Interesting Eubank Interview (NEW)

[daggum]

Watson, Benn, Calzaghe, Carl Thompson, Steve Collins, Henry Wharton, Logan

Not a bad resume

well he lost to calzaghe, thompson, collins, watson in the first and benn in the rematch. judah has a great resume of losing as well. and im not sure how logan is a good win?

[daggum]

wow you can tell he's punch drunk...he needs a CAT Scan asap..he said Calzaghe is the hardest puncher he ever fought someone rush him to the hospital ASAP I think he may have bleeding on the brain.

its very possible calzaghe paid him to say that to keep up the myth he was a big puncher when in reality when you watch his early fights they are almost all early stoppages and he's never ever laid someone out where they appeared hurt. he may get a knockdown here and there but when he landed flush his opponents didn't go anywhere. just check the sheika fight where he lands over and over and sheika takes them all and keeps firing back. ref stops it when sheika is punching calzaghe for some reason?

[niteshift]

Thanks for posting. Very interesting interview. As an American, I have always thought Eubank was underrated as a fighter. The most interesting part of the interview for me, was Eubank's account of his fight with Calzaghe.

How do you recall the (Joe) Calzaghe fight?

The main thing I remember about Calzaghe was how hard he punched. I thought he had bricks in his gloves at one point. On top of that - he was big, he was strong, he was hearty, he had fast hand speed and he had a very awkward southpaw stance.

He was unbeaten, he didn't know how to lose. I actually lost 20 pounds in a week and was preparing for a righty light-heavyweight. (Laughs) Has there ever been many more difficult tasks?

On top of all that, he puts me down in the opening 15 seconds, for only the second clean knockdown of my life. (Laughs)

Joe obviously went on to be an exceptionally great world champion.

HA, aint that some ****. It sounds so funny hearing an opponent as great as Eubank say Calzaghe hit very hard and felt like he had bricks in his gloves, because he's known as 'slappy Joe.'

But anyway, I watched the Calzaghe/Eubank fight in full a few years ago online for the first time and was struck with amazement at how Calzaghe has changed his style over the years. He was putting his body weight into a lot of those punches in the Eubank fight, especially the left that dropped Eubank, whereas later on in his career -- due to hand injuries and whatnot -- he threw mainly arm punches, while mixing in a few hard shots every once in awhile.

After seeing most of the dude's fights, Calzaghe's physical prime was very early on in his career. After the age of 30 he started to noticeably slow down, but he got better due to experience and his weird, unorthodox ring craft. It's a cryin' ****in shame he didn't get the big fights early on in his career! Talk about wasted talent man!

Because of Calzaghe's hand injuries, it makes me wonder if he would have been even better if he hadn't had those problems, or did he become even better because he had to adapt his style in order to deal with the brittle hands?

[niteshift]

Ha ha, JC had bricks in his hands, or maybe plaster like margarito?
But people tend to forget that in his ealier days Jc punched hard. And you can tell he had more snap in his punches back when he fought Eubank as well. Its no lie watch him.

If JC had bricks in his gloves, Eubank must have had granite in his chin, because he took everything and came back for more.

That's very noticeable. Check out his punching before he had all those problems. He was never a devastating puncher, but he hit A LOT harder early on in his career.

I would also guess that Calzaghe's technique would have been a **** load better if he had anyone other than his father as a trainer.

[coghaugen]

I think it was Mark Delaney who's nose he broke in four different places with one uppercut, and left it in five pieces on x-ray.

He also routinely (when he was coming up the ranks) punched guys from one side of the ring to the other, them bouncing off the ropes and down in a heap, knocked out, with one swinging left.

He had major hand trouble before and during the Robin Reid fight, on both hands. Also nagging shoulder and elbow problems around that time that lasted until he got therapy before the Sheika fight, and this I believe was also a factor in his technique change and lack of full-velocity heavy blows. But the hand troubles remained, instead of routinely taking guys off their feet he was now routinely breaking his hand on their heads with shots that weren't even loaded.

[daggum]

I think it was Mark Delaney who's nose he broke in four different places with one uppercut, and left it in five pieces on x-ray.

He also routinely (when he was coming up the ranks) punched guys from one side of the ring to the other, them bouncing off the ropes and down in a heap, knocked out, with one swinging left.

He had major hand trouble before and during the Robin Reid fight, on both hands. Also nagging shoulder and elbow problems around that time that lasted until he got therapy before the Sheika fight, and this I believe was also a factor in his technique change and lack of full-velocity heavy blows. But the hand troubles remained, instead of routinely taking guys off their feet he was now routinely breaking his hand on their heads with shots that weren't even loaded.

yea and one time he even punched one guy into orbit around the earth.

[coghaugen]

Nah, never did that.

[Vimto]

Hard to knock a fighter as honest as Eubank. He was a quality fighter that was not only skilled but had a chin of iron and endless bravery.

[paul750]

Calzaghe did hit a lot harder back then. It's hard to imagine if you've only watched him in his more recent fights. He must have really messed his hands up through the years. It makes you wonder just when his prime was. He had a lot of wasted years.

[General Zod]

Yeah and Nunn.

Are you talking about the proposed unification with Nunn after Benn II?