Joe Calzaghe: Andre Ward is good but beatable

[Gandalf]

Calzaghe would have beaten Ward without question. Ward would be tricky for 4 rounds, but once Calzaghe starts to work, that is when Ward begins to fall. Ward starts to tire against the like of Bika and a low output Froch, Calzaghe would just destroy him.

[Spicoli]

Its all armchair quarterbacking, kind of an empty assessment and nil on detail. I mean I'm sure Tocker pudwill thought Calzaghe was beatable too

[FinitoElDinamita]

Calzaghe was one of the very few white men who fought to a black rhythm.. He was extra special.

Ward gets outclassed here.

[CFH]

A prime Calzaghe would just overwhelm Ward at this point in his career. However, the Calzaghe that fought Roy Jones would be in for a long night. I'm not sure he'd win that one.

[Gandalf]

Calzaghe was one of the very few white men who fought to a black rhythm.. He was extra special.

Ward gets outclassed here.

Calzaghe was very special and I rate him higher than Hopkins and give him a fair shot at outworking prime Jones. He really was that good.

I find it laughable to even put Ward in the same category as those fighters. Allan Green? A years later Kessler? Froch who was always limited? Bika who hasn't beaten anybody?

Ward is becoming a little like Lacy was, but unlike Lacy Ward has no Calzaghe on the horizon. Bute might be able to beat him, but Bute is no Calzaghe.

[rjj tszyu]

I think Ward takes any version of Calzaghe. Joe has 2 legends on his resume and both were 10+ years past their primes. Both would have totally outclassed him in their primes and Ward is the closest thing to Roy Jones I've seen at 168 since Jones was in his prime. Calzaghe knew this which is why even in 2002 when he was offered the Jones fight he rejected and waited a few more years until the cracks in Jones that were just about starting to show in 2002 had become great big gaping holes.

Also Calzaghe in his prime IMO went tooth and nail with Kessler, Ward just whooped him.

[Violent Demise]

Calzaghe was one of the very few white men who fought to a black rhythm.. He was extra special.

Ward gets outclassed here.

Calzaghe was very special and I rate him higher than Hopkins and give him a fair shot at outworking prime Jones. He really was that good.

I find it laughable to even put Ward in the same category as those fighters. Allan Green? A years later Kessler? Froch who was always limited? Bika who hasn't beaten anybody?

Ward is becoming a little like Lacy was, but unlike Lacy Ward has no Calzaghe on the horizon. Bute might be able to beat him, but Bute is no Calzaghe.

Take away the ancient Jones and Hopkins and Calzaghe best 2 opponents are who? That's right. Kessler and Bika

[Spicoli]

Calzaghe was one of the very few white men who fought to a black rhythm.. He was extra special.

Ward gets outclassed here.

I've just never mixed Calzaghe and the term rhythm together Al 'fuckin Jolson he was not

[erics44]

Calzaghe would have beaten Ward without question. Ward would be tricky for 4 rounds, but once Calzaghe starts to work, that is when Ward begins to fall. Ward starts to tire against the like of Bika and a low output Froch, Calzaghe would just destroy him.

i agree with this

wards runs out of steam, it would be one way traffic in the championship rounds

[Gandalf]

Calzaghe would have beaten Ward without question. Ward would be tricky for 4 rounds, but once Calzaghe starts to work, that is when Ward begins to fall. Ward starts to tire against the like of Bika and a low output Froch, Calzaghe would just destroy him.

i agree with this

wards runs out of steam, it would be one way traffic in the championship rounds

Precisely.

Ward was gassed after 10 against a plodder who is known to be extremely lazy with his output and all of a sudden that win elevates him to being the best SMW ever and beating Calzaghe. It is just fantasy talk, people are high on the fumes.

Calzaghe would have him clinching and blowing by the half way mark and then it's all one way traffic.

It would be a little like Calzaghe/Kessler in that Calzaghe would spend a couple of rounds feeling Ward out and then after 4 you have him throwing 80-90 a round and doing all kinds of awkward shit with his southpaw stance and weird combos.

Froch is slow and loads up and that played into Wards hands, Calzaghe would be all over him like a rash and the fact that Ward has no power makes it even easier for Calzaghe.

Ward is overrated. Let's see him fight Bute and even move up to LHW and clean out there. Heck, let's even see him fight Hopkins who I would take to beat him. Dawson would beat Ward too. But to build him up so much on beating Froch? It's just far too much, too soon.

[LobowolfXXX]

Calzaghe would have beaten Ward without question. Ward would be tricky for 4 rounds, but once Calzaghe starts to work, that is when Ward begins to fall. Ward starts to tire against the like of Bika and a low output Froch, Calzaghe would just destroy him.

i agree with this

wards runs out of steam, it would be one way traffic in the championship rounds

Precisely.

Ward was gassed after 10 against a plodder who is known to be extremely lazy with his output and all of a sudden that win elevates him to being the best SMW ever and beating Calzaghe. It is just fantasy talk, people are high on the fumes.

Calzaghe would have him clinching and blowing by the half way mark and then it's all one way traffic.

It would be a little like Calzaghe/Kessler in that Calzaghe would spend a couple of rounds feeling Ward out and then after 4 you have him throwing 80-90 a round and doing all kinds of awkward shit with his southpaw stance and weird combos.

Froch is slow and loads up and that played into Wards hands, Calzaghe would be all over him like a rash and the fact that Ward has no power makes it even easier for Calzaghe.

