Perfect time for Joe to go

LOL. What a way to put down Trevor Berbick!

But I agree with the sentiment!

He''ll be back. He's god for one more fight, now that he's left the village and sorted his pension out.

Im doing my best to like joe..and I think he is a very good boxer but I just find it hard to put him up there with the greats...in beating an old washed up roy jones on points doesnt prove anything really.. except that he beat a washed up ol roy jones..as an irishman i love to see us beating the best on the other side of the pond but i just wish this fight was 10 years ago...just to see how good joe really is..perhaps he and we will never know....and thats a real pity..but he won and the records wont show otherwise..it feels a bit like winning the grand national..with only one horse in the race...probably would have anyway...but...?

It would be great for once to see a fine boxer retire at the pinnacle.
.
But, alas, I fear that the Money Men (who don't care a toss for his well-being) will get at him, and he will start on the usual downward slope.
.

Please retire Joe.

No matter how much money is on offer, you would swap it all to keep your 100% record.

Show just one more touch of class - go out at the top.

I am welsh and I love boxing, but I too am finding it difficult to admire and respect Joe Calzaghe after last nights 'fairytale' fight.
I was actually quite appalled by the way he danced and goaded Jones. It was bad enought that he was doing it to a washed up former champion who should have hung up his gloves after the first Tarver fight. But to prance in front of him when Jones couldn't see out of his leading eye I thought showed a total lack of respect on Joe's part.
Sure in his prime Jones goaded his oponents on, safe in the knowledge that they couldn't touch him, but he seemed to do it with a touch of class. Calzaghe just looked like an idiot last night.
For me he will never be remembered as a legend. He will be remembered as a fine boxer who had a good record. Legends go in against the best and they usually have losses on their records.
I would have more respect for Joe if he fought Jones and Hopkins 6 years ago and lost (which I think he would have done) than merely add their names to what before then a fairly average resume.
As an aside, I was reading Frank Warren's article in the Sun yesterday - Is it true that Joe has pulled out of 12 world title fights? What a legend!

Some people will never be happy... at the end of the day people realised this was a pension fight so what more did they expect?

RJJ made himself a valid opponent by winning his last three fights showing he could come back... I only felt before the fight that he now stands up too straight in a European style and Calzaghe battered Kessler with that style.

Calzaghe has beaten the "next best things" in Kessler and Lacy... who else is there? People were hyping Pavlik but he was schooled by Hopkins who Calzaghe beat. No one would ever pay to watch a B-Hop rematch because it was simply dreadful to watch. The same commentator who said Calzaghe had to fight the dangerous Chad Dawson also said Joe would be beaten to a pulp by Lacy... so opinions of the up and comers are not really setting the fires alight.

There will always be up and comers but let them make their own legacies. Joe made his over the past 10 years and deserves to go out of the sport in any fashion he sees fit.

I just don't get the fuss about Calzaghe latter fights. He can box no doubt about that, but his just beaten to of the greatest fighters of their generation, when fans of either fighter will tell you all day that both Hopkins & Jones are far part the sell by date. Jones for instance is in the midst of the 1st losing run of his long career.

Clearly Joe can only beat whats placed in front of him, and it's not his fault that he is here and at the top of the game now, while the latter two peaked years ago.

But what do these victories really mean? Much of boxing is just a show to me now. There's hardly any serious competition within weight class above Welterweight.

I am delighted. I wonder if Jones was happy being "slapped" last night?! They certainly did the trick didn't they.

Great fighter. Great record. Will retire a legend.

If there are still any doubters over Calzaghe's pedigree as a great, then fine, I guess you will never be convinced, but here's something you can not deny.
Joe's ability to outlast any opponent put in front of him is credit to his stamina and natural fitness, and in these areas he is amongst the best ever.

I have to agree with the comment about Joe's showboating, I think it went a bit too far, bordering on disrespect, Buncey said it was kind of an homage to hw RJJ used to do things but, it just lacked a bit of class to me, it went over the top, I'm surprised he went so far with it.

That being said, 3 X 118 - 109 says it all.

Ive backed JC for ages on this forum and so I am very happy, I hope he doesnt have a re match with, who needs another 12 round spoil fest!!

People are calling Jones washed up and past it, hes only 3 years older than JC!!! Surely calzaghe deserves some credit for being so good at 36!!!!! Im pretty sure he would still have beaten RJJ if RJJ was 3 years younger..!!

RE post 11 ; *re match with Bhop..

Well done Joe - a boxing legend and best British boxer of all time. He has beaten all put before him.

To all the knockers remember this - Hopkins and to a lesser extent RJJ wouldn't fight Calzaghe 5/6 years ago as they had too much to lose, whereas Joe beat them both when he had more to lose.
Pavlik got a lucky escape because he would have been like Lacy - a shell of the fighter who entered the ring before fighting JC

I hope he retires now - undefeated.

I think all those commentators who slate Calzaghe for not fighting Hopkins or Jones in their prime are missing half the point since neither of them would have gone anywhere near JC in his late 20s/early 30s.

why doesnt he go ahead and fight the best fighter in the world, floyd mayweather if he thinks hes so good? he is the true legend .

Shame Calzaghe fought these guys so late.

He really should have made the move to the US years back, but instead chose to defend that WBO belt his entire career in wales.

Real shame.

He may have lost against the big boys, but he would have had a bigger impact.

why doesnthe fight mayweather? that would be good

TeniPurist

Nobody can take anything away from Joe, but lets not be silly about this. ONly 3 years diffrence between Joe and Roy? Well both Hopkins and Jones were fighting each other for the World titles in 1993 !!! if you or any body else thinks for one minute that Calzaghe could have gone anywhere near a ring with those two then, or if they were both at thoese monumental peaks today, then you're all just talking out of there arse.

