Very good post donny.

I agree he has now silenced the critics, albeit not emphatically via a close victory against hopkins where hopkins made calzaghe look bad (or a lot worse than he has done against previous fighters).

It is true that calzaghe could now retire undefeated at 45,0,0 after beating eubank, lacy, reid, kessler and hopkins in his career as a great champ for over 11 years.

BUT...a very big BUT

I put it to you guys that calzaghe is not content at being a great fighter and a hall of famer. Calzaghe might want to be THE BEST fighter of this generation and era. Calzaghe could retire and be known as a great champ HOWEVER if he was to beat 2 more quality opponents such as roy jones and pavlik, even KO those opponents then i think a case can be made that calzaghe is perhaps the best fighter of this generation and will retire p4p number 1 (of course depending on what floyd does and his results/upcoming fights).

Let me give a scenario, a possible outcome of events:

Calzaghe fights jones at millenium stadium in cardiff in a real exciting fight, it will be complete fireworks from both fighters and one wins, lets say in this scenarop it is calzaghe who is triumphant. Both fighters share a purse of 30 million dollars from this fight!!!

Lets face it, this is the only match up that roy jones is gonna get that could propel him to such a big money fight, it also would mean if jones wins he could have a rematch against tarver and avenge his losses, jones has a lot to gain both for his legacy and financially, so to does calzaghe.

Calzaghe then faces pavlik in madison sq for his super middle weight belts as a defense. The scenario is that calzaghe ties up pavlik and confuses him on the inside, finds his range at distance and negates pavlik's heavy hands, calzaghe counters and brawls on the inside and ko's pavlik in a possible byron mitchell style exchange.

So...if this were to occur, calzaghe then goes to 47,0,0, totally undefeated champ at 2 weight classes, retires the ring magazine undisputed champ at super middle and light heavy weight, will have been champ for 12 whole years and made the most title defenses ever. Having beaten the likes of EUBANK, LACY, REID, KESSLER, HOPKINS, JONES AND PAVLIK!!!

If this occurs, then calzaghe not only will make an extra 15 million pounds from the next 2 fights BUT ALSO he will go into that extremely special realm beyond the hall of fame that is there only for the complete legendary fighters.

Come on guys, i know many people hate joe calzaghe, they love to hate him, but slowly the american media are starting to love the guy.

When you look at saturday's match up it was actually a classic fight of all time, think about it, like a hollywood story...starts off with the wily dirty tactic american baddy character hopkins calling out calzaghe the undefeated champ from newbridge in wales, hopkins with his trash talking, his 'dream team' etc etc and calzaghe training with his dad in an unknown little village in wales. The racist comments made by hopkins towards calzaghe at the beginning of the fight showing hopkins bad attitude.

Hopkins puts calzaghe down in the first round and is bossing the second and wins the third, most of the doubters are relishing the thought of the newbridge lad being beaten and shown up to say 'i told you so', but the newbridge lad adapts his style like a true champ, he starts negating and nullifying the hopkins counter and sharp right hands as he comes in to attack hopkins with one two's then hopkins cant counter anymore as calzaghes figured it out and so he starts clinching and using the dirty tactics, culminating in a 3 minute time out for a blow that was barely low at all, the crowd are booing and slowly calzaghe is winning the crowd, the newbridge lad has 2 final rounds. Calzaghe takes the 11th and they both head for the championship round, hopkins is in the corner knackered and barely saying a word, he looks totally fatigued and drained in this last round although unscathed, they both step out for the championship round AND IT ALL COMES DOWN TO THIS ROUND!!! Calzaghe is the faster more aggressive and dominant fighter who wins the round and it goes to the score cards...the atmosphere is super tense and a split decission is announced, hopkins gets the first call by 1 point and the next to go to calzaghe...the lad from a small village in wales, uk has beaten the baddy, overcome the taunts and dirty tactics...its kinda like a rocky movie almost

When you look at it like that, i know its so painful for some of the haters to smile or even stop frowning when they see or hear that name 'joe calzaghe', but a fighter who is described as a 'weak, slapping, non straight punching brawler' if he ends up being 47,0,0 fighting all over the world, totally undefeated and champ for 12 years at 2 weights undisputed, with wins against eubank, reid, lacy, kessler, hopkins, jones and pavlik (if he beats jones and pavlik)...it kind of is something out of a fairy tale surely?

Surely even then after all that, all of the doubters and even most of the haters (sure youll still get the people who still cant even raise an eyebrow to him but that is their ignorance) will have switched around and totally silenced...meanwhile critics and writers will be saying that he is probably the best fighter of the generation.

He could either retire now and be known as a great fighter OR he has the chance to go on and beat jones and pavlik to propel himself to p4p number 1 status and retire a complete legend in boxing!

If floyd loses to cotto, or perhaps he loses to margarito or de la hoya then floyd is out of the p4p number 1 spot and if calzaghe beats jones and pavlik it puts him as number 1...this is a possible outcome and calzaghe knows it.

It all dependson how calzaghe feels, does he feel he has what it takes? Is joe calzaghe what he says he is? He silenced many a doubter on saturday night but if he beats jones and pavlik he would then become one of the greatest legends in the sport!

To be honest i think a lot of the haters are afraid of this, a lot of guys just dont want to see him win against these fighters, i dont know if its because hes british or whatever reason, but a lot of the doubters and haters that still arent convinved about his ability (afterall he did something that tarver and wright couldnt come close to doing, he beat an on form light heavy bernard hopkins)...i think they dont want to see him fight because they know deep down that the possibility is there that calzaghe will beat jones and pavlik and have beaten the best america had to offer and comprehensively beaten THE WORLD!

Just a possibility, but i think a lot of the doubters and haters are scared.