Bad Left Hook: FanPosts

Lord, Has anyone read Kevin Iole' article this morning?

CRAZEDANG1280 — Thu, 03 Jul 2008 13:29:37 -0000

I have not read a single article of his since March. I gave the guy a shot this morning for the article he posted on Lorenzo-Soto. Man this is the last time I'll ever read one of his things. Here's the link:

http://sports.yahoo.com/box/news?slug=ki-lorenzo070208&prov=yhoo&type=lgns

First he states that he doesn't deserve the title for the win over a disqualification, then later in the article he states that Lorenzo has every right to win the title. What the fuck??

JT

jdt4646 — Wed, 02 Jul 2008 17:24:18 -0000

JT's Best Pound 4 Pound (- Floyd Mayweather)

1. Miguel Cotto

2. Manny Pacquiao

3. Winky Wright

4. Joe Calzaghe

5. Juan Manuel Marquez

6. Kelly Pavlik

7. Rafael Marquez

8. Ricky Hatton

9. Bernard Hopkins

10. Oscar De La Hoya

Other notible fighters (In no particular order)

Marco Antonio Barrera, Wladimir Klitscko, Samual Peter, Aurther Abraham, Roy Jones Jr., Vernon Forest, Vic Darchinyan, Antonio Margarito, Zab Judah, Paul Williams, Chad Dawson, Mikkel Kessler, Nate Campbell, Israel Vasquez,

Lighting up the lightweights

boxingmouse — Tue, 01 Jul 2008 12:34:10 -0000

So, we all have heard and read about the pound for pound king pounding the living lights off the former WBC lightweight champion. Big deal. Unless he beats the best i the division and unifies the belts he still will just be a great boxer in a very mixed and talented division. At least he proved himself that he can mix with the toughest of them and hoo-boy, his opponent was a very tough SOB. Hands down to that man.

So, where do he go from here? From what I read at various boxing sites he is going to fight that KO artist from Velenzuela. The date is set at Nov. 8 while the location, provided the Venezuelan can be green-lighted by the Nevada State Comission, is Las Vegas. That would be one hell of a fight, if the Venezuelan can hit the target. If not, it will be "Lethal Combination: Director's Cut".

Next up is the match of two old counter-punchers mixing it up to have a piece of that Pac-Man pie, Marquez-Casamayor at Sept. 13 in Las Vegas. It coincides with another lightweight match-up of Nate "I have three belts and you don't" Campbell and Joan "I will do a Mayweather on your a$$" Guzman. These will be the main course of September after that appetizer named Diaz-Katsidis in Sept. 6, a fight featuring two rising stars of the lightweight division. One man hits like a rock while the other is as sturdy a mountain. It promises a very good fight.

All in all, it will be a division worth watching provided those match-ups deliver. If not, then there will always be that man whose name you already know and I have only mentioned once.

See you next post...

Johnny Sandwich

Trinidad-DLH II may be official?!?!?!

CRAZEDANG1280 — Thu, 26 Jun 2008 11:57:07 -0000

The rumors that DLH was in talks with Don King yesterday about a possible Trinidad rematch, made the news yesterday with Primera Hora (News Paper from Puerto Rico). I browsed through the article with little or no interest because knowing Trinidad father's mouth and mentality there is always some speculations.

However, I was reading Primera Hora this morning and apparently it might just be official. Yet again they might just be rumors.

For those interested here's the link:

http://www.primerahora.com/noticia/boxeo/accion_deportiva/oficial:_tito_y_oscar_estan_coqueteando/204460

Mayweather fights bores me

nblvblewriter — Thu, 26 Jun 2008 08:20:28 -0000

Pound for pound? Naah.

Foot for foot? YaWhW

The fights bore me.

Imagine Mayweather against a boxer with same style? A style where a boxer cares so much of his face that he forgets to box and remembers only to run and run. A boxer who only prays during the fight that he lands a lucky punch in the course of his running.

Well, this would be contrary to boxing's meaning. In this kind of boxing, the action is erased. And so is the excitement.