If anybody actually beleives for one second that the BEST of Joe Calzaghe could 'toy' with the best or Roy Jones jr - they must be off their head.

Some people just don't want to give Calzaghe any credit.

I think he'd have beaten Jones and Hopkins 10 years ago, just as he has done now.

These people go on about Jones and Hopkins being 'in decline' but how about saluting Calzaghe for his longevity and the fact he's beaten these boxers in the here and now?

Also there is an argument that Joe was at his peak a few years back so I'm sorry - that line of thought just doesn't wash.

I think the British public love losers, at the end of the day. They love a loser, and can only give a champion grudging mealy-mouthed respect while looking for flaws.

I think that is the cancer at the heart of British sport. Who will aspire to be a winner when all you have are people carping enviously about your record.

I think it's already clear that Calzaghe doesn't intend to retire just yet - which is a shame. I'm sure he'd like one last hurrah, probably in Cardiff, but who is there left to fight?

Sadly, I see an unmotivated Calzaghe losing his 100% record at some point in the next 18 months, possibly against a fighter he would have slaughtered five years ago.

Quit whilst you're ahead, Joe - you've earned the accolades, but don't tarnish your legacy with one fight too many.

LFC

People (you included) dont seem to understand this, they fought on two different timelines and thats it...JC has peaked in his early to mid 30s after growing in stature throughout his pro career, whereas RJJ was explosive and brilliant in his youth in the early to mid 90s but has faded badly in the same time that JC has improved.

Of course Joe wouldnt have gone into the ring with RJJ or bhop in 1993 he wasnt even a pro yet!!

A prime JC against a prime RJJ? great fight, no one can say who would win, I would back Calzaghe though.

Why doesn't he fight mayweather?
------------------------------------------------

At what weight class do you suggest that fight would take place, if you pick a middle of the road weight, say middleweight, then both fighters would have an excuse if they lost, the only way would be for one of the fighters to step into the others weightclass and win, and I don't see Floyd moving up to super middleweight, or Joe moving down to light middleweight, considering he is currently at light heavyweight. That being said Mayweather would probably take it on if the money was right and probably win, he is the greatest boxer of this generation.
This is however beyond the point, the ONLY fight calzaghe should take is a fight with Chad Dawson for the title, which would officially make him a 2 weight world champion

Subterranean

What are you on about? Jones has only just started to lose fights, 4 in his last 5 after yesterday, how are you gonna talk about longevity when Roy jones Jr was world champion in 1993 and won world titles at FOUR diffrent weight classes since then up to 2005??

I love Calzaghe and i stress it's not his fault that all the greatest opponents seem to be well past it, and that's the case in all weight classes above welterweight in my opinion.

Why don't Calzaghe go to heavyweight? ala Jones? He could take out David Haye for a start (or attempt too) He'd never make the a light enought weight to fight Mayweather.

FERGYSAUR - are you daft or what? Mayweather is retired and is about 30 pounds too light.

Why not make him fight Hatton 8-)

It all depends on which side of the story you choose to believe; the Americans who claim that JC ducked them or vice versa.

re 'The Big Fight':

Genuine boxing fans got little or no insight into either boxers abilities yetserday, only a confirmation of Joe's unmatched stamina and workrate, which is what won him the bout yesterday. At times, his inability to hurt RJJ was embarrassing. To throw near enough 1000 punches and not even wobble Jones is proof that Joe hasn't got a knockout punch.

For me, he's nowhere near HOF status.

Missed the boat years ago...

First of all, congratulations on your win.

I am loathed to say this BUT if you continue now and lose your unbeaten record then you will always look back and say, "I wish I had stopped, as a champion, unbeaten". "Now I am remembered as the fighter who wouldn't stop until the inevitable came"!

I didn't think that Mike Tyson could be beaten and there were times when he looked indestructible... so go out with respect and a perfect record, after all, you have beaten men who had a perfect record and where are they now in the history books!?

I wish you total respect!

I think Joe was well managed by those who made sure he fought mostly in the UK
I think that the stupidity of running over th Vegas or wherever is not in best interest of British fighters
The judging and refereeing is dodgy and often the climate is a killer if one is not used to that heat and that alone has cost Britisg boxers big time in the past
Joe also is one who is not intimidated by the Yanks though I think showboating is stupid and dangerous if entertaining
There is nothing left to prove now and time to retire money is not everything in life
I think Joes place in all time greats is pretty secure and as we age injury is more likely
Not many age as well as Hopkins he usually can get super fit as can Joe but Joes hands have been damaged etc

Inability to hurt RJJ?! Im sorry but that man was hurt!! Ask jeff lacy if calzaghe cant hurt you....RJJ was a bumbling mess by the 7th. Ok Joe does not have one punch knockout power, he has had many problems with his hands in his career and it has shaped his fighting style.

but believe me RJJ is sore today!! I suggest forza that you dont know much about boxing and can only appreciate a punch if its a bomb!

Bhop wasnt hurt, cos he wasnt hit so much, but RJJ got a pounding

Fights 46
Wins 46
Wins by KO 32
Losses 0
Draws 0
No contests 0

Those defeated include Chris Eubank, Jeff Lacy, Mikkel Kessler, Bernard Hopkins and Roy Jones, Jr.

Last 2 fights have been in America.

There will still be Yanks who can't get over the fact that Joe is one of the best champions of all time. They will say Hopkins and Jones were past their peak but those guys still got into the ring confident of victory. And Joe is not that much younger than Roy.

A great performance last night from Joe- put Roy in his place - and cemented his place in history.

i think mohamhhaad ally should come back and maybe fight nazeem hamed or do a tag team with ally and frayser tyson and bruno

If Joe can continue his tirless work rate and ceaseless attack lhe should continue to fight, his chin is up to it and it's simply down to hunger and desire. I think his dad should invite allcomers to a fight in WALES...his fans and his country deserve it, but mosf all he owes it to himself...Fantastic achievement, stay confident Joe, but stay humble and alert.

