It's hard to say that Warren hasn't held back Joe's career to some extent, and I agree that until recently he has struggled to get huge fights, but that also has to go for the SMW division. For years, especially 2001-2005 the world title scene has really been desolate, with little more than Markus Beyer, Sven Ottke, Brian Magee, Robin Reid, and perennial title challengers like Omar Sheika.

I think that although Warren didn't make the biggest fights possible for Joe, potential opponents like those above didn't give him a huge amount to work with, and that Calzaghe's star has risen with the rise of the SMW division too.