46-0. No Ordinary Joe

By Jeff Pryor

Photo © Marty Rosengarten / Ringsidephotos.com

He was out of the ordinary in his unique style, out of the ordinary in his accomplishments and talents, and out of the ordinary in the way he has left the sport; undefeated, a champion and apparently content and ready to move on to a new phase of his life after dedicating the vast majority of his 37 years to the sport.

Joe's tremendous hand speed and conditioning, combined with an intense will to win and a higher gear that few would have been able to match, served him well over the years. Though never heavy handed, his was strictly a numbers game.

While he lacked the punch to immediately put away his foe, many a man withered under his endless barrage of punches; tossed from every imaginable angle. To fight Joe Calzaghe must have been like standing in the ocean and facing down the oncoming tide.

His relationship with his father/trainer Enzo Calzaghe appears to be one of the few such partnerships that never went through extreme acrimony at one time or another. As Enzo stated upon his son's retirement, he was there for every fight, and undoubtedly that guidance added immeasurably to Joe's success as a prize fighter.

As Calzaghe wound down his career, with a late introduction to the American boxing public, many felt his talents had been wasted for much of his time in the sport. As though to make amends he started to face challenges he was unwilling or unable to face when he was younger, much like a hesitant fighter who starts to loosen up in round twelve because he knows the fight is almost over.

For all his late career push to emblazon his place on boxing's historical landscape, the issue with Calzaghe was that in relation to his contemporaries, he had some real catching up to do and ultimately faced an insurmountable problem. The names he was beating, did not hold the same quality they did a handful of years ago. A split decision against a 43 year old Hopkins raised as many questions as it answered and a dominant win over a Roy Jones, who may not even be top ten in his division at this point and had been earlier twice put to sleep, didn't really offer anything other than the name.

In Joe's case, should he have had the willingness to try and surpass the legacies of his touted peers, the names that would have meant something are largely gone now. Antonio Tarver a few years ago would have been a meaningful addition, Hopkins beat him to it. Likewise, Kelly Pavlik would have held some value to Joe as a follow up to Roy, but Hopkins snatched that glory too.

Chad Dawson was available, however the name value was not yet tantalizing enough to warrant the danger of facing the young, resilient and dynamic champion. Likewise Glen Johnson was just slightly too blue collar to bring in the paycheck or esteem Calzaghe felt necessary for the grinding fight it was likely to be.

On one side of the coin it was clear that Joe had gone as far as he had a taste for, and there is nothing wrong with quitting while you're ahead. Still on the flip side, his resume lacks some of the luster of his contemporaries, due to the relative lack of impressive names on his unbeaten ledger.

In addition to well past prime Hopkins and Jones Jr., Calzaghe's two most impressive wins come over Jeff Lacy and Mikkel Kessler. While Kessler may still prove to be more than merely a good champ, it's fair to say that Lacy's legacy is pretty well set; that of an over-hyped one dimensional fighter who never fulfilled his promise. In addition, his other most notable win was against Chris Eubank who was at the tail end of his thirteen year career, when he met up with the rising Welshman.

For all of the misleading Hall of Fame gloss that names like Hopkins or Jones Jr. added to his record, Joe's greatest moment in the ring likely came midway through his 168 lb. unification bout with Kessler. When the going got tough and it appeared that Joe had met his match and perhaps more, he kicked his performance level and output into a higher gear he had never had the need to use before. Calzaghe thrust his will onto Kessler and ripped the victory away with sheer determination and continual punching.

Ultimately Joe's legacy is defined far more by his 21 WBO championship defenses, than by the names associated with his unbeaten record. When you can rise to the occasion that many times it's something very special indeed, but the fact that Kessler had positioned himself to be seen as Calzaghe's equal in 5 fights as WBA champ, compared to Joe's 21 WBO championship fights is pretty telling. Lacy's two year championship run was as highly regarded as Joe's ten year run as well. It is a shadow cast over Calzaghe's accomplishments that after ten years of being a champion in one division, he was perceived to have done so little, and that he still had to prove his value so much, that he was the underdog against a two year champ with 21 fights.

Think about that... Joe had almost as many Championship fights as Lacy had fights, period. And yet he was pegged to lose, due to the low esteem that his run as champion was held in.

