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Benn: Joe in defeat would be at crossroads
Boxing legend Nigel Benn has said that if the unthinkable happens and current king Joe Calzaghe suffers defeat at the hands of Jermain Taylor-conqueror Kelly Pavlik next year, Calzaghe will be at a crossroads.
"If Joe lost a fight, which I can't see, the case would be this: he either dusts himself down and aims for titles or he calls it a day.
"If you're fighting, make sure you're fighting for titles, because if you're fighting for money you aren't going to get the money. When you're fighting for money you can get hurt."
Benn recalls his first loss to Michael Watson in Finsbury Park in 1989.
"Man, I thought the world was on my shoulders. I cried my eyes out.
"Now remember, two months earlier and HBO, who screened Hagler-Hearns and Mike Tyson, offered this lad from Illford £2million to fight in Wembley Stadium against pound-for-pound best Michael Nunn, saying highlights of my KO's would sell the fight.
"I turned it down because I went super-nova and wanted £3million.
"I picked myself up, dusted myself down and decided I wanted titles. Jorge Amparo had been in with the best, and when I physically felt my hand shatter on his head I knew that my first 22 opponents were nothing but Pedro's!
"Amparo was no Manuel Calvo, that's for sure. The only Pedro's I fought for the rest of my career were late subs and I couldn't get up for them.
"Joe has had his share of opponents he couldn't get up for, too, and has not showed his real self in many fights.
"But when he's been pushed by some of the Yank lads who came to have a go, he's responded and we've seen his repertoire. That's what he needs."
Benn also insists fighters must be wanting to fight for titles if they want to make money.
"The way you make money is you fight for titles, because you put it secondary. If you win titles, money will always follow.
"I had multi-million dollar fights with Leonard and Hearns lined up when a certain big mouth from Hove turned up.
"I didn't prepare like a champion because, and I hold my hands up to this, it had all got to my head again. Chris prepared like a champion.
"Did I learn my lesson? You bet I didn't. After McClellan, I turned down $10million to fight Roy Jones because I wanted $25million.
"But I still got in with Steve Collins a couple of times. I didn't walk away after the Watson defeat, like some do."
The Dark Destroyer says he can't be accused of avoiding anyone in his career but questions why Calzaghe hasn't gone Stateside.
"I fought everyone and never ducked anyone. No one else would get in with Watson, Eubank, Collins, Barkley and McClellan and no one gave me a hope against De Witt or when I went to Italy.
"I went in there to go to war to please the public.
"I was a professional boxer for less than 10 years, Joe has been a champion for 10 years and in that time, maybe at some point he should have packed his bags and gone away to America to try to force guys like Jones and Hopkins in with him.
"It's a shame, but that's the way it is. He's certainly the best British super-middleweight ever, though, and I've been saying that for years. I take my hat off to him."
Benn tells us that Calzaghe hasn't had it easy outside of the ropes either and how he deserves credit for this.
"Don't forget, he's been through a messy divorce and custody battle, this messes your head up.
"But he managed to put it behind him, beat it and get up for a tough guy like Lacy to do a number on him and earn his respect when people said he was going to get beaten."
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Originally Posted by petem
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