WONDERWOMAN V MARGARET THATCHER

Congratulations Joe you have beaten a washed up fighter 10 years past his prime. Roy Jones best days were in the 1990s. The Roy Jones who beat James Toney in 1993 is a million miles from the fighter that we saw against Calzaghe last night. Had Calzaghe fought Jones in his prime he would have been annihilated. As for retiring I think if Joe is a true champ he should have a rematch with Hopkins. For me Hopkins won their last fight but was robbed by a very dubious split decision.

kev.... Shhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh

Great win against a legend. There is now only one opponent left between Joe and the accolade of being the best ever.

He needs to fight Ali. I know his management may consider this to be a risk, but it a risk they need to take. If he beats Ali, we will know Joe is the best.

The only danger is an outbreak of pensioners being mugged in Wales, as given his past record, Joe could be in the frame and get picked up by the law.

I would like to see Joe fight Kessler and Dawson next year. Dawson is another overhyped us fighter but Kessler would be very very dangerous. But to be honest as much as that would add to his record it does get to the point when you think why should he bother?

If he beat both next year and say beat Hoppo again (and i believe he would win all 3) he would still have everyman and his dog banging on about how he shouldve fought Trinidad and Bhop and RJJ in their prime. Lets just get this straight shall we. Joe couldnt have got those fights. He was in peak around 2 years ago. All the others were in peak 10 years ago. That is a huge gap. Its just unfortunate that he wasnt peaking at the same time. He cant be blamed for that tho. To be honest i think 10 years ago he wouldve been beat by Hoppo and RJJ but thats because they were at the top of their game and he wasnt. The top guys around now are Kessler, Dawson and supposedly Pavlik. Everyone knows Joe would beat all of them so why not give the guy his dues? Its not his fault that the current crop are nowhere near his or RJJ standards.

I would like to see him fight Kessler, Pavlik and Dawson in that order next year. That then would see him go down as a true great.

"Congratulations Joe you have beaten a washed up fighter 10 years past his prime. Roy Jones best days were in the 1990s. The Roy Jones who beat James Toney in 1993 is a million miles from the fighter that we saw against Calzaghe last night. Had Calzaghe fought Jones in his prime he would have been annihilated. As for retiring I think if Joe is a true champ he should have a rematch with Hopkins. For me Hopkins won their last fight but was robbed by a very dubious split decision."

------------

To be honest your comments dont really have any merit if you honestly think Bhop won that fight. How can you hardly throw a punch and take more punches than you ever have and win the fight?

Maybe Joe wouldve been taken apart if hed fought RJJ 15 YEARS AGO!

Do you not see how stupid that comment is? Joe peaked a few years ago. Not 15!

Its like saying if Joe had fought Leaonard in his prime he wouldve got beat.

Don't agree. If Joe chooses to fight again it will be because he feels he can win that fight. Losing isn't in his vocabulary and he won't rush into a fight he doesn't beleive he can win.
I hope he fights again in Wales because he is a true great and deserves a truly grat send off

Joe is a great boxer, but to be remembered as a legend, he must do rematches. Every legendary boxer has done at least one rematch. Joe has one good fight left in him. A rematch against B-Hop at Cardiff and then retire would be the most sensible next move.

Joe Calzaghe (senior) thought that Hopkins won the fight with Joe by a mile.

I assume then that his opinion does not have any merit.

Joe should fight Pavlik and get knocked out in Round One, and then retire.

If two old lads are putting him down in the first round..............

I say well done to Joe,

a great effort over the years defending his title and for the entertainment he has brought to his fans.
It`s true to say that he has beaten Hopkins and JJR when they are well past their best but that can`t be helped. Fewer and fewer truly great fights are happening these days with boxers in their prime coming together due to the politics of boxing. Although it wud be sad to see them make their farewells both JC and JJR shud both retire......especially JJR.
Was a shame to see a boxer that was so amazing, labour through a fight like that and he shud bow out knowing he has nothing to prove and his place as a legend is assured and so to JC in his own right.
Sadly the boxing fans are left with even less decent fights to watch and have to Pay-per-view to watch bums who wouldn`t come close to some of the fighters who were around in days gone by.

I think Calzaghe should just retire now. I don't think he has anything to gain from fighting Hopkins or Kessler again, or fighting Pavlik when Hopkins destroyed him.

Calzaghe has nothing to prove, he has fought the best names out there, you can now argue all day and all night long about his claims to 'greatness'

46 pro fights- undefeated. Joe can look back on his career and say he did alright.

The yellow belly dragon strikes again..who will Joe Calzaghe fight next Ali? I can't believe that someone who dodged the top fighters when they were in their prime is being praised for beating them when they are using zimmmer frames...not to mention these old guys are taking him the distance. No wonder people don't watch boxing anymore, we know real champs when we see them, who don't duck out of the real fights just so that they can have a nice payday later on. K1 has a much better format, last man standing is the champ..end of story!

Joe's 'showboating' is actually a tactic I think.

It seemed clear that when he was doing his 'showboating', all he was doing was urging Jones to hit him so therefore, Calzaghe can dodge and counter-punch.

Like he said in the interview at the end, that's the way he fights.

I personally hope he retires. He's beaten Lacy, Kessler, Hopkins (who beat Pavlik) and now Jones, what else is there to prove?

The reality is that he chose to stay in Wales when the big fights were out there. Now there are money making fights but not reputation enhancing fights. Fair enough he walks away with a secure future, but not with a reputation as one of the greats. Beating a couple of decent standard fighters in Lacy and Kessler, and a couple of over the hill fighters in Hopkins and Jones is the sum total of his record at the very top level. Why do you thik there is even a debate , and why are he and his dad so prickly about this topic, if there wasn't an awful lot of truth in the subject. The reality is that Calzaghe/Kessler was no better than Minter/Finnegan. Difference is that was for a British title.