The other thing Joe has going against him in how he is and will be perceived are the intangibles. The comfort zone of not traveling, not having to catch a flight and stay somewhere strange gives the perception that he took an easier route (or in this case no route at all). In addition, knowing that more than likely the local referee and judges will have your back if things get a little close, is a keen advantage; it may not be something a fighter has in the front of their mind, but having that safety net can affect the way one fights and ultimately benefit the fighter even if it's only a mental edge, which does not show up in an overt way. Joe was unwilling to leave home for all but 4 of 46 fights.

All this nitpicking aside, and admittedly it is such, as his career surpasses that of all but the very cream of the boxing crop; Joe is a great fighter. He deserves mention with many of the other great fighters of this era. Is he among the very best? The top 2 or 3 guys? No. Talent wise he may have been, but he didn't really give himself the opportunity to prove it. He is in that vast pool of greats just below.

The fact that he will likely be in terrific health, in comparison to other boxers who did not know their own limits or aspirations, is perhaps his greatest victory. What his admirers always knew, and what even his nay-sayers must admit too, is that Joe was a unique talent; no ordinary Joe.

e-mail Jeff Pryor
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New Boxing Bulletin P4P List

As expected, Shane Mosley's victory over Antonio Margarito this past Saturday night has caused a slight shake-up on The Boxing Bulletin's P4P list. Sugar Shane is in and the Tijuana Tornado is out.


1. Manny Pacquiao
2. Juan Manuel Marquez
3. Joe Calzaghe
4. Bernard Hopkins
5. Israel Vazquez
6. Rafael Marquez
7. Shane Mosley
8. Paul Williams
9. Ivan Calderon
10. Chad Dawson
11. Miguel Cotto
12. Vic Darchinyan

Also receiving votes: Ricky Hatton, Nonito Donaire, Mikkel Kessler, Glen Johnson, Fernando Montiel, Arthur Abraham

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Bernard Hopkins: Eight is Enough (Part 2 of 3)

By Jeff Pryor

Photo © Ray Kasprowicz

As Bernard Hopkins said while debuting as the newest addition to ESPN's Friday Night Fights broadcast team this past week, there are not many, but few options available to the aging warrior. The relative few who may provide a final foil are...

Chad Dawson (pictured):
No longer the future of the Light Heavy Weight division, with his win over Antonio Tarver he has stamped himself as the present. He's been calling on "The Executioner" for a fight, as Calzaghe has turned him down.

Reason to Execute:
Taking down Dawson, like his victory over Pavlik, removes any lingering debate over whether his Middleweight run benefited from the lack of good young competition to press him. Dawson may turn out to be the next generations marquee talent, and notching his name this late in a career would further Hopkins' claim as the era's greatest fighter, one willing to take on the biggest and best challengers regardless of their youth or dangerousness, at a time when he has no need to prove anything.

Reason to Waive it Off:
What does Chad bring to the table? He beat Tarver? Hopkins dominated Tarver 3 years ago. He struggled against, but beat Glen Johnson? Hopkins destroyed Johnson when Glen was undefeated. He's got a meaningless belt? Yep, meaningless. He has name recognition? No he doesn't. He brings money to the table? Uh uh. If Bernard wins, he's the Light Heavy champ of the world? No he isn't. He allows Bhop to prove he can tangle with the youngsters? Already did it spectacularly with Pavlik. He gets to pass the baton on to Dawson? He tried it with Taylor, didn't work out. He tried it with Pavlik, and may have derailed a budding superstar.


Joe Calzaghe:
The last remaining great contemporary of Hopkins'. Calzaghe has remained undefeated despite his scare in early 2008 against "The Executioner".

Reason to Execute:
Though Hopkins has never made an excuse for his down-the-stretch-fade during their bout, in the immediate aftermath, it was thought that the sheer output from Calzaghe tuckered the ageless wonder out. While that may have had a bearing on what occurred, sometime after the match Hopkins' trainer Freddie Roach revealed that Bernard had been suffering from a thyroid condition for the Calzaghe bout, a condition whose chief symptom is extreme fatigue. Conditioning trainer extraordinaire Mackie Shilstone had tried to control it with diet. According to the doctors Roach consulted, that's a pretty tough task.

While Hopkins was fresh (meaning the first 6 rounds) in their fight, he controlled the pace and Calzaghe like no one ever has before, knocking the Welshman down and cutting his noted output with movement and timing. Even slowing visibly, Hopkins narrowly lost the split decision while Calzage was left to resort to awkward flailing in order to get the volume up high enough to squeak out a poster boy for quantity-over-quality wins. Still many ringside and within the media had the bout scored in Hopkins' favor. The return bout would be huge across the pond, a trip which Hopkins has stated he would be glad to make, in order to get the opportunity to avenge an unjustified loss in his eyes..

