Ten extraordinary boxing accomplishments

[marbleheadmaui]

I know a lot of people will disagree but I think Calzaghe and Marciano's unbeaten record is also a great achevement.

To go your whole carrer and not slip up once when your fighting world class opponents is great IMO even if you dont think they were great fighters or not.

What's great about Marciano's is he wrecked the division. I don't know what to say abolut Calzaghe's. I mean when there is another unbeaten guy in your division and on your continent that you don't fight? How does one even know if Calzaghe was the best 168 within 300 miles?

Marciano fought old men and fighters way past there best.Not his fault because thats all that was about at the time.

Calzaghe was involved in many fights where he was the underdog or 50/50 and he managed to avoid defeat.

Almost all great boxers lose at some point so the fact that Marciano and Calzaghe avoided defeat in almost 50 fights each is great IMO.

I'm in the middle here. I believe both Calzaghe and Marciano accomplished great things. Actually, I believe their records are comparable in a way. As to Calzaghe, he is arguably the greatest super middleweight to have graced the ring. It doesn't bother me that he didn't fight Sven Ottke because I have no doubt in my mind that he would have taken Ottke to school with a beating worse than he put on Jeff Lacy. Although he did come over here five years too late, he beat the two fighters at or around his weight that people always questioned him about. I respect that because it's better late than never.

Respectfully, the bold and the mindset it reflects just KILLS me. It is way too common in the current boxing fan. You THINKING a fight outcome is certain is NOT equivalent to an actual victory in the ring. That logic says nobody ever actually has to fight anyone, that we can all just predict and that carries the same weight. Yet if boxing shows us anything? It shows us stunning upsets like Schemling over Louis, Braddock over Baer, Turpin over Robinson, Walcott over Charles, Laing over Duran, Honeyghan over Curry, Douglas over Tyson and on and on and on.

Like I said, Marciano had nobody left to fight, Calzaghe had a guy within 300 miles he never fought.

I don't disagree with you about that criticism of Calzaghe. And you make a good point about that mindset, I'll concede. I just was never high on Sven Ottke, less so even than I am on Felix Sturm now. That isn't an excuse for not fighting him though. I guess one thing about Calzaghe is that he fought the next WBA titleholder after Ottke and unified titles when he beat an undefeated Kessler. But, I'll agree not fighting Sven Ottke is a blemish on his record.

Wasn't there criticism of Rocky Marciano not fighting Floyd Patterson or am I wrong on that one?

You must not think highly of Floyd's undefeated record either then I assume because he hasn't fought 5 eligible welterweights over the past 5 years that he should have fought.

When Marciano retired, Patterson was fighting journeymen and still coming along. I think the criticism is Marciano retired before he had to (he was 33) and had he stayed another year or so Patterson was the next challenge.

I don't think much of ANYONE's unbeaten record just because they are unbeaten. It is all about who you fight. THAT is what puts a record in context. There is a list of about 8-9 guys I wish Floyd had fought instead of 8-9 guys he actually fought. He is a great fighter. But he hasn't accomplished anywhere close to what I think he could have.