Comments Thread For: Joe Calzaghe named as the greatest fighter in British boxing history

[doom_specialist]

vitali was american? wasnt tyson totally shot when lennox fought him? thats like roy jones style for calzaghe. why not mention randy turpin. he has a better win than them

I was responding to the reasoning given for why Calzaghe was the British goat. It wasn't about beating Americans. Just the fact that Lewis fought better guys despite taking losses. Even if you do Calzaghe's best wins (arguably Hopkins, Eubank, Kessler), 2 of those guys are faded at best. With Lewis you could say Klitschko, Holyfield, and Tua. He also avenged his losses brutally

[NihonJim]

Only 2 notable wins on the record. Undefeated mikkel kesler was his best win, jeff lacy being the other... lacy is questionable as we dont know whether he was overhyped or joe beat him so bad where he was a mere shadow after that. Didnt fight a prime bhop or jones based on fear of flying, yet flew across the pond once they had been well past it, bhop still gave him all he can handle. He had frank warren as his promoter who was and still is notoriously known for carefully hand picking opponents and building padding records.

Hopkins isn't a notable win and was "well past it?"

He was still winning world title fights SIX YEARS after he lost to calzaghe

Hopkins beat two undefeated world champions AFTER losing to Calzaghe

[Bob]

We've known this for a decade, Froch won't be happy.

[Boro]

Lennox has the losses but I reckon he gives Joe some competition here. What can I say, I've always been a LL fan. Also a Calzaghe fan.

Lennox has the issue he had for most of his career, he couldn't decide what he was representing was he Jamaican, Canadian or British he flip-flopped regularly which people REALLY didn't like.

[champion4ever]

Joe Calzaghe was a good fighter back in the day. He was one of the best to ever do it in Great Britain.

I think outside of his weak resume’. What really put him over the top were his two victories over American boxing icons: Bernard Hopkins and Roy Jones, Jr.

At 168; Carl Froch gets my vote for the best British fighter ever. He fought everyone, anytime and everywhere and won.

[Left Hook Louie]

Joe Calzaghe was a good fighter back in the day. He was one of the best to ever do it in Great Britain.

I think outside of his weak resume’. What really put him over the top were his two victories over American boxing icons: Bernard Hopkins and Roy Jones, Jr.

At 168; Carl Froch gets my vote for the best British fighter ever. He fought everyone, anytime and everywhere and won.

Froch was such a dog. He could be dropped but always came back with a vengeance like he did against Groves and Jermain Taylor.
Remember just minutes after stopping Jermain Taylor he was baiting Calzaghe to get in the ring with him? "It's only boxing!" I imagine Calzaghe would have boxed his way to a decision had they ever fought, but Froch might have found a way. Not likely but he would have tried.

[Apollo7]

The people have spoken. Joe was a brilliant fighter. Britain should be proud of him.

[Bennyleonard99]

Certainly ... and the case could be made he's the goat of any nationality. He achieved perfection like Crawford and Usyk.

[PRINCEKOOL]

Joe Calzaghe is an all-time great British fighter, but? If this vote was taken to the street, the results would be different. Who is a part of the British Boxing Hall of Fame making all of the decisions? In reality the best British of all-times is most likely Lennox Lewis objectively, he has a better resume than Joe Calzaghe and stood on-top of the World during the second greatest heavyweight era of all-times'.

When it comes to ranking fighters, the people on the street especially casual sports fans 'who live in the moment, are really only going to rate fighters from their boxing era. That is not how hardcore boxing fans, which have learnt about boxing history rate fighters'.

Note: But I don't think there is an issue with anybody rating Joe Calzaghe as Great Britain's number 1 fighter. He was undefeated, and overcame every single challenge presented before him in the boxing ring first time of asking. I am much more content with Joe Calzaghe being rated number 1, than Tyson Fury'.

Fighters such as Tyson Fury, and Anthony Joshua should not be in the running for the number 1 rating, or even top-3. There are many Great British fighters who were more talented and have by far superior resumes to Tyson Fury such as Prince Naseem Hamed'.

Although Joe Calzaghe's resume is not on the level of Lennox Lewis 'I have always stated that his resume is underrated. Joe Calzaghe at Middle and Super Middle Weight has better wins skill for skill arguable than Canelo Alvarez in those weight Divisions. A part from Gennady Golovkin, none of the fighters who Alvarez has beaten during his Middle to Super Middle Weight titles reigns are better than Calzaghe's wins over Chris Eubank Senior or Mikkel Kessler'.

Then you have fighters on Joe Calzaghe's resume such as Robin Reid, Jeff Lacy, Charles Brewer, Bryon Mitchell, Sakio Bika and Richie Woodhall 'All former World Champions who Joe Calzaghe beat during his Super Middle Weight reigns'.

Joe Calzaghe's wins over Bernard Hopkins and Roy Jones Junior 'are also solid wins, particular his win vs Bernard Hopkins. I think Hopkins with better preparation could have beaten Calzaghe. I have always thought that Bernard Hopkins came into that fight a bit too heavy, which I believe was documented on the fight night weights. Bernard Hopkins was 180 + pounds on the night of the fight, considerably heavier than when he fought Kelly Pavlik and produced one of the best comeback performances of his career. Hopkins and his team slightly miss-gauged the preparation for the fight in my opinion, due to him being up and down the weight divisions at that stage of his career'.

Joe Calzaghe won the fight vs Bernard Hopkins with his work rate, but skill for skill I think Bernard Hopkins was the better fighter 'and he did land the more damaging and powerful punches throughout the entire fight'.

But in a Championship fight, you have to sometimes give the win to the fighter 'who is applying more pressure, and forcing the opponent to look for ways to rest and fiddle his way through the fight at times. That is what Joe Calzaghe did to Bernard Hopkins'.

If Hopkins conditioning and endurance levels had been better, in my opinion he would have most likely beaten Joe Calzaghe 'and I think Hopkins himself after the fight knew this'.

To conclude: Overall Joe Calzaghe is definitively one of the greatest British fighters of all-times, in this modern era of boxing 'I would still rate Lennox Lewis as number 1. But I don't think this is any issue with people rating Joe Calzaghe as the best ever British fighter' etc.

[Hooded Terror]

Lennox represented Canada at the Olympics. Maybe that's why he didn't get this honor. I rank Hatton way higher than Joe C.

Further, Lenny switched accents when it suited him