I couldn't stay up for the fight last night. I thought about it but I had a tough day and it would have killed me. I caught the replay this morning though and it was incredible by all rights. I watched some of the build-up where they showed some of the defining rounds of Calzaghe and Jones' careers. They are two of the most important boxers of my lifetime without a doubt. Hopkins too, but Calzaghe took them both this year and has absolutely nothing left to prove. He really did a job last night, Jones was a god damned soldier though. That cut could have done some serious damage and you could see the exhaustion but he didn't stop for 12 rounds. Classic boxing. Amazing. I will watch the replay a few times over the next couple of days.
Shout outs to the Brixton Bomber Danny Williams too. He went down at York Hall pretty much ending his career. Which is sad, but it's worth remembering some of his great fights, Tyson, Harrison, Skelton, Sam, Klitchko. He's a legend.
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6 comments:
As a boxing fan all my life gotta comment on this fight.the most important thing about last nights fight was the decline of roy and how sad it was to watch the former p4p great just not have enough any more.calzaghe is a good boxer who has cleverly worked his career to fight the legends when theyr old enough so that his speed is too much.However if joe does fight on and break marcianos record i will be disappointed as calzaghes padded middle of his career means he doesnt deserve to pass this great.Joe is a very good boxer who did well to beat kessler but the talk todayof him been up with leanord, robinson etc is wrong.he will never be at that level even with all the talking and pointless cockiness we get from him and his attention seeking dad.The fact is that he is one of the top british boxers of all time but cant hold a candle to those of yesteryear and had calzaghe been around earlier in the twighlight of benn collins watson and eubank, or had fought hopkins or jones in their prime, or had got the deserved points defeat to reid, he would not be on the way to beating the record of a true boxing legend.Calzaghe often wonders in interviews and that why he doesnt get the credit or support of hatton etc and the simple answer is because hes not a personality, overrates himself and although has fought well was lucky to be in the super middleweight division at a very weak time.Cheers!
Politically you know how difficult it's been for British fighters to get those big names though. I don't think a Jones Vs. Calzaghe fight would have been entertained by the Jones camp at his peak. Hatton had the same problem. So did Howard Eastman, the problems is that with a fighter like Eastman, he FINALLY got his shot at Hopkins, got punched out but fought hard and never did anything again. It's always going to be a different hustle for British boxers. I don't know about fighting Peter Manfredo, that seemed like a kop-out but I guess you can only beat the guy they put in front of you and he has officially beaten Hopkins and Jones.
As far as his personality, I've always enjoyed watching Calzaghe fights. He always offers something in the ring.
I agree with you on the whole but I think you'd find Calzaghe as frustrated as anybody by his lack of blockbusters in the late 90s/ early 00s.
I hate to see those forced characters in boxing too. I think Calzaghe could have made himself a little more animated to capture the American promoters but I always use Hashim Rahman as an example of a boxer who doesn't have much in the way of character or style but was forced to become a heavyweight pastiche after he took the title and none of it was believable at all.
The main problem with calzaghe that has only really emerged is the attitude he developed after beating lacy, a fight i went to watch and enjoyed.he then talked too much and became cocky and almost demanded more respect for it than he deserved.Im no fan of roy jones jr as a person with his dog fights and general way etc but to see calzaghe getting so needlessly cocky to someone like jones who i remember as such a good boxer in his prime angered me.some of the hype that i find silly is obviously not calzaghes fault with setanta and other press exaggerrating some things and going mad when his cuffing punches look a lot more dangerous than they are.some blame must also be attached to frank warren who kept calzaghe busy with some real bums while cashing in and padding the record but i also lost alot of respect for joe with some of the pulling out of fights such as when he was scheduled to fight glencoffe johnson in manchester and didnt really seem to give a good reason or care.but like i said previously i do respect his talent but after a day of watching tv and reading on the internet i can only feel some people are really getting too excited and putting him on too high a pedastool.
On the danny williams subject i hope he retires now as i dont think he should rematch mcdermott after last nite as his confidence and mental strentgh can be so weak it could really undo him there.he should just retire and look back on his big fights at home and know hes done all he really can
If you can put Calzaghe in one last fight, at The Millennium Stadium, in April, to prove once and for all that he's the boxer he thinks he is, who do you personally put him up against? Obviously Hopkins and Jones 5 or 6 years ago would do it but that's not possible any more.
I personally would like to see him retire and stay away from the record but if he did have one i would want bad chad to come over.he may have struggled past johnson but who doesnt't!?calzaghe pulled out of fights with johnson 3 or 4 times before the lacy fight and everyone who kows boxing loves and respects johnsons toughness.i think dawson is a boxer with great talent and speed to match calzaghe as well as the size to go with it.hes also young enough to fight at tht pace for the full 12 and doesnt have the crouching duck style lacy had that was made for joe.as long as a jones rematch doesnt happen im happy as roy is a past it legend who i dont wanna see cut or lacking in stamina again.i feel a hopkins fight could happen again with bernard fighting it the proper way this time and possibly nicking it, as i did actually have him winning by one round last time as he landed the punches even if he was stupidly negative.calaghes disrespectful comments today about how he could have knocked jones out but didnt want to also disappointed me
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