The retirement of Welsh boxer Joe Calzaghe has met with a mixed reaction from both fight fans and the media. On the one hand there are those who look at Joe’s 46-0 record and call him a ‘Hall of Fame Legend’. They point to victories over greats like Chris Eubank, Roy Jones Junior and Bernard Hopkins as proof that Joe feels at home in elite company. “And in the opposite corner …” there are those who believe that ‘stay at home Joe’ built a cushioned record of 46-0 fighting national class fighters and ‘has been’ in the comfort of his ‘own backyard’. They point to the likes of Tucker Pudwill and the two easy wins over Mario Veit as evidence that Joe went through his career without looking for the biggest challenges out there. This article is intended to highlight the positives and negatives of Joe’s career and give an unbiased conclusion on ‘Pride of Wales’ based on facts, not hearsay! Here it goes, ‘let’s get ready to rumble’:
Maximum:
I consider the ‘high’ points of Joe’s career to be:
• A unanimous points decision victory over Chris Eubank in October 1997 to win the vacant WBO super middleweight belt. He put Eubank on the canvas in the first and won the contest 116-111, 118-110 and 118-109 on the judges’ scorecards.
• UD ‘shut out’ previously undefeated American Jeff Lacy in March 2006. Lacy was being dubbed ‘the new Mike Tyson’ and was bent on destroying Joe in a couple of rounds with his awesome power. What did materialize was a masterclass, with Joe winning every round. By the end of the fight, Lacy was an absolute disaster after enduring the beating of her life. Since then, many people have questioned Lacy’s credentials, but before the fight there were few who could argue with his 21-0 record.
• UD’s win over previously undefeated Danish champion Mikkel Kessler in 2007. Kessler, with his own 39-0 record, held the WBA and WBC Super Middlewight titles. His power and youth were seen by many as the key to unlocking Joe. And so it seemed during the first half of the fight when Kessler shook Joe off. However, Calzaghe changed his game plan magnificently, turning the second half in his favor and ultimately clinching the victory.
• A split decision victory over Bernard Hopkins last year. Joe came into play to fight the 43-year-old American. He made a split decision after being dropped by Hopkins in the 1st. He struggled to perform against the experienced and “cunning” Hopkins, but he did enough to take the victory. Hopkins sought to hold and ‘tie’ Joe at every opportunity and his game plan almost paid off. Hopkins’ victory over Kelly Pavlik at the end of the year cemented the credibility of that victory and mocked those who said Pavlik would destroy Joe.
• Good wins against world-class operators like Omar Sheika, Richie Woodhall, Byron Mitchell and Charles Brewer add to Joe’s portfolio.
• 21 defenses to the WBO super middleweight crown over a ten-year span is an achievement rarely seen in sport.
• Going 46-0 with a win against the legendary Roy Jones Junior this year. Achieving 46 unanswered victories in a sport where a second lap of concentration can result in a KO is an astonishing feat. Joe has always found a way to win regardless of the opposition, and since he has never been defeated, who can say that any fighter, past or present, would have defeated him?
Low:
I consider the ‘low’ points of Joe’s career to be:
• Joe never fought in America until the last two fights of his career. Those were the big names and the big fights in the ’90s and early 2000s, but Calzaghe seemed content to fight in Britain and particularly from the comfort of his hometown of Cardiff. He claimed to have a fear of flying, something that has been mysteriously healed over the last year!
• Joe never fought the great Americans of his weight class at their peak. In the 1990s and early 2000s, Roy Jones Junior, Bernard Hopkins, James Toney, and Winky Wright were considered the top 10 4-pound fighters. Joe never fought any of them in this period despite being a world title holder. The question is, who dodged whom? He also avoided fighting the very dangerous Glen Johnson, on more than one occasion!
• Joe is on record saying he “won’t fight again” when a comeback fight with the likes of Hopkins and Kessler has been promoted. However, he certainly faced the German Mario Veit again, a fighter whom he received a TKO in one round in 2001 and then did the same in 2006 in six very one-sided rounds.
• The split decision victory against Robin Reid. Joe snatched the victory, but many observers believe Reid did enough to take it. Definitely a “night off” for JC.
• Fought to stop fighters like David Starrie, Richard Thornberry, Evans Ashira and Kabery Salem. These fighters weren’t in the world-class bunch, but Joe struggled to get the job done quickly.
• Lack of energy and prone to injury. Joe’s KO and unemployment rate, particularly since 2004, has been poor. He has well-documented ‘brittle hands’ that have led him to withdraw from fights.
• You never fought Benn, Collins and Watson, would you have beaten such tough opposition?
• Frank Warren “hand picked” wrestlers in an attempt to prolong the career of his number one “cash cow.” Joe seemed happy to go this route.
Conclution:
Joe Calzaghe’s career has been judged more than any other fighter I can remember. While I agree that if I had chased after certain fights and been willing to travel the world in search of them, the argument would be more ‘clear’, however I still rate Joe Calzaghe as a legend that should be included in the ‘Boxing Hall of Fame’. I believe that a boxer should be judged throughout his career. Many claim that Joe didn’t fight wrestlers in his heyday, but when was JC’s heyday?
Isn’t that a testament to the boxer who has boxed at the world title level for over 10 years, seemingly getting better with age? Few could argue that Roy Jones Junior is not a legend, yet at the age of 32 he was considered ‘past’. At the same age, Joe was defeating younger genuine contenders like Lacy and later Kessler.
And finally, the art of boxing is simple: “hit without getting hit.” Joe certainly accomplished this more than most, as confirmed by his flawless appearance, articulate mind, and bulging bank account. Joe Calzaghe – ‘The Pride of Wales’, ‘The Italian Dragon’, ‘The Legend’!