Ward is overrated. Let's see him fight Bute and even move up to LHW and clean out there. Heck, let's even see him fight Hopkins who I would take to beat him. Dawson would beat Ward too. But to build him up so much on beating Froch? It's just far too much, too soon.

Brief digression for a reality check: Do you think the 2007 Kessler would beat Ward?

[LobowolfXXX]

You can actually see the effectiveness of Ward in some of the arguments his detractors posit against him. First, he makes a fighter look really bad; then, the fact that the fighter looked bad is taken as evidence that Ward isn't that good. Don't kid yourself; the Kessler that Calzaghe beat isn't significantly different than the Kessler that Ward beat two years later.

[AdamGB]

You can actually see the effectiveness of Ward in some of the arguments his detractors posit against him. First, he makes a fighter look really bad; then, the fact that the fighter looked bad is taken as evidence that Ward isn't that good. Don't kid yourself; the Kessler that Calzaghe beat isn't significantly different than the Kessler that Ward beat two years later.

Yeah! Kessler is Kessler! Come on guys!... Use your head






















Cos unlike Calzaghe, Ward sure as fuck used his!

[Gandalf]

Calzaghe would have beaten Ward without question. Ward would be tricky for 4 rounds, but once Calzaghe starts to work, that is when Ward begins to fall. Ward starts to tire against the like of Bika and a low output Froch, Calzaghe would just destroy him.

i agree with this

wards runs out of steam, it would be one way traffic in the championship rounds

Precisely.

Ward was gassed after 10 against a plodder who is known to be extremely lazy with his output and all of a sudden that win elevates him to being the best SMW ever and beating Calzaghe. It is just fantasy talk, people are high on the fumes.

Calzaghe would have him clinching and blowing by the half way mark and then it's all one way traffic.

It would be a little like Calzaghe/Kessler in that Calzaghe would spend a couple of rounds feeling Ward out and then after 4 you have him throwing 80-90 a round and doing all kinds of awkward shit with his southpaw stance and weird combos.

Froch is slow and loads up and that played into Wards hands, Calzaghe would be all over him like a rash and the fact that Ward has no power makes it even easier for Calzaghe.

Ward is overrated. Let's see him fight Bute and even move up to LHW and clean out there. Heck, let's even see him fight Hopkins who I would take to beat him. Dawson would beat Ward too. But to build him up so much on beating Froch? It's just far too much, too soon.

Brief digression for a reality check: Do you think the 2007 Kessler would beat Ward?

I think he has the better tools and would do a better job than what he did. So perhaps, but I am less certain than I am with Calzaghe because Calzaghe is such a leap above Kessler. Kessler of then and Ward today are much more equal, but which side of the pendulum it's hard to tell exactly.

I also think the Kessler of today would do better in rematch with Ward because we all know exactly what Ward is about. I think there is little doubt that Kessler took Ward lightly and was flummoxed by the dirty tactics. He would be aware, but Kessler needs to be active for us to truly evaluate what he still is.

[LobowolfXXX]

Calzaghe would have beaten Ward without question. Ward would be tricky for 4 rounds, but once Calzaghe starts to work, that is when Ward begins to fall. Ward starts to tire against the like of Bika and a low output Froch, Calzaghe would just destroy him.

i agree with this

wards runs out of steam, it would be one way traffic in the championship rounds

Precisely.

Ward was gassed after 10 against a plodder who is known to be extremely lazy with his output and all of a sudden that win elevates him to being the best SMW ever and beating Calzaghe. It is just fantasy talk, people are high on the fumes.

Calzaghe would have him clinching and blowing by the half way mark and then it's all one way traffic.

It would be a little like Calzaghe/Kessler in that Calzaghe would spend a couple of rounds feeling Ward out and then after 4 you have him throwing 80-90 a round and doing all kinds of awkward shit with his southpaw stance and weird combos.

Froch is slow and loads up and that played into Wards hands, Calzaghe would be all over him like a rash and the fact that Ward has no power makes it even easier for Calzaghe.

Ward is overrated. Let's see him fight Bute and even move up to LHW and clean out there. Heck, let's even see him fight Hopkins who I would take to beat him. Dawson would beat Ward too. But to build him up so much on beating Froch? It's just far too much, too soon.

Brief digression for a reality check: Do you think the 2007 Kessler would beat Ward?

I think he has the better tools and would do a better job than what he did. So perhaps, but I am less certain than I am with Calzaghe because Calzaghe is such a leap above Kessler. Kessler of then and Ward today are much more equal, but which side of the pendulum it's hard to tell exactly.

I also think the Kessler of today would do better in rematch with Ward because we all know exactly what Ward is about. I think there is little doubt that Kessler took Ward lightly and was flummoxed by the dirty tactics. He would be aware, but Kessler needs to be active for us to truly evaluate what he still is.

Well, which is it? I thought the Calzaghe win over Kessler was more impressive because that was the undefeated, confident Kessler; but now Kessler lost to Ward because he was too confident? Perhaps Kessler was too confident for the Calzaghe fight, and would have beaten him in a rematch (yeah, that's a joke, but seriously, neither Kessler nor Froch belongs on the Ward/Calzaghe discussion. They're both markedly worse than Calzaghe and Ward. Let's be serious).

Calzaghe beat Kessler clearly and comfortably, but he didn't "destroy" him, and he wouldn't have destroyed Ward, who is faster, more versatile, and just all-around better than Kessler. Of course, I think that it's equally silly to think that a prime Ward (which we may not have seen yet) would "destroy" a prime Calzaghe. Personally, I think it'd be a hell of a fight, and if they fought three times, I think 2-1 one way or the other is more likely than 3-0.