Joe Calzaghe Felt Chad Dawson Wasn't Ready Yet

[slicksouthpaw16]

Name on his record dont mean ****... I dont like Joe...at all, but ithink he beat b-hop...im not gonna sit here in denial....but it was a split clearly for the fact that they both ****** that night. Joe was more the aggressor...just bad fight...should of been a draw. and also a well known fighter name on ones record isnt what makes a boxer great.

Exactly so since Joe beat Hopkins, why is that not a great win since Hopkins is one of the best of all time and went on to beat Pavlik after that? No one has even looked impressive in beating Hopkins because of the style that he has, Joe did what it takes to win and that's that. Its one of those fights where its like ''just get the win now and look good later''.

[Dave Rado]

Giving Joe credit for finally stepping up after 40 fights and fighting Jeff Lacy... I will give him credit for looking good that night against Jeff Lacy. Although there was an injury involved and Joe was in his home town; it was inevitable that he would win.

He fought the best available to him - he didn't duck anyone. Eubank, Woodhall, Reid, Brewer, Mitchell, weren't bums. He tried to get fights with better opposition but the fights didn't come off before Lacy. (And some of the above would have beaten Lacy anyway). And I don't see what difference the home town made when he dominated so completely; and I've never heard the injury excuse before.

[Mr. Philadel]

i hope this shows the Fraud that Cal-***gy really is. He didn't want to fight the young prospect because he wouldn't make enough money. He rather end his Career agaisn't a washed up Roy Jones Jr. that everybody knew he would beat by decision. He beat Kessler and Roy Jones convicingly, so theres no need for a rematch in those fights.
But in the Hopkins fight, he knew that fight was to close to call, and thats why he doesn't want to fight him. he know deep in his heart he really did lose.
Hopkins fought Taylor when he was the new up and comer of the MW division. He wanted to prove he wasn't scared of nobody. He lost, but both are close fights that many think he won. Then Hopkins fought the young prospect Pavlik after Cal-***gy ducked him, and Hopkins gave him a ass whoopin, then he is going to say, that Pavlik is overrated. NO CAL-***GY..... YOU ARE
Cal-***gy is a Fraud.

I see you still wet behind the ears around here ......without the insults your post is so REAL!

[-Swizzy-]

He wanted to go out on top without a loss on his record. [details]

well, atleast he admits it.

[Dave Rado]

well, atleast he admits it.

Why are you quoting him out of context? Seems like you have an agenda. The full sentence was: "The money wasn't there for a fight with Dawson, and Calzaghe wasn't willing to wait around for the money to develop. He wanted to go out on top without a loss on his record." In other words he would have taken the fight then if it had excited him enough, but he didn't want to wait around, getting older, waiting until the fight was big enough to excite him, and losing his skills due to age in the meantime. He's 35, for goodness sakes.

He's also said recently: "If I was at a weight category where I could fight the likes of Ricky Hatton, Manny Pacquiao or Floyd Mayweather, then it would be a different story, they are fighters to carry on for."

So he was willing to risk his 0 in a final fight against opposition that would excite him enough, but he wasn't willing to wait around for one; and none excited him enough at that point.

I understand those who wanted him to fight Dawson - I was hoping he would myself - but I also understand and respect his reasons for not being able to get excited enough. Outside hardcore boxing fans Dawson isn't yet a big name. I'm sure he will become one in time, though, and I wish Dawson all the best. But quoting someone out of context to make them appear to be saying something they weren't really saying is a mendacious tactic, IMO.

[lest26]

how many young prospect dose he have to beat, when he was after Rjj and Bhop in there primes they didnt want to know, he beat the best america had to offer the best africa had to offer and the best in europe at the time, all these haters make me sick, are your lifes so empty all you can do is dismantle the achievments of those you should aspire too.

[lest26]

46-0 the only ppl making excuses ae the haters, they hate that 0, they cant sleep at night it gets them so mad, Bhop was hit by Joe Calzaghe more than any onther opponent, jeff lacy was hit a record 1005 times, its called boxing not knockout boxing, you dont have too knock a man out to be impressive but hit and not be hit.

[Addition]

People hating again, but not when Hopkins makes an excuse for not fighting Chad

[Dave Rado]

man 4real.... Now days..retiring undefeated means more than who you fought. to me clearing out the divisions top ten and unifying the division means your the best...suffering adversity and fighting through it. Getting knocked down a few and getting up to fight hard and win...... Not hand picked opponents and past prime names or bum building.. Now days they got it easy...

He held The Ring Championship in two weights simultaneously. He got up to win in several fights, most memorably against Mitchell, who knocked him down heavily in the second round, and who he then knocked out in the same round. He also suffered adversity against Kessler, taking many monster uppercuts flush on the chin in the early rounds, before changing his tactics and finding a way to dominate him. He suffered adversity against Hopkins as well. And he fought several fights with a broken hand, having to fight one-handed; and if that isn't fighting through adversity I don't know what is.

And he didn't pick his opponents. Most were mandatories, and he tried to get bigger fights (see my sig) but they didn't come off until late in his career. He dominated a very weak division for many years, but it's not his fault that his division was weak.

[IMDAZED]

He fought the best available to him - he didn't duck anyone. Eubank, Woodhall, Reid, Brewer, Mitchell, weren't bums. He tried to get fights with better opposition but the fights didn't come off before Lacy. (And some of the above would have beaten Lacy anyway). And I don't see what difference the home town made when he dominated so completely; and I've never heard the injury excuse before.

There's a difference between ducking someone and daring to be great. Calzaghe may not have done the former but he definitely didn't try the latter. It's a shame that we even have to mention faded champs like Eubank and Woodhall and Charles Brewer (when it was WAY too late) as his top opposition.