Sensational whatver are you talking about Joe dad thought Bhop won, where do you get such rubbish! If Bhop was doing so well in that fight how come he had to feign a low blow to get a rest, it was lucky for him it was an american ref who wanted to help him. Any other ref would have made him stop trying to cheat and made him fight on. So when he couldn't get the rest he was after he would have been beat by an even bigger margin . And for those who keep saying he should have fought them in their prime but he dodged them. Get you facts right the fight with bhop was nearly signed and sealed years ago untill Bhop started making stupid demands! You folk only see what you want to see thats why you never give him credit. Americans hate being second best thier ego's really carn' handle it!

If Bhop was so over the hill how come he as just wiped thefloor with pavlic! You are just talking tosh

modernavatar7, the majority of the people posting about Joe not being a great and not taking the big fights are British. Forget Hopkins, Joe fought no one of real note and never ventured outside Wales until the end of his career when there were no super fights. You can't fool all the people all the time .........

Joe is not like the American boxers...he will not fight on past his peak for the money. He has more honour than that. He will retire undefeated. Well done Joe...yet again you outclassed your opponent.

i dont think that hopkins is "past it" at all. his win against the "next big thing" kelly pavlik and his close loss to calzaghe prove that he is a great champion still at his prime. his age doesnt matter, just look at his performances.

To doubt that Joe was and is not a great fighter is absolute nonsense.

Not only has he a great record but he has managed to stay in terrific shape due to discipline and dedication

I do not get involved with uninformed comments for the same reason I would not give medicine to a corpse

Make no mistake Joe is a very clever boxer and has great hand speed

His method of hitting puzzled me but he beat some very good fighters and Hopkins was no has been being in my opinion the best defensive boxer since Ali, he cam make anyone look bad as he did with Kelly who should not fight outside his weight class

I watched the BH fight several times and think it was pretty clear Joe won in spite of some clever dodging and bluffing by Bernard

If Pavlik is foolish enough to fight Joe at LH he will lose I think as needs more experience at the very top.

'Fights 46
Wins 46
Wins by KO 32
Losses 0
Draws 0
No contests 0

Those defeated include Chris Eubank, Jeff Lacy, Mikkel Kessler, Bernard Hopkins and Roy Jones, Jr. '

so what he only fought 41 losers....5 good names an 2 of em are o.a.p's.....i love joe as much as the rest....but he needs to calm himself a bit, as for the showboating that was rediculously disrespectful.....be like ronaldo boasting about dribbling round a 1 legged kid.... people forget rjj in his prime was throwin combos like joe except they were rippin heads off, whens the last time joe made someone go down for the count...even against lacy who he whooped even more than rjj he couldnt get him down for the count. throwin 1000 punches is great but he onli landed double what rjj did an rjj threw half as many....be like chelsea shooting every opportunity they gt regardless of whether the ball went over wide or on target an then sayin there the most attackin team ever. i dont think rjj ever went in there for anything except for the payday...he ceratinly didn go there to box...if anything he jus proved joes punches (apart from the 1 where he got cut) dont really do that much, theres just lots of them.

Some terrible comments on this post. Show Calzaghe the respect he deserves, only in Britain would we put down one of our own like this.

And for comments on power, Jones said himself that Calzaghe hits alot harder than he thought. Thats what boxing is, showing your skills, adapting, the ability to move and throw combinations, punches in bunches

the lack of knowledge by some on here is laughable

Rather than listen to the very boring Joe's not a legend debate. Surely the question is whether or not its actually possible for him to secure legend status with any of the fights out there?

I think he could quite easily mop up the four light heavy weight division titles (in two years and three/four fights) and go 50-0.

But would this make him a legend?

I think JC may become a victim of time, his peak is late and much like Tyson is the late 80's and Lewis later on, there is simply no-one left to challenge him?

If it was me, I'd take the money fights and the titles (beat marciano, go 50-0) and get out......

pointing people to the record who talk about legends...

Well done Joe. Can't believe there is so many negative comments on here.

Enjoyed the fight but some of the showing off was a bit cringe worthy, especially when Jones was blinded in one eye by blood.

I think the adrenaline was talking when he said he would go home and think about his next move, he will surely retire after this.

Now off to bed!!

Tenipurist and RichMJ79....

You talk about the showboating and as Rich said Jones did it to his foes, Ali did it, all the greats have.

The fact that you mention Jones was injured and it wasnt fair and etc etc seems odd seeing as:

a) if Jones was really that bad then the fight can be stopped
b) If Jones was really that bad then his corner could have thrown in the child.

To use the old phrase "if you cant stand the heat get out of the kitchen"

I think its unfortunate that right now there are no real equal fighters for Joe. The youngster are as you have mentioned still learning the trade and should get swatted by flies if they fight Joe and its either Youngsters or has beens.

I hope he decides to hang up his gloves and leave boxing with that priceless unbeaten record!

Congratulations to Joe Calzaghe. While his showboating was a little over the top, you have to give him credit for getting off the canvas in round one and going on to dominate the fight.
However, I did not enjoy the fight at all. I was a huge fan of Roy Jones Jnr during the '90s and watching him take punch after punch didn't give me any pleasure. He may still have the odd moment of magic but his legendary speed has slowed down to a mere human rate and his reactions are nowhere near what they were.
In his peak he would have beaten Calzaghe without a doubt but an undefeated record over the amount of time Calzaghe has fought is amazing. It owes a lot to ability but one also has to say, some extremely clever matchmaking.
He should now retire. The longer he fights the more chance of defeat!

