So who did Joe Calzaghe duck?

[Dirk Diggler UK]

The three fight deal with Showtime extended his contract with King for one more fight, the last being the "big" payday against Calzaghe. Instead, when Hopkins wasn't able to secure the money he wanted for the new deal, he opted to let his contract play out (fighting yes, lower level fighters in Hakkar and Joppy) and immediately signed a two-fight deal with GBP that included a co-feature on an Oscar headliner (Robert Allen) and then Oscar himself.

So he chose to fight bums rather than risk his Oscar payday. Yeah thats what I said and yeah thats still a duck. No matter how much you wanna do the IMDAZED dance around it.

[Dirk Diggler UK]

In any case, this is about who Calzaghe ducked, not who Hopkins ducked. I notice you didn't jump in desperately defending Calzaghe like an overprotective mother against the allegations in this thread that he ducked Hopkins in his prime. Wonder why? lol

It certainly can't be said that Calzaghe ducked him then even if you wanna make a thousand excuses for why Bernard agreed and then reneged on signed fight with Joe.

[IMDAZED]

So he chose to fight bums rather than risk his Oscar payday. Yeah thats what I said and yeah thats still a duck. No matter how much you wanna do the IMDAZED dance around it.

Welll, actually this is what your response was to my initial post...

Not really when you consider who he fought instead. When you turn down your highest purse to fight lesser fighters, its a duck.

A three fight deal culminating in a $3 mil fight? Or a two fight deal culminating in a $10 mil fight? Which is it? You then amended your definition of "a duck" when that didn't work out too well. I don't think I'm the one dancing.

[Roman Moreno]

Glen Johnson, no doubt about it.

[Dirk Diggler UK]

Welll, actually this is what your response was to my initial post...



A three fight deal culminating in a $6 mil fight? Or a two fight deal culminating in a $10 mil fight? Which is it? You then amended your definition of "a duck" when that didn't work out too well. I don't think I'm the one dancing.

Was he given an ultimatum to sign one deal or the other?

And he fought some bums before signing a deal with GBP. Did he make more than what he would've made fighting Calzaghe fighting these bums? No.

Even if he did, that wouldn't stop it from being a duck. Fighting lesser opponents instead of better ones which are presented to you is ducking. If the better opponent gives you your highest purse (as Joe did), then its even worse!

Much like there was no guarantee that Bradley would be fighting Pacquaio next. There was no guarantee if or when Hopkins would fight Oscar or what the GBP deal was at the time of his duck of Calzaghe. You accused me of being short sighted but you're using hindsight....

[IMDAZED]

Was he given an ultimatum to sign one deal or the other?

As I said earlier, the Showtime deal was a contract extension with King. It's really not hard to understand. He had the choice of staying on with King with a payout of $3mil against Calzaghe, or letting his current contract play out. He chose the latter and got a far more lucrative deal with GBP.

And he fought some bums before signing a deal with GBP. Did he make more than what he would've made fighting Calzaghe fighting these bums? No.

Again, you seem to confuse a contract with Calzaghe with one with Showtime. He wasn't going to fight Calzaghe next either. He was going to fight Harry Simon. And no, he wouldn't have made more fighting Harry Simon.

[Dirk Diggler UK]

As I said earlier, the Showtime deal was a contract extension with King. It's really not hard to understand. He had the choice of staying on with King with a payout of $3mil against Calzaghe, or letting his current contract play out. He chose the latter and got a far more lucrative deal with GBP.

Yep he chose to fight bums instead of Calzaghe = a duck.

He didn't duck Calzaghe with any knowledge of a deal with GBP. You are again using hindsight. He ducked Calzaghe because he didn't wanna take the risk even for $3m which at the time (not using hindsight) was the highest purse he could get.

In fact, he wanted to fight more welterweights instead. Do the words "Whaddup Fernando Vargas?" mean anything to you?

[IMDAZED]

Yep he chose to fight bums instead of Calzaghe = a duck.

You mean he chose to fight bums instead of Harry Simon. And who was the second guy again? And (again), doesn't quite jive with this:

Not really when you consider who he fought instead. When you turn down your highest purse to fight lesser fighters, its a duck.

Dancing?

He didn't duck Calzaghe with any knowledge of a deal with GBP. You are again using hindsight. He ducked Calzaghe because he didn't wanna take the risk even for $3m which at the time (not using hindsight) was the highest purse he could get.

Again, it was a three fight deal with Showtime. Not a deal with Joe Calzaghe. And you're right, he didn't have knowledge of a deal with GBP. What he did have was a belief that he was worth more. He was right. And he fought Calzaghe anyway. For double that amount.

In fact, he wanted to fight more welterweights instead. Do the words "Whaddup Fernando Vargas?" mean anything to you?

As much as I remember Joe Calzaghe calling out Jermain Taylor.

[Dirk Diggler UK]

Again, it was a three fight deal with Showtime. Not a deal with Joe Calzaghe. And you're right, he didn't have knowledge of a deal with GBP. What he did have was a belief that he was worth more. He was right. And he fought Calzaghe anyway. For double that amount.
.

He was not worth more at the time. Certainly not double more which is what he demanded after agreeing the deal the previous day. Just like he was not worth 50/50 against Roy. Priced himself out, ducked, dodged, avoided. Whatever you wanna call it. Its one of the more blatant ones in recent history.

The reason he eventually.....yes eventually....got more money than the career high purse he was offered to fight Joe is because he fought Oscar. Just because he eventually fought Oscar after fighting several bums doesn't mean he didnt duck the fight with Calzaghe - a harder foe.

Do other fighters get a pass from you for ducking a fight because they eventually went on to fight Oscar?

[IMDAZED]

He was not worth more at the time. Certainly not double more which is what he demanded after agreeing the deal the previous day. Just like he was not worth 50/50 against Roy. Priced himself out, ducked, dodged, avoided. Whatever you wanna call it. Its one of the more blatant ones in recent history.

The reason he eventually.....yes eventually....got more money than the career high purse he was offered to fight Joe is because he fought Oscar. Just because he eventually fought Oscar after fighting several bums doesn't mean he didnt duck the fight with Calzaghe - a harder foe.

Do other fighters get a pass from you for ducking a fight because they eventually went on to fight Oscar?

Why are you asking me that when it was you who said fighting lesser fighters instead of a career high purse is a duck? You said Bernard Hopkins ducked Joe Calzaghe. That is absolutely false. He was offered a three fight contract with Showtime (when he was previously with the better-paying HBO) that would culminate in a $3m payday versus the also unknown Joe Calzaghe. Hopkins felt he was worth more at the time and, within the same period that he would've fought Calzaghe in, he proved it. And fought Calzaghe anyway. For double the amount.