Giving Joe Calzaghe Credit For Beating This Version Of RJJ.....

[Gandalf]

To deny Calzaghe credit at all speaks of churlishness, but it's everyone's right to be churlish, even if it says more about them than Calzaghe.
He didn't just beat a past his prime RJJ, he put his nose between RJJ's guard and dared RJJ to hit him....and this was less than four minutes after being put on the deck and hurt. Not one of us would have expected Calzaghe to do that, and Roy Jones certainly didn't expect it. It takes a very special fighter indeed to do that, whether the guy in front of him is past his prime or not. Roy Jones was, at that point, still very dangerous....but he wasn't anywhere near as dangerous thereafter.
Many people fancied RJJ to win. Those that didn't expected maybe a tricky fight with Calzaghe winning on workrate.
I didn't see ANYWHERE any predictions that Calzaghe would take a rather chiselled looking Roy Jones to school for 11 rounds.

Hindsight is a funny thing. Lacey is no longer the mini-Tyson he was before Calzaghe boxed his head off. RJJ is a shell (he didn't look like a shell before the fight). Byron Mitchell was past it....etc etc.
Perhaps, just perhaps, this is just what a supreme boxing talent does to an opponent: destroys their spirit.

I for one will give him credit for putting away what was in front of him in a fashion that left no doubt at all about his supremacy in all departments. After all, we wouldn't have bothered watching if that supremacy was so obvious before the fight.

I like this guy. Good post, you put your points across well.

I'm not a Calzaghe fan but I agree with you about JC being put on his arse and always coming back for more. That is pretty impressive considering he looked pretty damn hurt in that 1st round.

Yes, Calzaghe also does destroy a fighters spirit..agreed there as well.
I give you credit (and reps) for making me see the few positives in Calzaghe again. Oh yeah and welcome...introduce yourself next time mate so people aren't immediately on the defensive.

Your post was good though (even if your name does give away that you're Italian so perhaps a bit of biase but it's all good )

Thanks, and I am sorry if I have shown poor etiquette. I've been reading here a long time on and off, but not posted. I get the hang of it soon enough.
I'm not Italian. The username was a bit of an old joke from my distant past... a mis-spelling of Napoles. ANd I stand by my point that whether RJJ was washed up or not, no-one else would have toyed with him so brazenly.

Welcome!

I thought your previous posting was pretty good too. At the time of the fight I was shouting at Calzaghe to be more careful. But having watched it all again I think it was hilarious and shows the pluck Calzaghe has. Cracking stuff. And a pretty enjoyable fight all in all. Much better than that Hopkins garbage.