If you actually pay any attention to the quality of opponents Hopkins faced during his reign in MW, and the quality of opponents he faced in the last couple of years and won against (Winky, Tarver, Pavlik, with the latter two being slightly overrated, but still miles better than anyone Hopkins fought in his supposedly prime period with an exception of Tito who was at his best when Hopkins beat him), it could be argued that Hopkins was at least as good as, if not better than he ever was when he faced Joe. Just look at it differently. Both Joe and Bernard looked bad in that fight. Was that because both of them (who looked very good in all fights before and after that one) suddenly aged during and only during that fight, or was it because they were facing quality opponents in each other? (Hopkins was facing the fittest fighter of this generation, and Calzaghe was facing a true defensive master.)

Roy Jones Jr is a totally different story. He has definitely aged, and he is certainly not as good as he once was. However, you should remember that he was actually in a good shape for yesterday's fight (unlike when he faced Tarver or Johnson when he was weight drained after coming back down from HW.) And you should also question whether or not he really was "that" good in his prime. I mean, was he really a superman? Jones' win against Toney was impressive (though Toney was not in his natural weight class), but when Jones beat Hopkins, Bernard was still inexperienced. That was TWO YEARS AND SIX FIGHTS BEFORE Hopkins won his first world title! And remember that we are talking about Hopkins who lost his debut fight. His career didn't start off that well. He really got better and better as he aged. Mike McCallum was certainly way past his prime when Jones beat him, so who else has be beaten? Montell Griffin was actually very good (he has beaten Toney twice), but he wasn't a great. Anyone else? The only fight which come to my mind is against John Ruiz, and that was not so long ago. (Ruiz is underrated. He was not a great HW champ, but he was better than what many people claimed.) What I am trying to say is that while we cannot deny that Roy is no longer what he once was, I am not convinced that he was actually that much better in his prime than he was yesterday against Calzaghe. Prime Calzaghe v prime Jones would have been a great fight, but as someone said above, with Calzaghe's ability to adapt his style, I am actually leaning 60-40 towards Calzaghe win. Those who say that prime Jones would have demolished prime Calzaghe probably think that prime Marciano or prime Ali would have knocked out prime Vitali Klitschko in two rounds.

One thing which I do actually agree with Calzaghe haters above is that the way he mocked Jones was disrespectful and shameful. It was probably a part of his game plan to encourage Jones to come at him, but he did not show any class in doing so. When Roy used to do the same, he actually looked good.

He should retire and progress into the media or coaching. There is nothing sadder than watching these washed up fighters think they can still capture former glories. The USA should have showed him more respect ten years ago. At 36 only the middle men and promoters have anything to gain with him carrying on.

Calzaghe is overrated. Fullstop. Sorry but fighting Jones who was clearly not interested in winning the fight. Calzaghe spent far too much of his years hiding in Wales when he could have travelled to the USA and fought Jones and Hopkins in the 1990s.
Calzaghe was damn lucky to have the judges on his side against the 43 year old Hopkins who appeared composed and unaffected.
So defeating has beens in 2008 is not enough to prove Calzaghe is a legend. It proves he is good but not good enough.
End of story.

Cannot believe the British Media hype over this. No Wonder the world sees British Atheletes as such jokes.

Calzaghe is good, fact. But fact is Calzaghe beat a RJJ who is not even a shadow of his formerself.

Calzaghe is such a talented boxer, but it's pathetic how he is fighting all these guys are who are on the decline and passed their prime.

It's sad the only half-decent opponent he has gone Prime v Prime with is Kessler (who is nothing special). That was only last year.

Before that Calzaghe was defending the poor WBO Belt for 10 years. Where the big boys RJJ, Hopkins, Tarver, Winky etc. were going Prime v Prime against the best. Calzaghe should have been there, but never did.

aint people so fed up with the calazaghe haters - im personally fed up with the washed up bernard and roy comments - bernard hopkins washed up, come on he recently beat pavlik - roy jones - is only 3 yrs older than joe so age is not an issue when comparing the fighters - washed up comments are thoughtless - so jeff lacy and mikkel should have beaten joe because joe is washed up because of his age ..... boxing becomes harder with age yes so what joe has achieved should be treated with more respected i think

British boxers are all overrated.
This reminds me of Lennox Lewis who dodged Tyson through the 1980s and 1990s and then fights Tyson when Tyson can no longer give a damn about winning. Jones also appears to be going through the same 'Tyson phase'.

Also reminds me of Amir Khan getting humiliated in the USA. Perhaps Khan should wait till his better opponents are on the decline and then challenge them like Calzaghe did.

Before that Calzaghe was defending the poor WBO Belt for 10 years. Where the big boys RJJ, Hopkins, Tarver, Winky etc. were going Prime v Prime against the best. Calzaghe should have been there, but never did.
--------------------------------------------------
This is the very fact that the British media will deliberately ignore.
The very fact that Calzaghe fans will not admit either

Number 57 - How would child abuse stop a fight lol?

I think you meant the towel!

Joe did well. He did what he had to do. But lets not get carried away. He beat the shell of a once outstanding fighter. Bottom line is Roy Jones is shot. As Joe himself wrote in his autobiography a few yrs ago, Roy is washed up. Jones arguably ranks along with Sugar Ray Robinson as the most outrageously talented fighter of all time His first round knockdown of Calzaghe gave a glimpse of what he would have done to Joe if they had fought when either man was nearer their prime. Calzaghe himself is past his prime. He simply has more left than the near 40 yr old RJJ who turned pro back in 1988. Contrary to the gushing praise he has received in the press and the awful cheerleading TV commentary, Joe did not put on an outstanding performance. Sure, he clearly won, thats all a fighter can do. But the signs of his own deterioration were clear. He like Jones should hang up his gloves. If he fights on, the next young capable fighter he meets would take that unbeaten record that he so cherishes

Some of the comments posted are laughable. RJJ is being accused of being a 'washed up' fighter yet many people were predicting he would win the fight. I agree he is not the fighter he was but the simple fact is that he couldn't deal with Joe's speed and intensity.
Hopkins is now accused of being past his best, even though he has just beaten a highly rated Kelly Pavlick. Most of those in the know currently have Hopkins high on the list of lb for lb fighters.
Kessler was and is a great fighter in his prime. To date no one else has shown themselves capable of beating him.
Lacy was regarded as the best in the division - it was left to Joe to highlight his deficiencies.
A fighter can only beat what is put in front of him. JC has done this 46 times, 10 years as World champ. Check the records to see how difficult this is. Much as we would all like to know who would have won between JC and RJJ in their prime IT ISN'T GOING TO HAPPEN any more than a fight between (say) Mayweather and Sugar Ray Leonard. A pointless argument. Fact is all Joe Calzaghe's opponents to date have come up short. And that is why he is a great.
Don't worry if you don't agree - give it five or ten years and you'll be looking back fondly on a legend.

