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Calzaghe said yesterday that he won't go beyond 25 defenses and 49 unbeaten fights out of respect for Joe Louis and Rocky Marciano.
His ambitions are very high: six more super-middle defenses (after tonight) and a Clinton Woods fight thrown in to become two-weight world champion all without fighting beyond 36, he says he hopes some of his super-middle defenses can be against the Kessler's, Wright's, Taylor's and Hopkins's..
Sounds pretty good! Let's hope those guys step up to the plate..
Joe's #1 contenders (soon-to-be mandatories?) are Rudy Markussen (WBO) and Robert Stieglitz (IBF), so they may have to feature just for him to keep hold of his titles.
Like if it would of ment something if he did. It would of been looked at the same way as when Brian Nielsen was closing in on Marciano's record. A joke.
When you've beaten everybody in sight from Eubank to Reid to Starie to Sheika to Woodhall to Veit to Brewer to Mitchell to Lacy, it's no joke.Quote:
Originally Posted by Violent Demise
Yeah, it is. Starie and Veit are garbage. Sheika and Woodhall are mediocre at best. Eubanks, Mitchell and Brewer were way past there primes. Lacy was overrated. Reid was at his best. And Calzaghe refused to give him a rematch after his SD win. As for beaten everybody in site? Where's the Sven Ottke, Roy Jones, Bernard Hopkins, Antonio Tarver fights? How come he never faught them? I would of even settled for Eric Harding, Glen Johnson, Dariusz Michaelwski or Montell Griffin. Why weren't any of those fights made? Let me guess, it was all there fault. Not Joe's. Joe's never at fault.Quote:
Originally Posted by WWatt
Okay, well lets look at this list VD. Some of them may be valid, some are certainly not. Sven Ottke retired undefeated, and that was his main aim by the time the Calzaghe star was reaching it''s Zenith, and he was not going to risk that record with a fight against Calzaghe. Antonio Tarver never fought at SMW, he's been an LH all his career, and if Calszaghe had gone after it, there wouldn't be this thread about records would there? While there was speculation about him going up, I think the decision was made some 3 years ago that the move would have to be late in his career to crown it as a two-weight champ. Hopkins spent most of his career, and it was a damn good one at middleweight, and until his second defeat by Taylor, there wasn't that much incentive for him to move up. RJJ hasn't fought at SMW since 96, do you think he could still get back down. Unless they agree to fight there, why would Joe put himself at the disadvantage of fighting him at an unfamiliar weight. It's all well and good saying the fight should be made, but since RJJ lost his LH titles, there's no incentive for Joe to go up. And at the end of the day, RJJ probably thinks he's the star and deserves a bigger cut, and the money would be hard to hammer out.Quote:
Originally Posted by Violent Demise
And for your reserves list, Griffin hasn't won a fight of note since 02, and again, he is a long term campaigner at LH. Harding, ditto. Michaelewski ditto. Why none of these chose to come down and challenge him at SMW, I can put forward no better reason than they probably couldn't make the weight. The only truly valid one that you have put forward is Glen Johnson, who agreed to fight Joe at SMW twice, and twice Calzaghe was injured. Coincidence or ducking the fight, unless there is evidence otherwise, I'll excuse Joe because of his brittle hands, but I understand why you would think otherwise. At the end of the day, Joe is a champion, and his best weight is quite obviously at SMW. You put forward a list as strong as the one you've got at LH for Joe at SMW, and then he'll have a case to answer. That's my POV, and you can slate him all you want, and no, Joe's never at fault ;) often.....
i wish he would not fight clinton woods. calzaghe would own him.
Why did Calzaghe never fight him? or why did they never fight Calzaghe?Quote:
Originally Posted by Violent Demise
Though it's probably harsh to blame the fighters 100% any way... promoters have been fucking boxing over for ages and have bleed all of the once strong divisions dry... that is why we now find the lighter divisions more exciting...
ner i dont think he would at all mate,Quote:
Originally Posted by ds91
there is one factor i can tell you that is not opinion but is fact then i'll say the rest of my opinion
here goes.... for one poor ol joes hands are brittle as , and hes having alot of trouble with them,
two, clinton has a hell of a chin
if they are to fight it will be at lh where the move up in wieght will mean that joe among having hand problems also will not have the same power at lh,not that he is a big puncher anyway,
and with lh bieng clintons comfortable fighting wieght in which he has experiance,
joe will either come on strong and hurt his hand, or out box clinton for a short period until clinton realises that joe cant hurt him and clinton will walk through his punches....
plus i dont remember ever seeing joe ever in a real scrap with a bloke to much bigger then him,
and now joe has all the confidence coming off his last win,
its close but i say that clinton would edge it!!
peace
Reid won that fight.
