight win against Ruiz, he sealed his legacy in the sport.

Joe has sealed his legacy in the boxing history books as well.

What makes this fight intriguing is the fact that two legends, who could have met in the ring while in their primes, will now be facing each other more for pride rather than to prove their merit.

My Fast Facts:

Roy is a multi-weight and multi-title champion.
More known for his speed, slickness, and intelligent boxing skills.
Has been knocked down and out, albeit unnecessarily.
Not the same as in his prime, but not entirely washed up.
Has a decent chance at knocking Calzaghe out.

Joe is a long time reigning champion in Britain.
Known for his ring smarts, speed and stamina.
Not in his prime, but fresher than Roy physically.
Has been sent to the canvass by another legend in Hopkins.
Has a decent chance at knocking Jones out.

To me, it'll come down to who wants to win more and for what reasons.

If this will be each others' last fight of their careers, neither one will want to end it on a losing footnote, and we may just see a fight of the ages with both fighters giving it their all in one last hurrah.

Most will lean towards Calzaghe for the win, and with good reason.

Many, including myself, still feel that Roy may be apprehensive to get into a serious brawl with Joe after suffering devastating knockout losses at the height of his career.

If Roy is all there mentally and physically for the fight, I think we'll see some fireworks in that ring from both fighters.

Hopefully it lives up to the hype.

[abadger]

Fair points, but I don't underestimate Joe. Just because I don't choose him to win doesn't mean I underestimate him. I pointed out his strengths and they have proven to be great ones. IMO all he has is his work rate and endurance in this fight. This is nothing I over looked and I don't think Jones has either.

Point being, Jones is up against a guy that can flurry little shots to "wow" the judges. Jones is somewhat shy when in with a SOLID puncher. You and many others have stated Joe's hands are not the same. I agree. His hands are shot to **** and will only commit when pissed off and when doing so he will be countered by Jones. I still dont see him FULLY commiting though.

I think "people" are seriously underrating the 39 year old Jones. I doubt VERY seriously he will look bad by anything Joe attempts to throw his way. Jones can STILL take a punch, especially from a guy that one could consider not even a REAL puncher now a days.

You with me or no?

Don't get me wrong I'm not saying in anyway that jones will KILL Joe or Joe will KILL Jones. It will be a VERY tough fight for both aging guys......

I can see why you think the way you do, but my view is that the Hopkins fight has seriously skewed the correct perception of Calzaghe's power. You have pointed out yourself, quite correctly, that Calzaghe only resorts to his windmill slaps when he goes into 'panic mode', which is to say when he feels a need to physically impose himself on his opponent. He had to do this constantly against Hopkins because Hopkins was smothering any boxing he attempted, and it wasn't very effective because rather than going backwards when it happened, Hopkins kept coming forward with the aim of clinching. Joe literally was slapping at the side of Hopkins head because Hopkins was so close to him, and he was unable to mix in the harder shots he normally does. It made him look very bad, but this has really been a one-off in Calzaghe's career, but Hopkins is a one off opponent, in every other fight Calzaghe has been able to back his man up and get in harder shots, forcing his opponent to respect him.

You only have to take a brief look at Jones to see he is not Hopkins. In the face of any serious pressure, throughout his career, Jones always goes backwards, usually to the ropes where he allows his opponent to strike at will. This will give Calzaghe plenty of opportunity to get off his harder shots. Think about it really. Would a guy who literally has no power have been able to keep Kessler at bay, or have Jeff Lacy constantly on the end of his fist, or defeat a fighter as forward only and aggressive as Sakio Bika? I don't think so. The whole 'Calzaghe has no power' thing is just hyperbole spouted by his critics. He's no one punch KO artist, sure, but who is, and he doesn't batter his opponents into submission, but does he have enough to get their respect? Of course he does.

So as I said, i do understand your thinking, but what you said really relies literally on Jones being able to walk through Calzaghe's best punches. The simple fact is that this has never been Jones' way, not in his prime and not now. He has always been a relatively cautious fighter, and that won't change. The old Jones might have been able to avoid Calzaghe while simultaneously landing plenty from range, but not any more, to land on Joe he will have to engage with him, and in those circumstances I will always favour the guy who goes forward relentlessly throwing 100+ punches a round rather than the guy who likes to go back, unless the guy going back is a top class counterpuncher (Jones isn't, at least not when under real pressure) or the guy going forward has a suspect chin (Calzaghe doesn't).

No way for me to see anything other than a Calzaghe victory I'm afraid.

[WESS]

How I see it?

After Roy's heavyweight win against Ruiz, he sealed his legacy in the sport.

