Calzaghe: "Americans Ignorant, Euro Fighters Are Better"

[roundingace]

by the way for what its worth i think joe is right. too often we hear the words proetcted european fighter - well imo the term avoided euro fighter is much more apt.

Yeah, avoided it must be - clearly.

[Benny Leonard]

KEVIN ROONEY interview from a while back.


Q – What happened to Boxing? Mike Tyson retires, and even the fights on HBO are few and far between.
A – Well o.k. what the Heavyweight Division doesn’t have is a Rocky Marciano, a Joe Frazier, a Muhammad Ali, and a Mike Tyson. All those guys I just mentioned they were gonna put a hurtin’ on you. They’d just go in and they were gentlemen about it. Alright. I knocked you out. Sorry, but that’s just the breaks. (Laughs). That’s what the public wants to see. You got these European fighters now, but, they’re from a different school. It’s like tap, tap, don’t hurt me. I won’t hurt you. If you can out point me, good for you. Where, back in 1976, up in Montreal when Sugar Ray Leonard and Tommy Heerns and the other little kid who was a 112 pounds, I forgot his name. They went out there and won 5 Gold medals. They were ripping ass. Ever since then, in my opinion, we’ve been catering to European nations. This is the way we’re gonna fight. No-----this is America! American people are like-----let’s mix it up. I’m gonna knock you out or you’re gonna knock me out-----either way, that’s what the people want to see. They don’t want to see this tap, tap and the referee jump in and break, break and give ‘em all those hand signals. The Fight Game has gone south as far as I’m concerned. For that reason we’re being guided by the Europeans, their ways and rules. What do you mean? This is the United States of America. We do what we want to do. Somewhere it got mixed up. You know, it all comes down to money. Some Big Shot here in the U.S.A. -----There’s been so many scandals in the Amateurs for the last 10-15 years, people got fired ‘cause they were stealing money out there in Colorado. That’s a problem. Get rid of everybody. Let’s just go back to the basics.

http://www.famousinterview.ca/interv...vin_rooney.htm

{He has some other good points on how to bring back boxing}


Q – Whose idea was it to put something like this on?
"A – Comedy Central’s, which is good for boxing. That’s what we need. We’re not getting any publicity anymore. I’ve said this before and I’ll say it you, what’s wrong right now is that ABC, CBS and NBC don’t show any fights anymore. Now, I don’t know how long you’ve been in the fight game, how long you’ve been interested in it, or how old you are, but back in the 60’s, 70’s and then in the middle 80’s, you would see a fight on t.v. on the weekend. People would sit down, sit on their couch, have a beer and wanna watch a fight. You don’t see that no more. Everything is Pay Per View. They want you to pay $50 to see a couple of mediocre guys. When Tyson was on there or Rid**** Bowe, or Hopkins and Taylor-----but now, everything’s so spread out. ESPN does their Friday night shows but they do half a year and then they take off. What I’m saying, what is missing and hurting the boxing industry is that ABC, CBS, and NBC do not show ‘live’ fights anymore. On the weekends, Saturday afternoon. 1 o’clock, 3 o’clock, 5 o’clock, 7 o’clock we’re gonna be showing a ‘live’ from Philadelphia, from New York, from Atlantic City, from Nevada. So and so is fighting so and so for a title or title elimination, and this is what is hurting the game. Everyone went to Pay Per View. Were gonna have a Big Fight. You can buy it for $50. And then the logical fan says wait a minute! Why do I want to pay $50 to see these 2 guys fight? I’m watching it on HBO the next day!"

[roundingace]

So HOF, ATG type stuff is ranked by whether or not you like a boxers personal opinion is it? Very unbiased, good work.

Calzaghe gets blasted non stop for being a euro bum whom didn't come to the so called mecca of boxing the US earlier, he's beaten more Americans than any other nation, will have fought there twice (more than Roy or Nard have fought anywhere abroad between them) and recieves an array of other such criticism, often just plainly nationalistic.

Now he points out the times are different, American boxing is not as strong as it was, they won no medals, have no HW champs, and in up and coming bouts are under dogs to euro peans mostly. Says a few guys like Lacy and Pavlik were over hyped, which they were. And he's the bad guys, he's the one whom is not talking on what's happened and saying worse stuff?

If your gona give **** based on little, expect **** back, and don't complain when it provides actual solid examples. Grow up and take it for once, after all you have no problem with many others **** talking in similar ways, funny that.

The American fans will never rate him as that. His career is already suspect by most for being padded and protected so when he makes comments like he does, it doesn't help his cause. Times are different and I can agree with that. But to take the olympics and the HW division as his basis for his argument, well, he is a moron. As one poster said on here, anybody with gloves and a heartbeat could of won a medal these past games. Pavlik lost one fight to an ATG and you say it was hype? Come on. Anyway, most things that come out of JC's mouth are defensive statements he feels he needs to say to define himself for some sort of recognition he isn't getting yet feels he fully deserves. Well, I for one, don't think he deserves anymore than he gets. Whatever though, come Saturday night, all his "mouth" won't mean a thing.

[Benny Leonard]

So HOF, ATG type stuff is ranked by whether or not you like a boxers personal opinion is it? Very unbiased, good work.

