Ten extraordinary boxing accomplishments

[BIG H]

If you actually look at who was fighting in the SMW at a time when fight could've been made, I think you will find that (good or bad) he fought everybody available. e.g Hopkins was fighting at 160, Jones was at 175, you can go on and on with this list. The only person at SMW he didn't face was Sven Ottke. Ottke only fought in Germany and JC would've been very foolish to take that fight in Germany as Robin Reid found out.

Correct.

The only reason Reid took the fight in Germany was he did not have to many options where as Calazaghe had many as long as he could stay injury free.

Only desprate or foolish men would go and fight Ottke in Germany.

None of this is right. Calzaghe didn't fight Frankie Liles or Thomas Tate or Stevie Collins or Ottke or Antwun Echols who were all top five ranked guys for several years at 168 while Calzaghe was there.
I grew up where champions wanted to be CHAMPIONS as in the only one. Had somebody besides Marvin Hagler been claiming to be middleweight king you know what Hagler would have said?

Your brother can be the ref, your parents can be the judges and we'll fight in front of all your relatives in your backyard...now put'em up!

This idea that it's ok to avoid the other guy because he might get hometown cooking is a horrendous one. Look at how men like Arguello and Azumah and Dick Tiger and Lopez and Pedroza and other greats went over and over again onto the other guy's home turf. Great fighters SEEK OUT the great challenges. They don't find excuses for not taking them.

Calzaghe always get slated for not going away to fight. It works both ways. Did Jones go and fight Michaelczewski, did Toney or Nunn come and fight Benn or Eubank?? I'm not saying they should have, but it works both ways!

As for the list of fighters he should've fought and didn't, you are really scraping the barrel. Do you think beating any one of those (except Collins, who didn't want to fight JC) would've enhanced JC's legacy

Steve Collins retired in 1997 coz he didn't fancy facing JC. He was due to face Calzaghe and pulled out after getting beaten up by juniors in the gym, leaving Eubanks to step in!

Antwun Echols - Which belt did he have the Calzaghe needed to take and what claim did he ever have to being 'SMW King' that would make Calzaghe need to fight him? His claim to fame was beating Charles Brewer, who almost had him out of there inside 2 rounds.

Thomas Tate - You are really clutching at straws here. What did he ever do that made him more worthy of an opponent than the gys Calzaghe was fighting arounfd that time. Eubank, Reid, Brewer, Veit, Woodhall, Mitchell- all more worthy than tate imo. I can't think of a single fighter of note that he beat?

Frankie Liles - Liles was in his twighlight by the time JC was champion, I guess he could've fought him circa 98, but Byron Mitchell did the job for him and JC Subsequently spanked him inside 5 minutes

As for fighting in another fighters back yard, I was specifically referring to Sven Ottke's 'Back Yard' which I think you would have to agree is a bit of an exceptional case in terms of bias!!