Joe Calzaghe: Andre Ward is good but beatable

[FinitoElDinamita]

Ward gets beat by a prime Calzaghe..

By Scott Gilfoid: Former IBF/WBA/WBC/WBO super middleweight champion Joe Calzaghe (46-0, 32 KO’s) said he got the chance to take on Andre Ward’s latest fight against Carl Froch in the Super Six tournament this past weekend. Calzaghe, 38, said the 27-year-old Ward looked impressive but he thinks he can still be beat.

Here’s what Calzaghe said on his twitter: “Watched the Froch v Ward fight gain. Ward is a good fighter but def beatable.”

Sounds good but who precisely is the person that can beat Ward? Calzaghe doesn’t say but obviously he can’t be referring to himself, as he turns 39 in February and he’s been adamant about not wanting to make a comeback against anyone, period. Even if he were to get a ton of money, Calzaghe has no interest in making a comeback. The thing is with Calzaghe he had the opportunity to fight Ward if he had wanted to back in 2008 when Ward was already showing that he was the class of the super middleweight division. Instead of facing Ward, Calzaghe opted to take fights against older fighters 41-year-old Roy Jones Jr. and 43-year-old Bernard Hopkins and was knocked down by both fighters.

It’s probably a good thing that Calzaghe retired when he did because I think Ward would have easily beaten him. Calzaghe was still in the prime of his career when he retired, so it wouldn’t have been a case of him being old if Ward had done a number on him. Ward is simply better in every area than Calzaghe in my view.

But forgetting the thought of Calzaghe making a comeback, just who does he see that can beat Ward? Mikkel Kessler was already spanked by Ward in 2009. Indeed, Ward beat Kessler much worse than Calzaghe, who struggled to beat Kessler by the 117-111, 116-112 and 116-112 scores. In 11 rounds of action, Ward beat Kessler by the scores 97-93, 98-92 and 98-92. Ward also beat Sakio Bika, a fighter that Calzaghe struggled with, much easier than Calzaghe did. Ward beat him by a 12 round decision by the scores of 120-108, 118-110, and 118-110. Calzaghe defeated Bika by a hard-fought 12 round decision in 2006 by the scores of 117-110, 117-110 and 116-111. Ward looked much better against Bika than Calzaghe.
So who does Calzaghe think can beat Ward?

Carl Froch – Nope! He just got whipped.

Andre Dirrell – he’s a special talent with amazing hand speed, power and defensive skills. Andre might be able to do it if he can get a few more fights under his belt to get the rust off from a year of inactivity.

Anthony Dirrell – Well, possibly but he would be taking a big jump up in competition in facing Ward.

George Groves – no head movement, no power and weak on the inside. He stands no chance ever of beating Ward. This would be a hilarious fight to watch, as Ward would pick Groves apart and knock him out. A very limited fighter. If Calzaghe thinks this guy could beat Ward then he’s really dreaming.

James DeGale – He’ll never be able to beat Ward because he’s too much of a slapper, plodder and lacks the defensive skills. DeGale honestly needs to lose some baby fat and move down in weight to the middleweight division if he wants to amount to anything in boxing. Ward would kill him.

Lucian Bute – This guy can’t block punches and mostly uses his feet to evade punches. Bute has no jab and lives and dies by his power shots. He would get jabbed apart against Ward and lose every round unless the fight were to take place in Canada, where Bute is unbeatable. I could see him losing every round to Ward and still end up having his hand raised at the end if it were to take place over there. But anywhere else in the world, Ward easily wins.

I think it’s pretty clear that Ward would have whipped Calzaghe had the British fighter not up and retired when things were getting hot with Ward taking over the division.

[Violent Demise]

Calzaghe doing and saying everything he can to try and make himself still seem relevant. Pretty funny how this drug addict always commentating how he can beat these current fighters if he was still fighting. Shut the fuck up with that bullshit. Facts don't lie. And facts are you retired to smoke crack when you saw all the potential threats that were coming up. Instead of facing them and risking your 0 in the process you decided to run and hide. And now here you are spitting nonsense for some attention.

[Gandalf]

Calzaghe would have beaten Ward without question. Ward would be tricky for 4 rounds, but once Calzaghe starts to work, that is when Ward begins to fall. Ward starts to tire against the like of Bika and a low output Froch, Calzaghe would just destroy him.

[Spicoli]

Its all armchair quarterbacking, kind of an empty assessment and nil on detail. I mean I'm sure Tocker pudwill thought Calzaghe was beatable too

[FinitoElDinamita]

Calzaghe was one of the very few white men who fought to a black rhythm.. He was extra special.

Ward gets outclassed here.

[CFH]

A prime Calzaghe would just overwhelm Ward at this point in his career. However, the Calzaghe that fought Roy Jones would be in for a long night. I'm not sure he'd win that one.

[Gandalf]

Calzaghe was one of the very few white men who fought to a black rhythm.. He was extra special.

Ward gets outclassed here.

Calzaghe was very special and I rate him higher than Hopkins and give him a fair shot at outworking prime Jones. He really was that good.