Sonofthedestroyer wrote....
Reminds me of Lennox Lewis who dodged Tyson in the 80s and 90s.....

Correction, Lennox never dodged anyone in his career. May I also remind you that Lennox turned pro in 1988...same as RJJ....when Iron Mike was already King of the HWs. Tyson was in prison when Lennox won his first crown. Lennox campaigned long and hard to fight Tyson when Mike was released and resumed his career. It is well documented that it was Tyson who constantly ducked Lewis and Bowe and opted to fight the likes of the china chinned Bruce Seldon and the slow and limited Bruno.
Like Calzaghe, Lewis did meet a past his prime Tyson. But unlike Calzaghe, easy pushovers and no mames were not part of his resume as HW champ. He even refused big money offers to fight old men like Foreman and Holmes. Instead, he concentrated on destroying the next generation of young hungry wannabees..Grant, Tua, Briggs, Golota, Rahman[all big punchers] He then turned his sights on Holyfied and Tyson
Lennox did not fight any bums. Calzaghe fought plenty. But it was his promoter, Warren who kept him away from the big punchers in the 12stone division and the likes of Toney, Hopkins, Jones & even a near his prime Brewer. I am not a Calzaghe fan but I believe that he wanted to fight the best and would have loved to have mixed it with them when they were all in their prime. He would have been very competitive against them all except RJJ.

The problem here is that the same people who are moaning about Calzaghe's inability to KO his opponents are the same people who scream about sacking their manager when they lose a game. Completely misinformed.

The rules of boxing are simple; hit and don't get hit. Points are scored for aggression and punches landed. Hit your opponent more times and you win provided you are not KO'ed. KO's are a welcome respite from the judges scorecards.

Joe has demonstrated time and time again a mastery of these rules and pummels opponents with frighteningly quick hands and reflexes.

I think some people on here should bemoan the fact that people have not found a way to beat Calzaghe yet rather than focus on who Joe hasn't fought. Everyone has come up short so far... even the so called up-and-comers like Lacy and Kessler who were/still are formidable opponents.

Observer,

you are an idiot, seriously, I have to only hope that you are posting like this to get a reaction etc

When RJJ and BHOP fought, Joe had JUST turned pro!! Its ridiculous to say that joe should have fought RJJ then he was a newbie 21 year old in his first days as a pro!!

Their careers and their respective peaks have come at very different times.

Its a tired old thing to say that calzaghe should have fought all the big boys bla bla and it shows a lack of knowledge of boxing history.

Im interested to see the future progress of Kessler as I believe it will prove how good calzaghe is.

Also, to the guy who said JC has to fight Pavilik who would knock him out in 1st round....the man who was completely mauled by the non-puncher himself! oh lordy

sven ottke retired unbeaten . records dont tell the complete truth ,do they?

To the Calzaghe fans, Joe was odds on favourite to win the fight.
The only question was...What did RJJ have left? I personally figured, not much and picked Joe to win a UD.
However, such was the level of RJJ's previous capacity as a fighter,I like many thought he would win if he could regain 50 to 60% of it.
To those who scoff at this, I say go onto google video and you tube, and watch some of Jones's earlier fights.
His almost preternatural blend of athleticsm, savage grace, speed and power were matched only by Sugar Ray Robinson. And to the younger posters, I do not mean Ray Leonard!

You have to hand it to JC 46-0. He should retire now and just chillout. But when your unbeaten and been boxing all your life its hard to quit. I don't think they needed the money RJJ and Bhop, they are already hall of famers. Tese fights are just easy pay days with only losses the negative.

But take nothing away from JC, he has prove he is on a par with Lennox Lewis as Britain's best boxer. If he does carry on then Chad Dawson or Bhop will be a good final bout. Just because a boxer predicts another boxer will win or lose does not mean he cannot beat the boxer who wins despite not backing him. I still think the Bhop fight was a draw. Chad Dawson has a great work rate so it will be interesting to see him and JC fight.

Well done JC 46-0 FANS OR NO FANS CANNOT ARGUE WITH THAT!!!

Future: BHop doesn't deserver another shot after his spoil fest in the first fight - would anyone who watched the first fight pay to watch a rematch? Jones doesn't deserve one either with such a wide margin. If he wants one more pay day it should be against Dawson for an official light heavy title.

Punch power: Joe may not contain knock out punch power any more but i suspect that's something to do with his history of hand injuries.

Legacy: In the last couple of years, Joe has unified the super-middle weight division, made the trip over the pond and then moved up to light-heavy. I personally just wished he'd done that 2-3 years earlier so he could've have cleaned up the light heavy div and maybe even made a late switch to crusier. If he'd done that we wouldn't even be having a debate about his status as an all time great.

Brilliant fighter - i'm 28 and he's right up there with the best pound for pound fighters i've seen in the last 10-20 years. I just think he's been badly advised earlier in his career and i haven't seen him in as many great fights as i should have.