Joe has sealed his legacy in the boxing history books as well.

What makes this fight intriguing is the fact that two legends, who could have met in the ring while in their primes, will now be facing each other more for pride rather than to prove their merit.

My Fast Facts:

Roy is a multi-weight and multi-title champion.
More known for his speed, slickness, and intelligent boxing skills.
Has been knocked down and out, albeit unnecessarily.
Not the same as in his prime, but not entirely washed up.
Has a decent chance at knocking Calzaghe out.

Joe is a long time reigning champion in Britain.
Known for his ring smarts, speed and stamina.
Not in his prime, but fresher than Roy physically.
Has been sent to the canvass by another legend in Hopkins.
Has a decent chance at knocking Jones out.

To me, it'll come down to who wants to win more and for what reasons.

If this will be each others' last fight of their careers, neither one will want to end it on a losing footnote, and we may just see a fight of the ages with both fighters giving it their all in one last hurrah.

Most will lean towards Calzaghe for the win, and with good reason.

Many, including myself, still feel that Roy may be apprehensive to get into a serious brawl with Joe after suffering devastating knockout losses at the height of his career.

If Roy is all there mentally and physically for the fight, I think we'll see some fireworks in that ring from both fighters.

Hopefully it lives up to the hype.

I agree. I think Roy will go TOE to TOE, punch for punch with joe simply because Joe's "punches" are of no threat to his chin that he protects a hell of a lot more now a days. I think the YOUNG and undefeated (at the time) Hanshaw hit harder than the current Joe Calzaghe. Jones took SOLID punches from him in that fight ONLY to counter him to the mat in the 11th WHILE being pressured UP AGAINST the ropes......

I think the "calzaghe bunch" should watch the fight, especially the last 2 rounds.

I know it will be a great fight and I hope they bring the best out of each other.

[TEXSTRO]

He just got spoiled by his success. He is still a good boxer. He has that hungry back again.

I think hee will give joe a good fight before falling to joes powerful punches.

Your joking right..............

[KostyaTszyu44]

roys speed and reflexes have faded quite considerably yes, but he is not shot so to speak...shot is gatti vs gomez..


i think roy still has it in him to pull out a win vs joe

[hishaam15]

I can see why you think the way you do, but my view is that the Hopkins fight has seriously skewed the correct perception of Calzaghe's power. You have pointed out yourself, quite correctly, that Calzaghe only resorts to his windmill slaps when he goes into 'panic mode', which is to say when he feels a need to physically impose himself on his opponent. He had to do this constantly against Hopkins because Hopkins was smothering any boxing he attempted, and it wasn't very effective because rather than going backwards when it happened, Hopkins kept coming forward with the aim of clinching. Joe literally was slapping at the side of Hopkins head because Hopkins was so close to him, and he was unable to mix in the harder shots he normally does. It made him look very bad, but this has really been a one-off in Calzaghe's career, but Hopkins is a one off opponent, in every other fight Calzaghe has been able to back his man up and get in harder shots, forcing his opponent to respect him.

You only have to take a brief look at Jones to see he is not Hopkins. In the face of any serious pressure, throughout his career, Jones always goes backwards, usually to the ropes where he allows his opponent to strike at will. This will give Calzaghe plenty of opportunity to get off his harder shots. Think about it really. Would a guy who literally has no power have been able to keep Kessler at bay, or have Jeff Lacy constantly on the end of his fist, or defeat a fighter as forward only and aggressive as Sakio Bika? I don't think so. The whole 'Calzaghe has no power' thing is just hyperbole spouted by his critics. He's no one punch KO artist, sure, but who is, and he doesn't batter his opponents into submission, but does he have enough to get their respect? Of course he does.

So as I said, i do understand your thinking, but what you said really relies literally on Jones being able to walk through Calzaghe's best punches. The simple fact is that this has never been Jones' way, not in his prime and not now. He has always been a relatively cautious fighter, and that won't change. The old Jones might have been able to avoid Calzaghe while simultaneously landing plenty from range, but not any more, to land on Joe he will have to engage with him, and in those circumstances I will always favour the guy who goes forward relentlessly throwing 100+ punches a round rather than the guy who likes to go back, unless the guy going back is a top class counterpuncher (Jones isn't, at least not when under real pressure) or the guy going forward has a suspect chin (Calzaghe doesn't).

No way for me to see anything other than a Calzaghe victory I'm afraid.

jones is a great counterpuncher, his counters arent as good as hopkins, but there faster and more powerful. watch jones vs tarver I & III, when Tarver has jones on the ropes, he hit him with killer bodyshots