is Calzaghe HOF or potential future HOF

[phil28]

YAWN.

Again, there's an excuse for everyone he didn't fight, and that leaves him with a list full of weaker names.

He has a weak overall resume, didn't unify a major title at 168 (before last weekend), didn't come close to cleaning it out, and didn't change divsions in search of bigger fights.

Now, at 33, he has his best career win against a guy with 21 fights.

NOT a HoF career at this point any way you look at it.

Yes, there's an excuse for everyone he didn't fight. And good ones too, but I guess you're too blinkered to look at it objectively. You don't like the guy, fair enough. But be objective, it's all I'm asking.

As for a Hall of Fame resume, his career isn't over yet and i'm sure I could find at least 20 boxers in the Hall of Fame with less impressive resumes than Calzaghe.

[Bozo_no no]

Well, dude, you obviously hate the guy with a passion for whatever reason. That is plain to see.

Just keeping it real.

He doesn't have a Hall of Fame resume at this point, didn't clean out super middleweight, didn't unify one of the major 3 titles (up until now), and didn't move up in weight to seek out bigger fights.

I don't see how anyone can disagree with that.

He has and always has had potential.

Unless last weekend is a starting point for using that potential to win some important fights from here on in, he doesn't make the hall.

[mECHsLAVE]

Yeah, I'd love to see Bozo's assesment of RJJ's career if he's going to nitpick and criticize Calzaghe for not fighting Mundine, Green, and Beyer, etc. LOL

Let's keep it real, if he had fought and beat all of those guys, then Bozo would have called them "bums" and said they add nothing to his career... because let's face it, the notable names that Calzaghe has beaten at SMW are all more respected and accomplished fighters this little group that he is now being criticized for not fighting.

As I said in my original post, Ottke is really the only notable name that is missing from Joe's SMW resume. And Ottke never wanted to fight Joe.

[Shanus]

I was speaking to my mate Dean Francis after the Ashira fight, and I told him that I believed Joe wouldn't get the respect he deserved until he retired.

Even if he retired after the Evans Ashira fight or lost against Jeff Lacy, I told Dean that nobody will go undefeated for 15 years (amateur or pro) like he did (Calzaghe hasn't lost since 1990, and that was such a bad robbery that it made Roy Jones Jr's loss to Park Si-Hun look fair by comparison). I told him that nobody will dominate the number-one ranked amateur in the world (at that weight) like he did (and get robbed as badly as he did). I told him that nobody will win three ABA titles for three years in a row at three different weights like he did. I told him that nobody will go 40-0 as a pro at that level (beating five former world champions at that weight) like he did. I told him that nobody will break their hand after four rounds in a world title fight and win the next eight rounds one-handed like he did.

Obviously, I was wrong that Joe won't get the respect he deserves until he retires because after that win over Lacy he has the respect now. But I still say he's under-rated and under-appreciated.

Also let's remember that Joe was the first man to ever stop Chris Byrd and the first man to ever floor Chris Eubank.

He stopped Chris Byrd in the amateurs?

[Bozo_no no]

Yes, there's an excuse for everyone he didn't fight. And good ones too, but I guess you're too blinkered to look at it objectively. You don't like the guy, fair enough. But be objective, it's all I'm asking.

Like I said before, when there's an excuse for eveyone he didn't fight and it's everyone's fault but his, he loses the benifit of the doubt. ESPECIALLY when Frank Warren was involved, and when he did it all sitting in his own backyard.

I don't see why it's so hard to accept that he's had a sub par career up until this week.

His potential isn't in question, but using it to win important fights that will get him HoF consideration is.

This week was a start. Unless it's follwed up on, he's wasted a lot of that potential doing little to nothing with it.

[phil28]

No that was bull****. 99 out of 100 referee's would of stopped that fight in the second round in favor of Brewer, 99 out of 100 referee's wouldn't of called the stoppage for Echols in round three.

I agree on both counts, but at the end of the day the fight went to Echols. It's his best achievement at super middle, and Bozo says Calzaghe should have fought him, so I gave Echols credit for his 'big' win.

[Bozo_no no]

Yeah, I'd love to see Bozo's assesment of RJJ's career if he's going to nitpick and criticize Calzaghe for not fighting Mundine, Green, and Beyer, etc. LOL

Let's keep it real, if he had fought and beat all of those guys, then Bozo would have called them "bums" and said they add nothing to his career... because let's face it, the notable names that Calzaghe has beaten at SMW are all more respected and accomplished fighters this little group that he is now being criticized for not fighting.

As I said in my original post, Ottke is really the only notable name that is missing from Joe's SMW resume. And Ottke never wanted to fight Joe.

Roy Jones won titles from Middleweight to Havyweight, and his competition TRUMPS Calzaghe's.

Come on. That's the weakest thing you've said yet.

Calzaghe's resume before Lacey is WEAK. Bottom line.

He was at 168 for years, did not win or unify a major title, didn't come close to cleaning it out, and didn't move up in weight to make an important fight.

You guys need to get over it.

For the 4th time, the guy's talented, and this last weekend was his best win. But unless it's followed up, his career isn't going to be looked back on as being paticularly special.

[phil28]

Yeah, I'd love to see Bozo's assesment of RJJ's career if he's going to nitpick and criticize Calzaghe for not fighting Mundine, Green, and Beyer, etc. LOL

Let's keep it real, if he had fought and beat all of those guys, then Bozo would have called them "bums" and said they add nothing to his career... because let's face it, the notable names that Calzaghe has beaten at SMW are all more respected and accomplished fighters this little group that he is now being criticized for not fighting.

As I said in my original post, Ottke is really the only notable name that is missing from Joe's SMW resume. And Ottke never wanted to fight Joe.

This is the problem. He's beaten the best fighters at 168 that would fight him, with the exception of Kessler.

I don't think Joe will fight Kessler because he's stated for years that getting down to 168 is killing him, and he wants to become a dual weight world champ.

I get the feeling come the end of this guy's career, he'll be a lock for the hall, regardless of Bozo's criticisms.

[Dirt E Gomez]

IS he HOF material at this time? No. Could he be before he retires? Yes.

As I stated in threads months ago beating Lacy is only a start. Bozo's points pretty much mirror that of mine in this case.

[phil28]

Roy Jones won titles from Middleweight to Havyweight, and his competition TRUMPS Calzaghe's.

Come on. That's the weakest thing you've said yet.

Calzaghe's resume before Lacey is WEAK. Bottom line.

He was at 168 for years, did not win or unify a major title, didn't come close to cleaning it out, and didn't move up in weight to make an important fight.

You guys need to get over it.

For the 4th time, the guy's talented, and this last weekend was his best win. But unless it's followed up, his career isn't going to be looked back on as being paticularly special.

Oh, here we go, the great RJJ debate.

Of the titles RJJ won:

Middleweight: Won the vacant IBF belt versus BHop, when nobody had heard of Bhop.

Super middle: Won the IBF belt from Toney. A good win, but tainted slightly by Toney having to lose 48 pounds in 6 weeks before the fight.

Light Heavy: His WBC belt should never have gone to him, it belonged to a guy named Graciano Rocchegianni. His other belts were stripped from the ring champ DM. Paper champ and nothing more at light heavy.

Heavy: Beat John Ruiz, a guy tailor made for him to beat. Who was the man at heavy at the time? Lennox. Didn't see RJJ too eager to challenge him.

Neither guy has a particularly great resume as far as I'm concerned, but Joe still has time to add to his, whereas Roy should have hung the gloves up years ago.