Joe won't retire. He'll go for more big money fights, and rightly so. He's spent years getting to where he is, and he's now at the stage where he can make millions in every fight. Of course he won't pack it in now. Nobody in his position would turn down an offer for another fight if the paycheck was big enough. It's human nature to keep going, where money is concerned, until you do eventually get beaten.

It's nice to talk about the fairytale ending, retiring undefeated, but the reality is that money talks and that's why so few boxers do retire undefeated. Joe has 2 choices - retire undefeated, now, or - retire richer. I know which one I would rather do if I was him.

Very wise words Ben.

I hope Joe calls it a day now. He has shown the world time and again that he is the real deal.

The only reason to fight on would be for what? The money ... does Joe need it? Th adulation ... could he get any more? HIs relentless attitude has even won the hearts of America now after a mere 2 fights on their soil, no mean feat in boxing.

Swap the gloves for a mic Joe ... just don't go with Setanta or you'll have a restricted audience!

Pete - I think Joe has more honour than that and cares too much about the legecy he has spent years building to just go chasing bucks. He is different to these American "legends" who continue to enter the ring as old men. I think he will retire very soon. And quite right too.

What a bunch of pathetic morons posting all this negativity about one of Britain's greatest sportsmen of recent years.

If you've got nothing good to say then say nothing at all.

Joe - thanks for everything, you are an inspiration to the whole of Wales !

first of all most of his recent fights have been one on points and i have not seen any unforgettable showings. also why does he fight all of these old guys that are not in their prime

fergysaur comment 16 and 18 - boxing has weight divisions and if you don't know that calzaghe can never fight mayweather probably shouldn't be commenting here!
on a serious note, calzaghe should have been a great but i think lacked self-confidence. only now that everyone is talking about legacy, he finds himself in a sitation where he wants to prove a point - i think his dad enzo does too - and this could be dangerous for his perfect record!

Having read back over some of the pro-US comments I think I should add my view.

If RJJ had beaten Joe, the message from you would have been RJJ had just taken the biggest scalp in imperious style to prove he is still on top of the game. Instead you now label one of your greatest (one of the greatest) fighters as a washed out old man. You seem to change your reality to suit the result.

You also have no idea of history with your suggestions on who Joe should have fought over the years ... what next, pick on Ali for never having beaten Tyson?

Just a little humility and respect (something your president-elect has in abundance) and accept that Joe is one of the greats alongside RJJ and the like.

You have to remember that money makes fights and when RJJ and BHOP were at their perceived best there was no money for a Calzaghe fight. There are people in the States who have only picked up on him this year, so why should they have fought him over here 5 years ago when there was little to gain and a lot to lose. Now the tables have been turned and as Calzaghe is the World number 1 he is the draw, and there is big money to fight him, with little to lose and a lot to gain.

Only in the UK do we knock and critisize our sporting champions so readily. can't we just be happy that they're winners? if he'd lost, all the doubters would've said he's not got that ruthless streak...just 'cos he showboated a bit - what do you want? him to apologise for winning? no-one complains when the yanks show a bit of arrogance! it's pathetic!! for God's sake, be happy we've got a winner! well done Joe, you're a true legend!

SUPER, SUPER JOE, SUUUUUUPER JOE CALZAGHE

I am British and Joe is a good guy and a good fighter. But let's be perfectly honest he hasn't fought anyone in their prime...Roy Jones was is well over the hill, as was Hpkins. It's not like the Hagler/Leonard/Hearns or Ali/Frazier/Foreman/Norton groupings who took eachother on.

Fantastic Joe. Time to retire. The detractors would only be happy if you can invent a time machine Joe, and beat Ali at this prime, and even then they would probably find something to moan about or insist there should be a rematch.
Joe has done it against a number of world champs or ex world champs (bhop, jones, eubank, lacey, kessler, mitchell, brewer, woodhall). In numerous title defences he maintained consistency to avoid the surprise defeat which can hit champions. He has done more than enough to retire as undefeated world champ that reigned for over a decade. What more is required than that? He has done it against the new world champs and the older champs (bhop proved against Pavlik he was still a force). He may not have fought a Jones or all time classic champ in his pomp, and there are reasons for that but it didnt happen, it doesnt have to.

It's sad that he gets so much criticism. Jones, Hopkins, and Tarver would never have fought him, because the money wasn't there 5 or 6 years ago.

Hopkins was in negotiations at one point, only to demand more money at the last moment.

The only thing you can question is the proposed Glen Johnson fight. Calzaghe hurt his hands in training and the fight was cancelled. Johnson then lost to Clinton Woods, meaning Joe had no reason to fight him. If Calzaghe was able to beat Johnson, he would have made more of a name in the states. But he couldn't, and he can't help that.

I don't think Jones would have outclassed Calzaghe if he was in his prime at all. Roy Jones beat 3 good fighters. Hopkins, Toney, and Griffin. When he fought some hard fighters, he lost, Tarver x 2, and Johnson.

Jones didn't know what to do once a fighter walked through his punches. He looked great against Calzaghe, until Calzaghe wasn't getting hurt anymore. Calzaghe would have hunted down Jones regardless of Jones' age, and it would have been a damn tough fight.

People now say it's disrespectful to showboat against Jones with a cut eye. I understand the fact he was cut, but Joe was making it an entertaining fight and so was Jones earlly on, as they promised. Pre-fight, you were all moaning that Calzaghe and Jones were too friendly. Then once Calzaghe looks to ruthlessly dominate Jones, you're all complaining.

Calzaghe beat whoever he faced,and for that reason is one of boxings finest. He beat EVERYONE available at super-middleweight. He waited for his chance against the big Americans, and beat them.

Now you all say Dawson should fight him. But if Calzaghe wins that, you'll say Dawson was overrated. just like Pavlik has all of a sudden become overrated after a loss to Hopkins.

Hopkins is the toughest L.Heavyweight out there, and Joe managed to win despite looking bad, which is some feat!