Joe ate overhand-lefts all night long!
Thats why they never gave Reid a rematch and he was forced to travel abroad for opponents...
i had it just for calzaghe because reid had point deductedQuote:
Originally Posted by CityOfGod
Quote:
Originally Posted by Violent Demise
I wouldn't be half as hard as I am on Joe if he even defended outside of Europe.....
Yet Mayweather, RJJ, Jermain Taylor nor Antonio Tarver have never defended any of their titles outside of the USA. Does that lessen their achievements in any way? Personally I think not...but by your logic isn't that a black mark against their record?Quote:
Originally Posted by DaxxKahn
Quote:
Originally Posted by superheavyrhun
LoL I knew someone was going to say that....Well IMO it's like this...The US is the boxing capital even if more guys from around the world hold belts than the American boxers at the moment....This is where all the big fights happen. It has been proven that in the US there is no real hometown advantage due to the make up of so many different citizens....Also in this sport Americans don't always root for a guy just because they are from the U.S....EG if that was so then guys like Barrera, The Kilischko bros. Lewis, Morales ect would not be so popular here over many American fighters...Plus this is where all the top fighters go....Hey I used to give Hatton the same criticism for always being in England...Same for Gatti for fighting in Atlantic so much....The home crowd always is an advantage with fighters....Besides who doesn't want to fight in the U.S.? More mone more fame...Difference with Taylor and
RJJ would fight outside the U.S. if warrented...I am not saying Calzaghe has to pick here pick anywhere...Japan,,South Africa,,just out of The UK and Germany
Quote:
Originally Posted by DaxxKahn
LoL I knew someone was going to say that....Well IMO it's like this...The US is the boxing capital even if more guys from around the world hold belts than the American boxers at the moment....This is where all the big fights happen. It has been proven that in the US there is no real hometown advantage due to the make up of so many different citizens....Also in this sport Americans don't always root for a guy just because they are from the U.S....EG if that was so then guys like Barrera, The Kilischko bros. Lewis, Morales ect would not be so popular here over many American fighters...Plus this is where all the top fighters go....Hey I used to give Hatton the same criticism for always being in England...Same for Gatti for fighting in Atlantic so much....The home crowd always is an advantage with fighters....Besides who doesn't want to fight in the U.S.? More mone more fame...Difference with Taylor and
RJJ would fight outside the U.S. if warrented...I am not saying Calzaghe has to pick here pick anywhere...Japan,,South Africa,,just out of The UK and Germany
[/quote]
Of course I'm going to say that....I'm trying to fight Calzaghe's corner. As for the hometown advantage issue, and I'm taking advantage of my Welsh history here, unless the fight is in Pennsylvania (and I'm stretching here, but was it not William Penn who founded Pennsyvania, and even more stretching, wasn't he Welsh, or at least a large contingent of his religious followers), then I think Calzaghe fighting in the states would be probably against someone with home country advantage, or at least someone based in the states. I'm not saying Calzaghe shouldn't fight in the states, what I'm saying is that he shouldn't HAVE to go to the states to prove himself and beat an American.
Anyhow, it seems as though you are going to get your way, as it looks like his next fight, circa Feb, will be in the USA according to Frank Warren before the fight. CC for sticking to your guns, and there are good points, you do have the majority of big fights. (not that i'm bitter at you and your press credentials Daxx mate ;) ), and the US does have a diverse cultural history, but to go against legends like Bernard Hopkins, Jermain Taylor and RJJ in the states will certainly put him at a disadvantage. In an ideal world, he'd need another couple in the states before taking on one of those guys, just to build his profile and gain some fans, but at his age, I'm not sure he has that time. Perhaps he should have gone there 3 or 4 years ago, but at this stage, I'm not convinced it would be the right move, especially with the travelling. (Believe me, I've never watched 4 movies back to back before flying stateside :p)