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Calzaghe won the vacant title in 1997 and then here's a list of who he fought based on the Official Ring Magazine Annual Ratings:
1998:
1.Frankie Liles
2.Joe Calzaghe
3.Richie Woodhall
4.Sven Ottke
5.Charles Brewer
6.Robin Reid
7.Thomas Tate
8.Vincenzo Nardiello
9.Andrej Shkalikov
10.Vinny Pazienza
Calzaghe fought twice in '98, against Branko Sobot & Juan Carlos Gimenez Ferreyra. Neither were in the top 10.
1999:
1.Sven Ottke
2.Joe Calzaghe
3.Byron Mitchell
4.Markus Beyer
5.Charles Brewer
6.Thomas Tate
7.Frankie Liles
8.Richie Woodhall
9.Robin Reid
10.Glenn Catley
In 1999, he boxed Robin Reid, the 9th rated contender who had just lost his championship. He then boxed Rick Thornberry who wasn't a ranked contender in the top 10.
2000:
1.Sven Ottke
2.Joe Calzaghe
3.Bruno Girard
4.Charles Brewer
5.Thomas Tate
6.Dave Hilton Jr.
7.Dingaan Thobela
8.Glenn Catley
9.Byron Mitchell
10.James Butler
In 2000, he boxed David Starie, Omar Sheika and Richie Woodhall. None of these guys were in the top 10.
2001:
1.Sven Ottke
2.Joe Calzaghe
3.Byron Mitchell
4.Antwun Echols
5.Charles Brewer
6.Thomas Tate
7.Eric Lucas
8.Mads Larsen
9.Manny Siaca
10.Markus Beyer
In 2001, he boxed Mario Veit & Will McIntyre. Neither were in the top 10.
2002:
1.Joe Calzaghe
2.Sven Ottke
3.Antwun Echols
4.Eric Lucas
5.Byron Mitchell
6.Charles Brewer
7.Mads Larsen
8.Manny Siaca
9.Anthony Mundine
10.Markus Beyer
In 2002, he boxed Charles Brewer, Miguel Angel Jimenez & Tocker Pudwill. Brewer was ranked 6th and the other two were nowhere to be seen.
2003:
1.Joe Calzaghe
2.Sven Ottke
3.Anthony Mundine
4.Antwun Echols
5.Danny Green
6.Byron Mitchell
7.Markus Beyer
8.Charles Brewer
9.Mads Larsen
10.Robin Reid
In 2003, he boxed once against Byron Mitchell. Mitchell was ranked 6th.
2004:
1.Joe Calzaghe
2.Mikkel Kessler
3.Anthony Mundine
4.Antwun Echols
5.Danny Green
6.Jeff Lacy
7.Mads Larsen
8.Robin Reid
9.Markus Beyer
10.Manny Siaca
In 2004, he boxed Mger Mkrtchyan & Kabary Salem. Neither were in the top 10.
2005:
1.Joe Calzaghe
2.Mikkel Kessler
3.Jeff Lacy
4.Markus Beyer
5.Anthony Mundine
6.Danny Green
7.Manny Siaca
8.Otis Grant
9.Robin Reid
10.Librado Andrade
In 2005, he boxed Mario Veit & Evans Ashira. Neither were in the top 10.
2006:
1.Mikkel Kessler
2.Anthony Mundine
3.Jeff Lacy
4.Markus Beyer
5.Librado Andrade
6.Lucian Bute
7.Carl Froch
8.Allan Green
9.Denis Inkin
10.Peter Manfredo Jr.
It was 2006 when he finally fought a top 5 rated contender in Lacy. He boxed Sakio Bika in his following fight who wasn't ranked in the top 10. Note: Calzaghe became the Ring champion between 2006 & 2007.
2007:
1.Mikkel Kessler
2.Anthony Mundine
3.Lucian Bute
4.Jeff Lacy
5.Librado Andrade
6.Carl Froch
7.Allan Green
8.Sakio Bika
9.Denis Inkin
10.Jean Pascal
In 2007, he boxed Peter Manfredo Jr (who wasn't in the top 10) and then unified against Mikkel Kessler. Kessler was the second top 5 rated boxer he fought – his last fight in his ten-year ‘reign’ as ‘the king of the super-middleweights’.
That's SIXTEEN fights against guys who weren't even in the top 10. This went on for a period of FIVE years.
Calzaghe's response to a potential fight with Jones in 2003 - bear in mind Calzaghe had been a 'champion' for 6-years: "I could probably give Jones a tough fight, probably the best fight he's ever had, but I know my capabilities and unless I got paid the crown ***els I wouldn't want to risk it."
A SD over Hopkins doesn't make you great - Taylor did it twice. The onus was on Calzaghe to break America and seal the career-defining fights - he didn't want to 'risk it' like Hatton.