Calzaghe won't go down as a legend, because there have never been the opponents there to face. But he should be respected. To be a great you need a great era- something which boxing has lacked since the late 90's.

But does that mean we should knock him because he ain't an Ali?

Let's celebrate what he has achieved, and just feel saddened that people wouldn't fight him 5 years ago.

His fitness and workrate is the best out there, and would have given ANY fighter a problem, especially when he can survive knockdowns like he has.

Listen to your mum Joe.

There's nothing left to prove.

Joe Calzaghe should be seen as one of the best fighters Britain has ever produced and anyone that disagrees with this doesn't know much about boxing. They should stick to picking bits up in the paper and keep their opinions to the confines of their local rather than putting it on a forum for everyone to read.

The argument that he shouldn't be considered as a world great because he ducked fights is ridiculous. If he fought RJJ or Hopkins at their peak, he would have had less than 10 professional fights under his belt. He has pulled out of more fights than a lot of boxers but this is due to injuries to his hands. These injuries are real ones, rather than the 'injuries' that some fighters will use to get out of a fight. The fact that JC has continued fighting so well despite these problems should show people what a true champ he is. If he ducked fights in the past, you can level the same argument against RJJ and Hopkins and say why wait till they're so old to fight Calzaghe? If they wanted to fight him so much, they had the power to arrange it.

While it's true that he's fought mostly in Wales, why shouldn't he? After winning the WBO title in England against Eubank, it's down to him where he fights. If someone wants to take it, they can go to Wales and win it. If he needed to, I'm sure he would have been more than willing and able to go to America and beat anyone to get a world title.

46-0 speaks volumes and yeah he's fought nobodys in his time (why did he fight Manfredo Jr?!) but every great boxer has fought nobodys to keep their profile up and stay in the ring. How could he fight 46 fights against great boxers when there haven't been that many around? He's fought anyone brave enough to take him on and beat them all.

I don't know if Calzaghe now would have beaten RJJ of the mid-90s but I don't know if RJJ of the mid-90s would have beaten Leonard of the late 80s but the fact that these fights didn't take place is down to timing. Boxing's great to have a debate on but if you consider RJJ better than Calzaghe, fair enough and we'll never know, it doesn't mean Calzaghe doesn't deserve a great deal of respect and doesn't deserve the acclaim of respected boxing critics like Ring magazine.

Well done on remaining unbeaten Joe, one more fight in the Millenium Stadium would be great but who's left to fight without it being branded a retirement fight?

The article is wrong in part, saying Calzaghe was unbeaten in amateur and prom. Joe was beaten in the amateurs 1990 Welsh ABA final against Michael Smyth.

Joe probably ranks no 5 in the British all time - and just sneaks into the top 100 greatest ever.

Calzagha had to fight Manfredo to raise his profile in the States... Manfredo was considered by the media to be the next big thing due to "The Contender" series... but those in the boxing world knew he didn't have the class to beat Calzaghe... for those interested Manfredo might be fighting Sakio Bika for the IBO title which should be a proper roughing up for the celebrity boxer. He did ok against Lacy but he is another boxer demolished by Calzaghe who looks a shadow of his former self.

I like the comment above which suggests that Ali should not be considered great because he never fought a prime Tyson or vice versa (tongue in cheek of course). It's amazing how in Britain we try to rewrite history when we should be recognising the true achievements of Calzaghe... I hope he retires because he has achieved everything... I hope he fights because he invariably entertains in one form or another.

I didn't read all the responses, so appologies if I'm repeating something...

But why, given his astonishing record, has Calzaghe remained so low profile? I don't follow boxing, but I at least know of most of the 'big names', but until this weekend I was totally unaware of Calzaghe's achievements. Has he been fighting the wrong people, or has he deliberately remained out of the limelight?

(genuine question - if anyone knows the answer, then please....)

Post 94 is a joke..I think i'll listen to the respected boxing experts out there and the hard to please american journalists who all unanimously agree that Joe is a great fighter and worthy of future hall of fame status.

There is a genuine lack of boxing knowledge being posted on here by some...a true class act.

As someone pointed out earlier, people change their opinions to suit the result.

A superb performance on Saturday Joe, Roy Jones was still ranked 6 in the world and was given a strong chance by many before the fight.

superb stuff

It is Jone's fault they never met earlier...he would not come and fight in the UK. Instead he waited until he was passed it and then took the fight for the money...not exactly the stuff of champs is it.

I am really happy that Joe destroyed him. I am also really happy that all these Jone's fans are bitter about the result and can't admit that Joe is world class and a legend. World champion for about 12 years...never lost as a pro...argue all you like but the facts are there for all to see.

I've just watched the fight and I thought it was a great bout, even if RJJ slowed up considerably after the cut (who wouldn't?). It certainly didn't look to me like Calzaghe was on the wane; why shouldn't he fight on whilst he still can? I, for one, would like to see a local legend continue....

Why can't people just be supportive of Joe and recognise that a BRITISH boxer has just got 46-0. Okay, RJJ is not the fighter he has years ago but he is still a good boxer with the ability to mix it with whoever is put in front of him. Bhop proved recently that he is not over the hill by taking apart Pavlik who is supposed to be one of the best fighters today yet people still choose to nit pick at Joe's achievements. When JC took apart Kessler, that was a masterclass performance and it was the same when he beat Lacy but people still feel the need to see the bad points in all of these victories!. I hear people say all the time that Lennox Lewis was a brilliant fighter and he beat the best, which he did, but nobody ever refers to his defeats against Rahman and McCall, which were very poor performances. I know he beat them in the end but he still lost to 2 mediocre fighters in his career. Yet Joe is unbeaten, has beaten whoever has stepped in front of him and done it in style yet this is still not good enough. Does he need to lose a fight before people actually recognise him as one of the greats?!!