Boxing Perspective: Joe Calzaghe
Over-Anxious Calzaghe Wins Ugly, Remains Unbeaten
On a night in which he was under considerable pressure to sparkle, WBO and IBF super middleweight champion Joe Calzaghe was forced to dig deeper than anyone expected in order to overcome tough Cameroonian Sakio Bika.
Having set a near flawless standard for himself when trouncing heavily hyped American Jeff Lacy earlier this year, it always figured to be an optimistic ask for Calzaghe, 34, to reproduce the same level of intensity and brilliance against a virtual unknown such as Bika.
After nine years at the top of his division, the Newbridge fighter has spent the last six months or so – the post-Lacy months – finally being lavished with the global recognition that he and his Sardinian-born father/trainer, Enzo Calzaghe, have long felt his talent and accomplishments warranted.
However, the corollary of being accepted as the best in any sport, not just boxing, carries with it the potential for a sudden and dramatic plummet from grace. When an athlete scales the kind of astronomical heights that Calzaghe did after his breakthrough performance in March, it is very hard to continue climbing. It is even harder not to slip and fall.
Falling short of over-inflated expectations and, God forbid, possibly even showing a glimpse of vulnerability after his punch-perfect display against Lacy were amongst a multitude of concerns leading up to the undefeated Welshman’s 19th world title defence. Perfection, after all, is a very hard thing to improve upon. Especially when your hands are only slightly less brittle than fine china.
With the knowledge that his defence against Bika was being broadcast to an expectant stateside audience by American cable giant HBO, Calzaghe displayed all the earmarks of a fighter trying just a little too hard to impress. Replacing rapid-fire combinations with wide, often looping left hands from his southpaw stance, the now 42-0 (31 KO’s) champion fought with a recklessness that, though not altogether uncharacteristic, was a far cry from the controlled fury that he exhibited in his previous outing.
Murmurings that his Australian-based opponent – who cut a supremely confident figure throughout the build-up despite being installed as a 10-1 underdog – could turn out to be a slightly more problematic assignment than conventional wisdom had initially suggested, grew noticeably louder as the fight neared. The Cameroonian strongman had a swagger which made many knowledgeable heads feel uneasy about casting him in the role of no-hoper.
Forebodingly, his pre-fight comments were laced with an ambition and self-belief that strongly belied any talk of him being just another fall guy. He had not made the long journey to England to fold like a dud poker hand, that much was certain. Still, the forecast within the industry was as black and white as it gets. Bika, a tough but handpicked opponent, was not thought to be on Calzaghe’s plane – or anywhere near it.
Calzaghe, once again allowing himself to be dragged down to an inferior opponent’s level, suffered a sharp dip in form on Saturday night at the MEN Arena in Manchester. The phrase ‘winning ugly’ perhaps most aptly describes the messy 12-rounder won unanimously by the Welshman by scores of 117-110 twice and 116-111. Battered, bloodied and clearly exhausted down the stretch, he was forced to endure some shaky moments before stumbling across the finish line with his unblemished record still intact.
According to Calzaghe, the same hand injury which had frustratingly stifled the pendulum-like momentum he had gathered by thrashing Lacy, struck once again shortly after he began training for his bout against Bika. Determined not to postpone or cancel, he claims that fighting was a calculated risk which thankfully paid off. Though he looked far from sparking, an ugly win is still a good win in his eyes.
Of course, he would like to have prevailed with a bit more aplomb. However, as the old saying goes, it takes two to tango and the heavily muscled Bika was lamentably not in a dancing mood. Excessive holding, repeated rabbit punches and flagrant use of his head clearly upset the champion’s rhythm, and prevented him from stamping his authority on proceedings the way in which he was expected to.
Nonetheless, he managed to fiddle his way through and now has his sights set on meeting a big name opponent early next year. Former undisputed middleweight champion Bernard Hopkins is at the top of his wish list, and if a match with the wily old sage can somehow be made Calzaghe says that he will gladly get on a plane to meet him.
“I would be happy to go to America to show I am the real deal,” stated a swollen Calzaghe after his gruelling victory over Bika. “Bernard Hopkins is the man and 100% I would fight him in his own back garden if that is what it took to get him into the ring with me. He can fight me next to prevent me from equalling his record of 20 consecutive victories in title fights or he can wait one fight to prevent me surpassing him on the all-time list. Either way, I will be ready.”