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Round1: A very stop-start round. Salem employed some dirty tactics by hitting Calzaghe’s leg in the clinch. There was also a clash of heads. Very little happened as Salem clinched every time Calzaghe got close. Calzaghe’s round as he worked harder and landed more punches.
Round 2: Another scrappy round. Calzaghe received a cut via an accidental head butt. Calzaghe, perhaps sensing that it was a bad cut, really let his hands go in the last minute of the round. He appeared to hurt Salem a couple of times as Calzaghe waded in. Salem caught Joe a couple of times too. Good round for Calzaghe.
Round 3: Another clash of heads. Point deduction for Salem. Scrappy round. Calzaghe again hurting Salem with wild hooks, and Salem not reurning fire much. A 10-8 round for Calzaghe. A very scrappy but entertaining fight. Salem looks like he could be stopped.
Round 4: Salem goes in with the shoulder in this round and almost gets another point deducted. Salem is wobbled by a good right, but as Calzaghe goes after Salem, he is caught with a hook and is floored for the 2nd time in his career. A10-8 round for Salem.
Round 5: Calzaghe has shaken off the effects of the knockdown. Not much happens in this round as Calzaghe is very tentative. This is Salem’s round, as he lands more punches of the few that are thrown.
Round 6: Calzaghe comes out looking more like himself. He still appears tenative though. He lands one good left in the round and does a lot of posing for the rest of it. Salem hurt Calzaghe with a good right hook. Salem’s round or even if you were being kind to Calzaghe.
Round 7: Still very little clean being landed. Salem appears to be going for an oscar as he reacts to an apparent head butt from Joe. Joe Hurts Salem with one good left and Salem clinches. Not much else happens. Joe’s round.
Round 8: Much, much better round for Joe as he starts to come in behind the jab and lands frequently with the straight left. Salem is wobbled several times in this round and returns little. Joe’s best round for a while. He has to watch Salem’s right hook though as he comes after him.
Round 9: Salem looks tired in this round. His work rate drops and Joe maintains his work rate. Joe nails him with some wild hooks towards the end of the round and Salem looks like he is there for the taking. Very scrappy fight. Not vintage Calzaghe by any means.
Round 10: Another messy round. Calzaghe again walks onto a big right but takes it better this time. He comes back with a good straight left. A lot of clinching.
Round 11: Joe is deducted a point for head butting in this round. Some good, clean shots landed by both fighters. Calzaghe gets the better of it though and nails Salem with several clean shots to the chin. Salem takes them well. Joe body-slams Salem.
Even round due to point deduction.
Round 12: Salem is finally down in this round, and is on shaky legs for the rest of the fight. Had this gone another round, Salem would have probably been stopped. This should be Calzaghe’s fight by a country mile as it goes to the cards.
Final judge’s decision……..
117/109 118/107 116/109
All for the winner, and still the WBO super-middleweight champion of the world Joe Calzaghe!
Calzaghe stated after the fight that he was disappointed and that he felt that he wasn’t himself during the fight. He asserted that Salem was a strong fighter that essentially came to spoil the fight. Calzaghe also said that he was off-balance when he was knocked down and indicated that he fought to the level of his opposition by saying that he wants a big fight, something that will make him perform better.
