<b><font color="#800000"><b><font color="#800000">~ RJJ vs. Calzaghe ~ Let's talk! vi

[Napolis]

Having just watched the whole fight through again a couple of times, I have a couple of thoughts.
The first 3 rounds were terrific. Excellent skill from both fighters, and a palpable sense of danger for both. It was evens up to the end of round 2, but RJJ looked to have the most potent weapon in a well timed right. As it seemded watching live though, round three was the key round. Calzaghe turned it on. Watch it again...masterful stuff. RJJ had no idea what was happening to him. Far from it being the disgrace that has been mooted in another thread, it was boxing out of the top drawer. Exhilerating, skilfull and unpredictable. There's a bloody good reason Jones went into defensive peek-a-boo mode: he didn't like being hit repeatedly about the head. When Calzaghe leaned in to lear at him, he did it so close, that RJJ would not have had the time or the range to tag him without leaving himself open. It was very, very clever stuff: tactically astute, and psychologically damaging. It was the pupil surpassing the master.
I'm not sure whether some of the people on here that suggested RJJ should have just hit clobbered Calzaghe's open chin have been in a boxing ring. If they had, they might know that there was a simple answer. RJJ couldn't just tag him, and more damagingly, he knew he couldn't.
Fight won, there and then.
I think it does RJJ a great disservice to suggest that he didn't try. He clearly tried very hard, but, as he put it himself to his corner he couldn't "get him". He's the 46th fighter to come up against that conundrum in a pro ring. There's no disgrace in that at all.
Rounds 8 to 12 were very hard to watch second time around. Watching live, there was always the chance that RJJ would catch Joe with a sucker punch....in fact he did. Howver, in the knowledge that his bravery was futile, it was tough to see a ring great being so comprehensively dismantled.
He seemed to be talking sense in the post-fight interview, so I hope he (RJJ) eshews the inevitable cash offers to fight Hopkins again, and goes the way of Ray Leonard...keeping a handsome face, and an un-scrambled mind.

[andykopgod]

This is what happens when you leave the promoting to yourselves. I thought they showed too much respect and it was more like a sparring session at times. It wasn't a good fight but a good occasion.

[BIG H]

He was clearly aiming shots at that cut from round 8 onwards and all that show boating didn't look like too much respect to me

[trickster87]

1st of all i want to say congratulations to calzaghe for winning the fight against my boxing idol roy jones jnr. Roy jones is past his prime as we all saw yesterday but i still admire him for actually giving a go and trying his best.
There is no doubt that calzaghe is a fantastic boxer and that he will be talked about by future boxing fans for years to come but the only thing that upsets me is why is he only fighting roy jones and hopkins in 2008??
Jones called him out to step up from super middleweight to lightheavyweight to fight him back in 2002 but he declined.....hopkins called him up back in 1999 but he declined.......ao why all the sudden change of heart??
well jones in 2002 was 33 and still in his prime while in 1999 hopkins was 33(also in his prime).....it just upsets me that calzaghe is taking this amazing credit for beating them while they are not in their prime.....i mean hopkins 42yrs old and jones 39yrs old....what do people expect?
I just hope that the next few boxing generation of fans know their facts about these fights rathar than just the fact that calzaghe beat them. Like calzaghe said last night....."this year i have beaten 2boxing legends" but for me.....if he had beat them while they were not legends would be more of a achievement.....would calazhe beat jones or hopkins in 1999 or 2002 respectivetly.......i think we all know the answer.....as calzaghe knew back when he declined the fights!!

[skel1983]

1st of all i want to say congratulations to calzaghe for winning the fight against my boxing idol roy jones jnr. Roy jones is past his prime as we all saw yesterday but i still admire him for actually giving a go and trying his best.
There is no doubt that calzaghe is a fantastic boxer and that he will be talked about by future boxing fans for years to come but the only thing that upsets me is why is he only fighting roy jones and hopkins in 2008??
Jones called him out to step up from super middleweight to lightheavyweight to fight him back in 2002 but he declined.....hopkins called him up back in 1999 but he declined.......ao why all the sudden change of heart??
well jones in 2002 was 33 and still in his prime while in 1999 hopkins was 33(also in his prime).....it just upsets me that calzaghe is taking this amazing credit for beating them while they are not in their prime.....i mean hopkins 42yrs old and jones 39yrs old....what do people expect?
I just hope that the next few boxing generation of fans know their facts about these fights rathar than just the fact that calzaghe beat them. Like calzaghe said last night.....&quot;this year i have beaten 2boxing legends&quot; but for me.....if he had beat them while they were not legends would be more of a achievement.....would calazhe beat jones or hopkins in 1999 or 2002 respectivetly.......i think we all know the answer.....as calzaghe knew back when he declined the fights!!

Hahaha you need to go do a bit more research mate, Hopkins declined a highest payday to date back in 2002 at the 11th hour, not the other way round. The only person you could could have an arugument for Joe ducking is Glen Johnson.