Calzaghe amateur..

[jack_the_rippuh]

Amateur Hamdan vs. Amateur Joe.
Hamdan by murder.

[GEOFFHAYES]

Amateur Hamdan vs. Amateur Joe.
Hamdan by murder.

I've seen some of Eubank's amateur fights and he only really has a jab (a really good one at that), his left hook is just a novice-like slap, right hand has no velocity behind it whatsoever, but I do like his short uppercut he brings in during a quick-handed combination of straight punches. But Eubank in the amateurs.. flat-footed, stiff at his waist, lacking variety, and very reliant on judgement of timing and distance. Bare in mind, he only started sparring a few months before he turned 17, and felt he couldn't get his punches off properly behind a guard so just didn't use one.

Calzaghe was just terrific.

[Shanus]

I didn't..

Did Joe? If so, in what fashion?

[GEOFFHAYES]

Did Joe? If so, in what fashion?

Yeah he beat him in the '93 ABA middleweight (165) final at the Indoor Arena in Birmingham (where Benn had that terrible night with Malinga a year earlier) in impression fashion on points. Kudos to Darren for being the only guy to last the distance with Joe for two years.

[GEOFFHAYES]

I know Joe's last-ever loss to date was against Opreda in Prague, the robbery when he was 17. And I know he had six losses on his record when he won his first British Schoolboy title. I also know about the loss to Smyth. That's eight. I don't know where the other loss comes from.. because his record is 121-9. I'm guessing maybe the Junior ABA's in '89? Have to look into it..

[potatoes]

Joe won his first British ABA Schools final in '85 at under-15 level at the Bracknell Leisure Centre at 135 beating auburn-haired mental case Geoff McCreesh, I know Joe had six losses on his record at that point. He won the British ABA Schools at under-15 again in '86 and at under-16 level in '87 and '88, all at 135.

In '89 he won the trials for the British team at 139 and, still 17, went to Prague for the 1990 Junior European Championships where he was robbed against Romanian Adrian Opreda (who went on to win silver at the world championships the following year). He'd lost to Michael Smyth a few weeks before the robbery in Prague, at the 1990 Welsh ABA's at 147, his first senior championships, due to being over-powered by Smyth (Joe could still make 139 easily) because the 'powers-that-be' wanted Matthew Turner to represent Wales at 139 and go to the Commonwealth Games (I think Turner's dad was friendly with selectors).

Joe then filled out a lot and won the British ABA's three years in a row at three different weights: 147 in '91, 156 in '92 and 165 in '93, stopping guys like future European champion Dean Francis and future world champions Glenn Catley and Jason Matthews along the way, while struggling to make 156 and 165. He was screwed out of the Barcelona Olympics though because the 'powers-that-be' weren't friendly enough with Joe's dad Enzo and also didn't like the way Joe would drops his hands and tap opponents on the head etc (felt he was disrespectful).

Joe finished 121-9.

Yes, Calzaghe had a good amateur career. He went on to even more success as a professional. Sadly success on one does not always mean success in the other. Tyrell Biggs and Henry Tillman had great amateur pedigrees yet went on to fail as professionals.

[GEOFFHAYES]

That's true.