So I wish to question Mayweather's being listed in the pound for pound list. I wish to see a fight where he mixed it up well. Please name one if you could to prove me wrong.

A boxer who adores his face while a fight is on-going is not a real pound for pound boxer.

Pacquiao's fury

nblvblewriter — Thu, 26 Jun 2008 07:53:39 -0000

The fight is in the lightweight division for Diaz's championship belt.

Pacquiao's fury is being awaited. It was not there in his recent fights.

In every fight of Pacquiao, the fury is what each viewer wishes. Will Pacquiao unleash it now? Or could he still be able to unleash it?

Studying the past, Pacquiao has fought real deal for so may fights now. All fo these has shown the fury except for one or two. Every fight of Pacquiao interests everyone because of the fury.

Again, the question is, do we still have chance to see Pacquiao's fury or has it been lost already?

The fury is still forthcoming. Age has not caught up with Pacquiao. The change in division or weight classes is part of his quest for boxing history.

The fury is part of Pacquiao's gameplan. He tries enough to show it. That's the reason he is a crowd drawer. He is the real pound for pound best.

The fury is instinct in Pacquiao. It cannot be lost.

Ricky Hatton vs Ricardo Torres?!?!?!?

CRAZEDANG1280 — Sat, 21 Jun 2008 21:26:54 -0000

Just finished rewatching Holt -- Torres I. Was a pretty good fight, I can't wait for the rematch. However, the more I watched the more I thought of the idea of:

Ricky Hatton vs Ricardo Torres!

I have my money on Torres.

There is also a supposed Carlos Quintana vs Kermit Cintron in the works. Probably just a rumor, but I see Quintana winning yet I would not put my money on any.

What are your thoughts?

Burnett + Grant = "Closet Classic"

jrok — Sat, 21 Jun 2008 02:21:45 -0000

I know everyone is going to be repeating this ad-nauseum over the next couple of days, but I thought I'd just quote Atlas on this one: "You can go ahead and watch hundreds of fights over your whole life, and never see something like this."

It had chills, spills and thrills... and the one-in-a-million ending that makes a fight special. For me it was like Herol Graham vs. Charles Brewer, minus the decision. Grant knows this will NOT be his last televised fight. Thanks to both men for a quietly great ESPN fight.

Wow.

David Haye's First Opponent Options (Poll included)

Fooch — Tue, 17 Jun 2008 23:03:59 -0000

Dan Rafael had an interesting piece today running down the potential options for David Haye's first fight in the heavyweight division. Haye has said he'll fight a "name" fighter and not some washed up, unknown tomato can. I'm guessing it could be a washed up, known tomato can, but I suppose that's better than nothing, right? Some of the guys included:

Winner of Rahman-Toney
Oleg Maskaev
Jameel McCline
Evander Holyfield
Kali Meehan

Rafael indicated the Holyfield one is more of what a matchmaker might come up with, but the rest are certainly interesting names. Considering the state of the heavyweight division, there isn't a ton of talent, but it'd be nice to see Haye take on someone that people have some sort of inkling about.

Any other suggestions for who Haye should fight in his first fight?

Poll

Who will David Haye face in his first fight?

Mayweather announces retirement????

Fooch — Fri, 06 Jun 2008 21:45:56 -0000

This doesn't seem to be a joke as Dan Rafael is reporting Floyd Mayweather, Jr. has announced his retirement.

"It is with a heavy heart that I write you this message today," Mayweather, 32, said in a statement. "I have decided to permanently retire from boxing. This decision was not an easy one for me to make as boxing is all I have done since I was a child. However, these past few years have been extremely difficult for me to find the desire and joy to continue in the sport."

Golden Boy CEO Richard Schafer:

"I have been informed of Floyd's decision and I wish him good luck," Golden Boy CEO Richard Schaefer told ESPN.com. "I wish him good luck in his retirement. We will move on. Sometime next week I will announce a big fight for Oscar. There are different names out there and I will be working diligently to announce in the coming days Oscar's next fight."