1998:
1.Frankie Liles
2.Joe Calzaghe
3.Richie Woodhall
4.Sven Ottke
5.Charles Brewer
6.Robin Reid
7.Thomas Tate
8.Vincenzo Nardiello
9.Andrej Shkalikov
10.Vinny Pazienza
Calzaghe fought twice in '98, against Branko Sobot & Juan Carlos Gimenez Ferreyra. Neither were in the top 10.
1999:
1.Sven Ottke
2.Joe Calzaghe
3.Byron Mitchell
4.Markus Beyer
5.Charles Brewer
6.Thomas Tate
7.Frankie Liles
8.Richie Woodhall
9.Robin Reid
10.Glenn Catley
In 1999, he boxed Robin Reid, the 9th rated contender who had just lost his championship. He then boxed Rick Thornberry who wasn't a ranked contender in the top 10.
2000:
1.Sven Ottke
2.Joe Calzaghe
3.Bruno Girard
4.Charles Brewer
5.Thomas Tate
6.Dave Hilton Jr.
7.Dingaan Thobela
8.Glenn Catley
9.Byron Mitchell
10.James Butler
In 2000, he boxed David Starie, Omar Sheika and Richie Woodhall. None of these guys were in the top 10.
2001:
1.Sven Ottke
2.Joe Calzaghe
3.Byron Mitchell
4.Antwun Echols
5.Charles Brewer
6.Thomas Tate
7.Eric Lucas
8.Mads Larsen
9.Manny Siaca
10.Markus Beyer
In 2001, he boxed Mario Veit & Will McIntyre. Neither were in the top 10.
2002:
1.Joe Calzaghe
2.Sven Ottke
3.Antwun Echols
4.Eric Lucas
5.Byron Mitchell
6.Charles Brewer
7.Mads Larsen
8.Manny Siaca
9.Anthony Mundine
10.Markus Beyer
In 2002, he boxed Charles Brewer, Miguel Angel Jimenez & Tocker Pudwill. Brewer was ranked 6th and the other two were nowhere to be seen.
2003:
1.Joe Calzaghe
2.Sven Ottke
3.Anthony Mundine
4.Antwun Echols
5.Danny Green
6.Byron Mitchell
7.Markus Beyer
8.Charles Brewer
9.Mads Larsen
10.Robin Reid
In 2003, he boxed once against Byron Mitchell. Mitchell was ranked 6th.
2004:
1.Joe Calzaghe
2.Mikkel Kessler
3.Anthony Mundine
4.Antwun Echols
5.Danny Green
6.Jeff Lacy
7.Mads Larsen
8.Robin Reid
9.Markus Beyer
10.Manny Siaca
In 2004, he boxed Mger Mkrtchyan & Kabary Salem. Neither were in the top 10.
2005:
1.Joe Calzaghe
2.Mikkel Kessler
3.Jeff Lacy
4.Markus Beyer
5.Anthony Mundine
6.Danny Green
7.Manny Siaca
8.Otis Grant
9.Robin Reid
10.Librado Andrade
In 2005, he boxed Mario Veit & Evans Ashira. Neither were in the top 10.
2006:
1.Mikkel Kessler
2.Anthony Mundine
3.Jeff Lacy
4.Markus Beyer
5.Librado Andrade
6.Lucian Bute
7.Carl Froch
8.Allan Green
9.Denis Inkin
10.Peter Manfredo Jr.
It was 2006 when he finally fought a top 5 rated contender in Lacy. He boxed Sakio Bika in his following fight who wasn't ranked in the top 10. Note: Calzaghe became the Ring champion between 2006 & 2007.
2007:
1.Mikkel Kessler
2.Anthony Mundine
3.Lucian Bute
4.Jeff Lacy
5.Librado Andrade
6.Carl Froch
7.Allan Green
8.Sakio Bika
9.Denis Inkin
10.Jean Pascal
In 2007, he boxed Peter Manfredo Jr (who wasn't in the top 10) and then unified against Mikkel Kessler. Kessler was the second top 5 rated boxer he fought – his last fight in his ten-year ‘reign’ as ‘the king of the super-middleweights’.
That's SIXTEEN fights against guys who weren't even in the top 10. This went on for a period of FIVE years.
Calzaghe's response to a potential fight with Jones in 2003 - bear in mind Calzaghe had been a 'champion' for 6-years: "I could probably give Jones a tough fight, probably the best fight he's ever had, but I know my capabilities and unless I got paid the crown ***els I wouldn't want to risk it."
A SD over Hopkins doesn't make you great - Taylor did it twice. The onus was on Calzaghe to break America and seal the career-defining fights - he didn't want to 'risk it' like Hatton.
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