Joe Calzaghe's Five Best Wins

[KostyaTszyu44]

To be fair Kostya both Tszyu and Mayweather fought in stacked divisions for most of thier careers.

If you're going to compair then compair the Career of another SWM over the same period, or another weak division.

Calzaghe's main fault is that he didn't leave his division and frankly very few fighters are genuinely capable of that.

yeah point taken


but what im saying is, if joe really wanted to prove himself he would have said **** SMW im going up to LHW or to the U.S to chase guys like jones and toney and griffin etc.....even if he lost those fights, id still be much more proud of a 40-6 record fighting that kind of opposition than a 46-0 record fighting joes kind of opposition.......its about getting in there, fighting the best and trying your very best to beat them... like michael katsidis said when asked if he wanted to fight a few easy bouts after two world class opponents back to back, "go hard or go home"

i mean look at ricardo mayorga, he could be unbeaten fighting C or B level opposition, but instead he throws himself in with the A+ level guys....and hes picked up some losses...so what hes tested himself as much as possible and left no doubts, 28-7-1 fighting elite guys in fights that will get you remembered is better than being 36-0 fighting average guys in your backyard

guys like winky wright fought all over the ****ing world, eager to prove themselves, taking tough fights, striving for a title shot, calling out the best...while joe sat home taking easy fights........


thats why i dont respect joe

[squealpiggy]

yeah point taken


but what im saying is, if joe really wanted to prove himself he would have said **** SMW im going up to LHW or to the U.S to chase guys like jones and toney and griffin etc.....even if he lost those fights, id still be much more proud of a 40-6 record fighting that kind of opposition than a 46-0 record fighting joes kind of opposition.......its about getting in there, fighting the best and trying your very best to beat them... like michael katsidis said when asked if he wanted to fight a few easy bouts after two world class opponents back to back, "go hard or go home"

i mean look at ricardo mayorga, he could be unbeaten fighting C or B level opposition, but instead he throws himself in with the A+ level guys....and hes picked up some losses...so what hes tested himself as much as possible and left no doubts, 28-7-1 fighting elite guys in fights that will get you remembered is better than being 36-0 fighting average guys in your backyard

guys like winky wright fought all over the ****ing world, eager to prove themselves, taking tough fights, striving for a title shot, calling out the best...while joe sat home taking easy fights........


thats why i dont respect joe

But you respect Bernard Hopkins.

[BrooklynBomber]

Eubank, Kessler, Hopkins, Reid, Lacy

[IMDAZED]

It's not terrible, just not stellar. People overlook a few of his opponents, even Brewer wasn't a bad one.

Some facts about the Calzaghe-Brewer fight.


Brewer:

Philadelphia fighter.
Former IBF champion.
Fights orthodox but is left-handed.
His sparring before the fight included 150 rounds with heavyweights.
Has good power.
Height advantage over Calzaghe.
Reach advantage over Calzaghe.
Throws lots of punches.
Nigel Benn suggested Calzaghe would have problems with Brewer's right hand.
Bomber Graham (who Brewer defeated) also said Brewer hits hard.

No doubt, Brewer ain't the best, and some say his chin could occasionally be vulnerable, but he's actually pretty resilient and very determined, as shown against Calzaghe. He adds up to a solid win. Where he fails is in technique, probably due to quite a poor amateur background. Joe, on the other hand, was a 3 time ABA champion at 3 different weight classes over 3 consecutive years -- an extremely good achievement for an amateur.

Calzaghe was quite happy with his performance against Brewer. In the post-fight interview he seemed grateful to get another 12 round fight under his belt because he had only boxed 5 rounds in the last 12 months. He was very respectful of Brewer, said he takes a good shot and that he was robbed (twice) against Sven Ottke.

Also in the post-fight interview, Calzaghe said Hopkins would be his defining fight. He also said he would knock Bernard out. This fight was 2002, and I believe shortly after this Bernard had agreed to fight Joe but then backed out just before the contracts were signed. Hopkins wanted twice as much money as they'd originally agreed, therefore priced himself out of the fight. Rumor has it that Hopkins earned less money in his next fight (against Morade Hakkar) than he was offered to fight Joe.

You should be ashamed of yourself - hyping Brewer up like that. Forreal.

Brewer WAS a decent boxer with decent pop but he also had a chin made of glass. This point was hammered home when Antwun Echols blasted him out in three rounds. Yet Calzaghe (the young version that had INCREDIBLE POWER and would've KO'ed Bernard Hopkins) couldn't do what journeyman ANTWUN ECHOLS did. And both Echols AND Brewer took a lot out of themselves in that controversial war.

You can boost Calzaghe's resume all you want but when you start touting wins like this you show that your bias is on a level of loser Dirk or something. How high should we boost Hopkins' two wins over Echols then? Proof he was miles ahead of Joe when both were younger?

Try again.

[Dan...]

1. Mikkel Kessler
2. Bernard Hopkins
3. Jeff Lacy
4. Chris Eubank
5. Insert B level fighter here [your pick of Reid, Brewer, Mitchell, Sheika]

They are Joe's 5 best wins in order IMO.

[Flawless 2]

too bad he couldn't fight great 147 guys.......

he could be a "legend" or "all-time great" lmao

take away hopkins "great wins" over natural welterweights and his resume is more crappy than joes.

just unbiased observation......

Define natural weight???

[Dan...]

Define natural weight???

Their most effective fighting weights at the peak of their careers.

[Flawless 2]

Their most effective fighting weights at the peak of their careers.

Is Paul Williams a natural WW??
Is Hopkins a natural MW??
Is Mayweather a natural SFW or natural LW??

[Dan...]

Is Paul Williams a natural WW??
Is Hopkins a natural MW??
Is Mayweather a natural SFW or natural LW??

You see it is not as easy to define "natural weight" for some fighters as it is for others.

I would definately say BHop is a natural MW without a doubt. PWill? Probably hard to judge right now as we may not have seen his physical peak.

As far as BHops opponents go, Oscar was definately a natural WW, Tito I'm not so sure. He was as much of a beast at 154 and 160 as he was at WW IMO so it is harder to mount the argument that he was a natural WW. Floyd? I think Floyd looked his best and was at his natural weight at either 135 or 140, but again, he is another where it is very hard to say as he was so effective at so many weights.

[Flawless 2]

You see it is not as easy to define "natural weight" for some fighters as it is for others.

I would definately say BHop is a natural MW without a doubt. PWill? Probably hard to judge right now as we may not have seen his physical peak.

As far as BHops opponents go, Oscar was definately a natural WW, Tito I'm not so sure. He was as much of a beast at 154 and 160 as he was at WW IMO so it is harder to mount the argument that he was a natural WW. Floyd? I think Floyd looked his best and was at his natural weight at either 135 or 140, but again, he is another where it is very hard to say as he was so effective at so many weights.

That is the thing, no such thing as a natural weight. I understand the Oscar case. Not Tito he couldn't make 147 or 154 and he just KO Joppy at 160, yet they say he is a natural WW. Would people say Calzaghe best win over Hopkins was not good becasue Hopkins is a natural MW.

I justed used Mayweather and Williams as examples