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© Jim Everett / Saddo Boxing
In a fight 10 years in the making, Joe Calzaghe makes his New York debut against ring legend Roy Jones Junior in a 12 round light heavyweight bout.
For Calzaghe, this is the opportunity to cement his status as 175 pound number one. For Jones, at 39, a victory on Saturday night would solidify him as an all time great.
Calzaghe reigned the super middleweight division for 10 years. This run included wins over Chris Eubank, Robin Reid, Omar Sheika, Richie Woodall, Charles Brewer, Byrom Mitchell, Jeff Lacey and Mikkel Kessler.
After cleaning up the 168 pound division, the Welshman moved up to the 175 pound division to fight the former middleweight champion Bernard Hopkins.
The two met in April this year and after suffering a first round knockdown, Calzaghe gritted his teeth and pounded a close decision win over his wily opponent.
In Calzaghe’s eyes this was a disappointing performance. The Welshman has been quoted as saying he underestimated Hopkins, but nevertheless, his 45 bout unbeaten streak remained intact.
In Jones, he meets a man three years his senior at 39 who has won titles in four divisions. A champion first at middleweight in May 1993, Jones outpointed the aforementioned Hopkins to win the vacant title.
A year and a half later, Jones would move up to the 168 pound division to defeat James Toney over 12 rounds in one of 1994’s superfights. In that bout, Jones was faultless.
After a short reign at 168, Jones would move up to the light heavyweights where he would spend the rest of his career aside from one very important bout.
After winning the vacant title against veteran Jamaican Mike McCallum, Jones would go on to dominate the division becoming undisputed champion along the way. The only blotch on that record would be a disqualification loss to Montell Griffin in early 1997 when he was judged to have hit Griffin when down. That defeat however, was spectacularly overturned in August of that year with a one round victory.
In March 2003, Jones created history. Not only did he become a four weight world champion, he also became the first man in over a hundred years to win the middleweight and heavyweight championship when he scored a unanimous points victory over WBA World Champion John Ruiz.
That fight was a one shot deal and Jones knew his future was at the 175 pound limit. However, in his next bout against local rival Antonio Tarver in November 2003, Jones looked a shadow of his former self, barely scraping a decision win.
In the rematch six months later, the decline continued when Jones was KO’d in two rounds. A bad 2004 continued when he was KO’d in nine rounds in an IBF 175 pound title tilt against Glen Johnson.
Most thought Jones was finished and in 2005 he would lose over 12 rounds in the rubber match against Tarver. In that bout, Jones looked simply happy to have lasted the 12 round course.
Since then, Jones has rediscovered his appetite for the game and has rebounded with three decision wins, the most notable being a win over former three division champion Felix Trinidad in January of this year. Now in the same ring comes his ultimate test.
A lot of people have already written Jones off for this one saying he’s gunshy. However, in his last fight, although facing the smaller man, Jones showed he still has plenty left.
In Calzaghe though, Jones is meeting a man capable of throwing well over a thousand punches over the course of a 12 round bout. Jones still has his speed, but Calzaghe has the hunger.
One thing in my view Joe will have to look out for is the fast right hand of Jones. I’m pretty sure the American will be looking to throw the right uppercut and I’m also pretty sure that he would have seen the right hand of Hopkins that decked Calzaghe early.
Interestingly enough, opinions on this one are divided and split down the middle. Had this fight happened five years ago, Jones would of been the heavy favourite. But this is 2008 and I feel that although Jones will still cause Calzaghe problems, Joe has the capability and desire to pull this one out in a bout likely to go the distance.
But I also feel it won’t be as easy as people think.
