Joe Calzaghe and Carl Froch are never going to shut up about each other
by Scott Christ on Feb 23, 2010 11:55 AM EST
in Boxing News Analysis
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Once again, Joe Calzaghe has something to say about Carl Froch. It's not nice. It never is. And soon enough, Carl Froch will have something to say in return about Joe Calzaghe. It won't be complimentary.
In an interview with City A.M., Calzaghe had this to say about Froch:
"He won a title that I gave up and hasn’t stopped bitching about everybody. Because he’s not making as much money and not getting on TV I think he’s bitter against the whole world. He’s like a spoilt little bloody bitch. I don’t mind saying that either, that’s OK, keep that in there. He’ll like that one."
Froch, of course, has been calling out Calzaghe for years. The two UK stars never even got close to arranging a fight, though it would have done a good house in Wales or England, even before Froch became the level of star he is now. Part of it would have been because I think Calzaghe-Froch would have generated a ton of casual buzz, at least in the UK.
When two fighters truly don't like each other, it's usually pretty obvious. And Calzaghe and Froch truly do not like each other.
They're also probably never going to shut up about it, because with Calzaghe seemingly comfortably retired and turning 38 next month, there's never going to be a fight, not unless the pair wind up on the white collar boxing circuit someday as a special attraction.
It's too bad, really. Maybe if they fought now, with Calzaghe old and rusty, Froch would even have a prayer of beating him. Maybe.
=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=
One other thing I found very interesting about the interview, and have always found very interesting about Calzaghe, is his true obsession with not losing. Many will still criticize the level of opposition he faced, right until the very end when he decided to take on a shot Roy Jones Jr. in what turned out to be Calzaghe's final fight (at least for now).
About never losing, and about his hesitance to return, Calzaghe says this:
"It’s a big difference between 47-0 and 46-1. If I did lose, that one loss would destroy everything I’ve done; I’d never forgive myself. Why would I want another fight? It’d mainly be for money – that’s the wrong reason."
He also said this about his last loss:
"I tried to visualise, if I lost, how it would affect me. And it would really affect me. I remember my last loss, as an amateur, when I was about 17. It bugged me for months. I used to cry and I was really angry."
Joe Calzaghe was a unique, tremendous talent, and stands for now and the foreseeable future as the greatest super middleweight in that division's still-short history, but can you imagine if he'd have happened to lose a close fight at some point in his career, as happens to just about all fighters at some stage?
Would his fragile (and quite big) ego have even allowed him to become half as accomplished as he was?
Calzaghe's obsession over his "0" sometimes makes Floyd Mayweather Jr. look indifferent about his. To say that a single loss would "destroy everything [he's] done" in boxing is insane.
Then again, thinking that way is one of the reasons Calzaghe was so successful, I suppose.
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It’d mainly be for money – that’s the wrong reason.
At least this is an admirable sentiment.
"Honey i forgot to duck" - Jack Dempsey
by Drunken cutman on Feb 23, 2010 12:04 PM EST reply actions
He won a title that I gave up and hasn’t stopped bitching about everybody.
The thing is, I thought Froch had stopped bitching about it, and had put the whole thing to rest. Wasn’t there a post about this a few months ago? If so it looks like Calzaghe’s the one who’s starting things here for no reason.
I think Froch took another shot at Joe again after he’d apparently decided to let it go, but I could also be confusing that with one of the other 200 times. I think if one of them ever says anything nice about the other guy, said other guy will come out with a shot not much later.
Bad Left Hook
"To the town of Agua Fria rode a stranger one fine day..."
by Scott Christ on Feb 23, 2010 12:34 PM EST up reply actions
It was never convincing the way Calzaghe tried to portray Frank Warren as the man who was holding him back. He was very cosy making all those WBO defences.
It was when Calzaghe chose to fight Jones Jr instead of Pavlik in late 2008 that I realised how Calzaghe would always take the easier option if he could.
I’m not even sure he didn’t fight B-Hop ’cos he (mistakenly) thought he was old and vulnerable.
I’ve never believed Warren kept Calzaghe in the small pond. Joe has admitted his enormous fear of flying and that’s been a major issue. Warren mostly laid the blame on the fact that Joe just wasn’t willing to go the extra mile with promotion and do all the stuff that Ricky Hatton did, which is why Hatton became the megastar and Joe and Roy did terrible numbers at MSG and on PPV with their lame fight. Calzaghe did God awful numbers every time he fought on HBO, too. He just wasn’t that guy. He was a hell of a boxer, and I think he very easily COULD have been an international drawing card, but it wasn’t in him.
I guess you could say I “side with” Warren on the Calzaghe complaints, but I’d also note that I wouldn’t pay to watch Frank Warren do anything, so whatever.
Bad Left Hook
"To the town of Agua Fria rode a stranger one fine day..."
by Scott Christ on Feb 23, 2010 1:12 PM EST up reply actions
Calzaghe fought for the WBO… the same WBO that raised a dead guy in their rankings for inactivity. His resume is as shallow as it gets in boxing.
"Boxing is dirty," said Casamayor. " The day I’m not ready to be a dirty fighter is the day I don’t fight anymore because it will mean that I have no heart for it anymore."
All of the sanctioning bodies are ridiculous, fighting for the WBO doesn't make his resume shallow.
He fought a ‘prime’ Lacy, a good Bika, a better-than-most-people-realised Manfredo, an excellent Kessler and a still-great Bernard Hopkins, and he beat them all. Yes, his most significant wins were toward the end of his career, but that record is not shallow.