Bob Arum:

"I commend Floyd Mayweather for being so forthright," Arum said. "He's had a wonderful career He's decided to retire and to announce publicly his intention. I think we should all applaud him for his candor and his forthrightness. Boxing is a very dangerous sport and it involves serious risk of injury every time a person steps into the ring. Floyd has a accumulated a large nest egg through his fighting and promotional abilities the past couple of years and I, for one, see no reason why he should subject himself to additional risk when he appears to be set financially."

So do people buy this? The timing just seems pretty random.

Bob Arum VS Free PPV

CRAZEDANG1280 — Sun, 25 May 2008 17:08:04 -0000

I have wanted to write about this ever since I heard it from Bob Arum’s lips three days ago at the Miguel Cotto – Antonio Margarito NY Press Conference. But with my busy schedule today was the day to evaluate this little story.

I work two blocks away from where it all took place. Roughly, at about 10:PM I received a phone call from my father indicating that the NY Press Conference was going to take place at the EKO Company Headquarters. [I removed the C because I was not sure if it will give them any type of publicity.] I entered the lobby and basically went through some questions with the guard by the elevators then he finally let me in after I mentioned that I was from thebluecanvas.com and I was here for the Press Conference. To make it short I snuck in. And ultimately surprised that I was not kicked out of there. While in the Press Conference room I mingled with Burt Sugar, Bob Arum, [otherwise I would look out of place and be standing out there like an inferior] and Marc Ecko [Even though I had no idea who the hell he was until he was mentioned during the conference.]

Finally, Bob Arum took the stage and said, “Everyone please take your seats,” Margarito was already being interviewed. Arum then added, “Can you get Cotto out here.” Cotto walked through a side door and stepped onto the stage. Everyone took their seat and Arum made an announcement about an eight minute clip documentary about the approaching great Battle on July 26 and the Puerto Rico Vs. Mexico division. The clip was phenomenal, I’d advise any one [boxing fan or not] who can find it whether it is youtube or google to see it. The clip goes as far as Wilfredo Gomez and it climbs up to the present.

After the clip, there was a follow up by the president of MGM Grand, the head of PPV Events, two other people from Margarito’s camp [didn’t quite look like his trainer], then by Evangelista Cotto. Then Arum took the microphone again. Now this I believe is what the camera did not capture or did and just won’t show it because the real show is Miguel Cotto Vs. Antonio Margarito not the Bob Arum theory.

Bob Arum began to speak about the Pay-Per-View Event. We obviously have to pay. Or not, that goes for you who know how to catch it for free in the free world. But this is PPV got forbids if we don’t pay, right? He indicated that the fight will be televised by the Mexican channel, TVAzteca. This is an attempt to provide those Mexicans in Mexico with the privilege to watch the fight for free. Yes, for free. I am not saying this is wrong simply because Mexico has vast areas of poverty and it gives the unable boxing fan an advantage to watch the fight in Mexico. But what you have to think about is, how much did TVAzteca had to cough up for this event to take place? Because such an event cannot be taken lightly, a settlement was thoroughly negotiated. TVAzteca certainly made PPV an offer they couldn’t refuse. Not to mention the notion of Miguel Cotto’s contract about his ‘little candy apples’ percentages with the PPV taking place.

As he continued, Arum added that boxing has to go back to its roots. Roots? The roots of having to watch main event boxing through free TV. What?! Correct me if I am wrong, but hasn’t this been going on since the era of “Thrilla in Manila”? Also, wasn’t there a suppose PPV match up coming up this week which was canceled courtesy of Zab Judah. I sure as hell was not going to pay to watch that mess. That was going to be an obvious Judah destruction by Mosley. Nonetheless, it was much more of an HBO match up rather than PPV. Was HBO the free TV Arum was referring to? After all, it is not TV it’s HBO. Even that has to be paid for. Sport is a sport, but that is all there is to it. Boxing is as much a sport as the next. But it is slowly demising because it has become the business of boxing—just like any other professional sport. You have boxers running and calling themselves the number one-pound-4-pound but there isn’t a damn thing backing that up, except for a record. However, a price tag has been unified as the most important aspect of this organization. I am not saying there should not be any because how else will boxers make their money. I certainly will not allow myself to get my head plunder and receive nothing for it. How is main event boxing supposed to drag back to its roots when pricing is suggested at 50 or 60 dollars? Hell other than ticket pricing and merchandising, how are the promoters suppose to make more than expected?