I find it laughable to even put Ward in the same category as those fighters. Allan Green? A years later Kessler? Froch who was always limited? Bika who hasn't beaten anybody?

Ward is becoming a little like Lacy was, but unlike Lacy Ward has no Calzaghe on the horizon. Bute might be able to beat him, but Bute is no Calzaghe.

[rjj tszyu]

I think Ward takes any version of Calzaghe. Joe has 2 legends on his resume and both were 10+ years past their primes. Both would have totally outclassed him in their primes and Ward is the closest thing to Roy Jones I've seen at 168 since Jones was in his prime. Calzaghe knew this which is why even in 2002 when he was offered the Jones fight he rejected and waited a few more years until the cracks in Jones that were just about starting to show in 2002 had become great big gaping holes.

Also Calzaghe in his prime IMO went tooth and nail with Kessler, Ward just whooped him.

[Violent Demise]

Calzaghe was one of the very few white men who fought to a black rhythm.. He was extra special.

Ward gets outclassed here.

Calzaghe was very special and I rate him higher than Hopkins and give him a fair shot at outworking prime Jones. He really was that good.

I find it laughable to even put Ward in the same category as those fighters. Allan Green? A years later Kessler? Froch who was always limited? Bika who hasn't beaten anybody?

Ward is becoming a little like Lacy was, but unlike Lacy Ward has no Calzaghe on the horizon. Bute might be able to beat him, but Bute is no Calzaghe.

Take away the ancient Jones and Hopkins and Calzaghe best 2 opponents are who? That's right. Kessler and Bika

[Spicoli]

Calzaghe was one of the very few white men who fought to a black rhythm.. He was extra special.

Ward gets outclassed here.

I've just never mixed Calzaghe and the term rhythm together Al 'fuckin Jolson he was not

[Althugz]

Calslappy gets owned by Ward at any point. Too smart. Gandalf you seriously compared Ward to Lacy?? Calzaghe was good but outwork a prime Roy Jones?? You're on that same shit JC's on..

Only prime fighter worth a damn he EVER fought was Kessler..waste!

[armin]

I like calzaghe, and think he would have won a ud against ward, something semi competitive but a clear win for joe. However he choose to retire with no plans of comin back so why is he even makin this statement, everyone is beatable...

[Gandalf]

I'm not on the white stuff, just extremely hungover, but I am very high on Joe Calzaghe. I think he is one of the true greats and matches up against anyone in the history of his division, including Roy Jones.

I've seen it mentioned in this thread that Ward reminds people of Jones Jr, but they are nothing alike really. Completely different styles, Ward reminds me of Hopkins much more than Jones who really was a sublimely gifted athlete. Jones Jr's basics were all wrong, but he never needed them. Ward has the crafts honed extremely well. But I think he has stamina issues and a high output fighter like Calzaghe outworks him completely.

I say Lacy in terms of overhyped and Ward to me is overrated. I don't see a particularly great fighter at all. The American's need their name SMW and they have him, but Calzaghe eats those for breakfast.

People are always quick to pick holes in Calzaghe's resume, but you can do the same with Hopkins (CW's are his biggest wins) and Jones Jr (a lot of taxi drivers). Calzaghe's resume is very respectable and he never lost. He always found a way and old Hopkins was a more difficult win for Calzaghe than a young Hopkins who would have given Joe more opportunities. Calzaghe fought a man grown into LHW, Hopkins in his younger days was only ever a MW and would have been the man going up for the first time.

[LobowolfXXX]

I say Lacy in terms of overhyped and Ward to me is overrated. I don't see a particularly great fighter at all. The American's need their name SMW and they have him, but Calzaghe eats those for breakfast.

Conversely, the Brits/Europeans need their name SMW and they have him, but Ward eats those for breakfast...

Calzaghe's resume is very respectable and he never lost? Gee, who else does that sound like?

[Gandalf]

I say Lacy in terms of overhyped and Ward to me is overrated. I don't see a particularly great fighter at all. The American's need their name SMW and they have him, but Calzaghe eats those for breakfast.

Conversely, the Brits/Europeans need their name SMW and they have him, but Ward eats those for breakfast...

Calzaghe's resume is very respectable and he never lost? Gee, who else does that sound like?

Ward has beaten Froch who Calzaghe would NEVER have lost a round against. Froch throwing 40 punches a round, slowly and missing most or Calzaghe and his 100 punch buzzsaw combinations from all kinds of awkward angles. It's Calzaghe easily.

Calzaghe beat a prime Kessler, unbeaten and full of confidence and took him to school with sublime boxing. No cheating, no spoiling, just brilliant showmanship and class. Ward couldn't do it without going all John Ruiz and Billy Goat Gruff.

Calzaghe is a different league to someone like Ward. Ward may be the S.O.G, but Calzaghe is God himself. It is father and son and the son would get a spanking. Ward just couldn't keep up and would be befuddled by the different things Calzaghe can do. All Ward can do is try to make it ugly, but that wouldn't be very Christian.