Calzaghe gets blasted non stop for being a euro bum whom didn't come to the so called mecca of boxing the US earlier, he's beaten more Americans than any other nation, will have fought there twice (more than Roy or Nard have fought anywhere abroad between them) and recieves an array of other such criticism, often just plainly nationalistic.

Now he points out the times are different, American boxing is not as strong as it was, they won no medals, have no HW champs, and in up and coming bouts are under dogs to euro peans mostly. Says a few guys like Lacy and Pavlik were over hyped, which they were. And he's the bad guys, he's the one whom is not talking on what's happened and saying worse stuff?

If your gona give **** based on little, expect **** back, and don't complain when it provides actual solid examples. Grow up and take it for once, after all you have no problem with many others **** talking in similar ways, funny that.

There is some point to this, I agree. American boxing is not the Superpower it once was. Even though I hate amateur boxing because it has been ****d of its integrity, it shows that the American amateur program isn't producing what it once did.
The amount of boxing gyms today in America for boxing is nowhere near compared to what it once was.
However, I have been starting to see many "MMA" schools opening up so that is probably the new direction. Kids today want to be "all around fighters." MMA is pretty cool because it truly is a World talented sport.


Lacy was overhyped, I said that even before the Calzaghe fight.

People have this craving for the next big thing so they put blinders on.

Pavlik: I never thought he was incredible, but he did beat Taylor who was a decent opponent. Lacy didn't have such a great victory. Pavlik still got exposed. Losing to a 43 year old past prime fighter in Bernard Hopkins is terrible...no matter how you put it.

[Chase8400]

This is exactly why I cannot stand this motherfooker anymore!

He's here making money and coming over fighting our fighters on our land for recognition while saying American fighters are not dominant and Euro fighters don't need to come over here anymore.

Joe, we know how you think, you have proven that for your entire career fighting hometown bums of the month. The only reason you have been recognized at all was because you fought an american fighter and have been trying to beat American legends on our soil.

I have nothing against UK or Euro fighters, but this takes it too damn far. What a ****ing dillusional tool this fooker is.

[Benny Leonard]

This piece is from The Sun newspaper? I wouldn't be surprised if it's not even true! That paper isn't worth ****.

HAHAHAHA, is it really?

They are a "reliable" source for sure

I still wouldn't be surprised if it is on line of what he said.

Joe seems to feel he has been disrespected for a long time now and since this is his last fight, he wants to, he needs to, boost his legacy up before he goes out.

[roundingace]

You got these European fighters now, but, they’re from a different school. It’s like tap, tap, don’t hurt me. I won’t hurt you. If you can out point me, good for you.

LMAO, classic and true. Yes times may have changed JC, but have they changed for the better?

[Benny Leonard]

This is exactly why I cannot stand this motherfooker anymore!

He's here making money and coming over fighting our fighters on our land for recognition while saying American fighters are not dominant and Euro fighters don't need to come over here anymore.

Joe, we know how you think, you have proven that for your entire career fighting hometown bums of the month. The only reason you have been recognized at all was because you fought an american fighter and have been trying to beat American legends on our soil.

I have nothing against UK or Euro fighters, but this takes it too damn far. What a ****ing dillusional tool this fooker is.

The funny thing is he's talking **** but he is facing a SHOT ROY JONES JR.

If he wanted to face great competition, why didn't he face Roy Jones Jr. in his Prime?

I'm thinking with my heart on this one: I want Roy Jones Jr. to pray to the Gods that they give him his powers back for this fight so he can shut Calzaghe up. If Calzaghe loses, his legacy is tarnished. You don't lose to a shot fighter.
.

Sadly, the likelihood of this would take a miracle. We cannot forget the Glenn Johnson fight.

Joe's still is a very good fighter no matter what anybody says. Lacy and Kessler were decent fighters and he whooped them.

His one knock against him for me is only that he never stepped up and fought Roy in his prime. If he never mentioned Roy's name, I would have no problem with it; your weight class is your weight class...shhhh, about the others.

[Benny Leonard]

LMAO, classic and true. Yes times may have changed JC, but have they changed for the better?

Rooney is from a different school; Old School.

He hung around Cus who schooled Mike on how to be a great boxer, but also exciting for the crowd. To Cus, there were two things a fighter needs to do: One, Win the fight, and Two, Entertain them while doing so since they paid their ticket, your purse.

Back in the day you had to be exciting to get recognized. Fans wanted you to fight, fight, fight.

That's why you have many on these boards that will continue to support the Old Timers because they fought often and fought hard.
That's why Gatti vs. Ward, Castillo vs. Chico, got a ton of credit and were called "Throw-back fights."

I'm not saying all Americans fight like this, because they don't, and I'm not saying Euro fighters all fight the way Rooney described, but there is a balance that leans one way over the other.

It really shouldn't be called a "Sport," it should be called what it is, what the people want to hear...A FIGHT.

[adamk1304]

what's so bad abiout what calzaghe said? for years americans have ranted on about their "mecca of boxing" bollocks and how european fighters can't be compared to their american counterparts. The fact is the tide is shifting, over the nest few years more and more big fights will take place in Europe. Americans should learn how to take criticism like men instead of jerking over the stars and stripes whilst listening to amazing grace.