"The terror of the unforeseen is what the science of history hides, turning a disaster into an epic"
by Oli Goldstein on Feb 23, 2010 6:31 PM EST via mobile up reply actions
I don’t know about Manfredo, but the other guys were pretty good. Regardless of whether Calzaghe thought Hopkins was shot, the fact remains that he was actually still great and Calzaghe beat him.
The Lacy win is hard to evaluate because it’s hard to tell whether Lacy really sucked all along or whether Calzaghe ruined him.
i give you kessler & bhop, but the rest. lacy was an overrated bum, manfredo is hardly “underrated” and that KO was pretty shit as well. now i’m sure calsnoreghe would have stunk him out in 12, but that KO was ridiculously awful
Texans 19-0 in 2010-2011 season PERIOD
by battle axe of doom on Feb 23, 2010 9:00 PM EST up reply actions
a better-than-most-people-realised Manfredo
When has Manfredo ever proven to have deserved that shot or be particularly good? Bika kicked the living crap out of him. The rest of the guys are fine, even if I happen to think Lacy always sucked. Lacy was still the overwhelming favorite and most everyone thought Calzaghe was going to get his head taken off.
Bad Left Hook
"To the town of Agua Fria rode a stranger one fine day..."
by Scott Christ on Feb 23, 2010 9:17 PM EST up reply actions
I agree that being so afraid of losing is strange and misguided, but who knows what kind of bizarro emotional chemistry goes in to making a champion. Sometimes irrational beliefs are necessary for highly successful people, whatever the field.
I still wish he would have kicked Froch’s ass though.
Boxing writer: "Iran, what are you going to do when you retire?"
Iran Barkley: "Rob your house"
Froch love him or hate him is a man man… he took on the best fighters in their prime instead of sitting pretty fighting nobodies…
"Boxing is dirty," said Casamayor. " The day I’m not ready to be a dirty fighter is the day I don’t fight anymore because it will mean that I have no heart for it anymore."
keep on speaking that truth young man
Texans 19-0 in 2010-2011 season PERIOD
by battle axe of doom on Feb 23, 2010 9:01 PM EST up reply actions
Joe was a great fighter.
Now, he needs to get in the ring again and whip Froch or simply shut up.
A Pete Rose by any other name would still smell of cheap hookers and pinetar.
Anyone see Calzaghe / Lacy ? I see Calzaghe / Froch going much the same way except Jeff’s defense is better than Carl’s .
Also there is this great misconception that Calzaghe fought nobodies . I don’t call Byron Mitchell , Charles Brewer , Chris Eubank , Kessler , Jeff Lacy , Benard or Roy nobodies.
The fact is that when Calzaghe became champion the middleweight division was not exactly bursting with prime talant . That ‘aint Calzaghe’s fault , it’s just his job to beat whoever they put infront of him , and he did .
If he’s was so , so caught up in the "stay at home and fight B level " why , at the end , did he fly to the States for the first time , go up in weight for the first time , take no warm up fight and fight one of the most proven , respected and generally hard to beat b’s in the sport in BHop ? Why would such a “careful” guy take such a big risk and blow his “o” ?
by Sir Jack Daniels on Feb 24, 2010 4:00 PM EST reply actions
If he’s was so , so caught up in the "stay at home and fight B level " why , at the end , did he fly to the States for the first time , go up in weight for the first time , take no warm up fight and fight one of the most proven , respected and generally hard to beat b’s in the sport in BHop ? Why would such a "careful" guy take such a big risk and blow his "o" ?
Age and $$$… I didn’t think it was that hard for people to rationalize esp in the manner in which Hopkins lost vs Taylor.
Calzahge never fought the absolute best and that is his fault… Hell… he could have fought the joke Ottke during his WBO mega reign but he didn’t. He talks as if he is an ATG boxer but never fought another HOF in his prime and that is on him.
In the end people see what they want to see…
"Boxing is dirty," said Casamayor. " The day I’m not ready to be a dirty fighter is the day I don’t fight anymore because it will mean that I have no heart for it anymore."
If a division is lacking talent generally then it’s not any fighters fault .
People see what they wanna see indeed . I see 49-0 .
I was also there for Calzaghe /Lacy and saw . I was also there for the Kessler fight also Byron Mitchell and Charles Brewer fights . Guess I’ve always seen what I wanted to .
On your point around ATG in their prime – Calzaghe was also WAY past his prime when he fought Bhop and Roy . His “prime” was probably around the Mario Veit fight long before the Lacy scrap . Calzaghe’s hands were so damaged by then that sparring was almost out of the question and he did virtually none for the Kessler , Lacy , Hopkins and Jones fights .
But you are of course quite right – we see what we wanna .
by Sir Jack Daniels on Feb 25, 2010 5:47 PM EST reply actions
Calzahge never fought the absolute best and that is his fault… Hell… he could have fought the joke Ottke during his WBO mega reign but he didn’t. He talks as if he is an ATG boxer but never fought another HOF in his prime and that is on him.
Ok – Lets compare an “ATG’s” record to Calzaghe’s . Let’s say Roy Jones .
So how many all time greats did Jones beat ? I see Bernard and may be Toney . I’m seriously struggling after that( please don’t mention Tito on burgers) . Jones could have jumped on a plane and knocked out Darius whatshisface and unify at L/H couldn’t he but …he didn’t .
None of that means anything really because Roy was a great fighter – no doubt .
Hope you see my point .
by Sir Jack Daniels on Feb 25, 2010 6:02 PM EST reply actions
Sir JD
Agreed on RJJ… yes he WAS great. Your point about getting on a plane is too. Roy barely left Florida to fight, let alone the States!!
Oh how the tables turn when you can’t call the shots any more (even if you think you can).
Cheers.
Phil.
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