Reason to Waive it Off:
For Hopkins there is little reason to avoid the rematch, and in fact he has called loudly for it. Calzaghe's punch power is very slim and while he threw more punches in the fight, the quality was quite inferior as illustrated by HBO's necessity of showing a glancing right hand as chief highlight of the punishment Joe managed to dish out, in all their related promo's since that fight. Seeing as compubox reported that he had landed more punches than any opponent ever had against Bhop, one would have imagined they naturally might have had a rich variety of devastating blows to choose from as highlights; apparently this was not the case.


Glen Johnson:
"The Road Warrior" deserves any big fight he can get, but a close loss to Dawson makes it a hard sell. Perhaps a possible bout (and win) against Adrian Diaconu for the WBC belt would sweeten the pot.

Reason to Execute:
Their is a history between Hopkins and Johnson; their first bout dating back over eleven years found Glen Johnson in deep waters for the first time in an undefeated campaign. A rematch after all these years would serve as nice circuity in both mens careers. As a senior's tour match-up, they don't get much better than this.

Reason to waive it Off:
Glencoffe lost to Dawson in '08; a disputed loss, (with which Hopkins could surely empathize), however lacking real drawing power, Johnson would be a decided step down in value for Hopkins, who has been facing pound for pound, marquee fighters for the last half a decade and not blue collar bangers like Johnson. Additionally, he almost certainly couldn't better the dominating performance he put in during their first go around. It becomes clear the reward simply doesn't come anywhere near the risk.


Roy Jones Jr.:
A relatively decent showing against Trinidad was all but obliterated by his performance against Calzaghe. It had to be a disappointment for Hopkins to watch Roy take a beating, when even a competitive showing would have preserved the chances of a rematch.

Reason to Execute:
Surely even now some part of Hopkins' wants the rematch he's pined for since their first bout nearly 16 years ago. Even the shell of his former self that Roy Jones is, provides a decent payday, especially considering the relatively negligible risk attached.

Reason to Waive it Off:
The disparity between competitiveness in each man's bouts with Calzaghe tells you all you need to know about who the better man is these days. Hopkins knows it, and he's said as much. A bout against Jones at this stage would likely sully his reputation more than a win against him would do to add to it.


Tomasz Adamek:
The reigning Cruiser weight champion brawler, hot off his fight of the year victory over Philly fighter Steve Cunningham

Reason to Execute:
Talk of an all Philadelphia showdown against Cunningham was likely halted with the defeat of said fighter, however the man who bested him has said he is ready and willing to take on "The Executioner". In Adamek, The Cruiser weight Ring Champion, Hopkins has a straight forward fighter and a great opportunity to walk away with another legitimate championship in a new division.

Physically, the height and reach of the two men is almost identical. When Hopkins stepped in the ring against Antonio Tarver he weighed in at 182 pounds, and in the words of Jim Lampley, looked "immaculate", another ten or fifteen pounds would likely sit just fine on his frame. As for their ring styles, Adamek keeps his left low and relies on big right hands; it's not hard to envision Hopkins circling to his right, completely neutralizing the Polish Pugilists chief weapon, the right hand (just as he did with Pavlik) while launching his own overhand rights atop the lowered left glove of his foe. Adamek took more flush, head snapping, shots in his last fight than Hopkins has in all of his 56 fights combined. Hopkins would likely hold the speed advantage and the ring generalship he would employ could frustrate Adamek for huge stretches at a time.

How much higher can Hopkins' all-time status fly? Beating the Cruiser weight champ, forty pounds above his best weight, at age forty four... unprecedented in the history of the sport.

Reasons to Waive it Off:
Fighting the Cruiser weight champ, forty pounds above your best weight, at age forty four? That's unprecedented in the sport... for a reason. Adamek is a big puncher and he's got the type of character that won't break or be discouraged by getting popped by clean counters for twelve rounds, he will keep coming until the end. If Hopkins gasses out as he did in the Calzaghe fight, Adamek can close the show. It's also impossible to know how a fighter will carry the weight up.

Though hopkins looked good at 182 pounds for Tarver, at some point fighters moving up reach a limit. It's high risk, high reward and how many fighters can claim to have fought the premiere middleweight puncher one fight, and the premiere cruiser weight puncher the next? But at what point does the risk no longer make sense?

We'll take one final look at Bernard's options tomorrow...

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