What’s next? Is Vince going to say “You know what, let’s put PPV wrestling on free TV?” I have to applaud Arum on the fact that he is indeed making an effort to bring us boxing on free TV, but these are up and rising boxers. There is nothing wrong with that because I enjoy watching them on either Telemundo or Telefutura. What else can a boxing fan ask for? Not to mention, that these fight are sometimes much more interesting than those of PPV. But main events match up? The main events of Cotto-Margarito, Mayweather-DLH II, Diaz-Pacquiao, and the rest to come? I highly doubt it.

The fact of the matter is that Arum must be out of his mind. There was even at one point where he stated and I quote, “I am 40, and been in this sport for over 43 years.” What sense is that? Isn’t he like 180? On the other hand, I believe he is and was completely sane on Thursday afternoon after his speech. Because when you think about it, most of these Conferences do not go public. Most of these reporters are just there to interview the fighters and for the free lunch. They are more interested in the fighter’s agenda than probably what Arum had to say. In addition, this was a press-only conference, and yes I snuck in as press. However, the most interesting component of this entire conference was when I restricted myself to the Bob Arum’s “main event on free TV” speech. To this point I have not seen or read anything of this nature as of yet in the funny papers. Who the hell is going to sit there and quote everything word-for-word right? I took the liberty to look around as the speech progressed and the only thing that I witness active were the HBO cameras—nothing and no one else. HBO captured it, but we all know how the un-professionalism of HBO stands. We will just have to settle for a 1 minute recap of an hour conference from the “Buzz” on HBO. Oh, yeah, readers you have just been buzzed. Isn’t that something?

Schedule/Attach Event features in action

SC — Fri, 09 May 2008 23:51:03 -0000

If you go to this page, you can see how coverage is now grouped together for upcoming events. It'll incorporate all stories, FanPosts and FanShots that have the proper "Attach Event" tag. So if you wanted to write a FanPost or post a FanShot that had something to do with a fight, use the "Attach Event" button on the right of the editor box, and find the fight. It'll be stored in the "Coverage" link from the Schedule page forever.

It might sound complicated, but it's not. Feel free to use this stuff as much as you want to.

Welcome to the new Bad Left Hook and SB Nation

clockwerks — Fri, 09 May 2008 06:15:12 -0000

Hey Bad Left Hook,

Today is the big day. We've switched your community over to the new SB Nation sports blog platform. My name is Trei, and I'm here to help you get adjusted to the new home we've built for you. If you have questions or trouble with the new system, post a comment in this thread and myself or one of the team (lovitt, sixfoot6 or odacrem) will try to point you in the right direction.

Before we begin, I want to let you know we still consider this a beta platform, so don't be surprised if you find a few bugs or if everything isn't exactly right yet. We hope you'll take the time to report any problems you encounter at bugreport@sbnation.com. We'll be continuing to make changes and improving things.

Please take a few minutes to read about what's new below. But if you just can't wait to jump in, here are some quick things to check out:

Sign up for your SB Nation network account and claim your old blog accounts
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What Has Changed

SB Nation Network Accounts - the Big Change

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The new system does not work like the old diary editor. For example, in HTML mode the new editor doesn't auto-create a new paragraph from two line breaks. But it does offer a whole array of new features. Look for the blinking help button on the right side of the FanPost editor for quick tips, and take a look at our full guide to writing FanPosts on the new platform.

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Visual Redesign

This one is probably the most obvious change of all. Like other major websites working to improve readability for their audience, we've adopted a fixed-width layout optimized for the 1024 x 768 resolution used by the majority of Bad Left Hook and SB Nation network users. Use the switcher below the user menu if you prefer the wider layout designed for 1280 monitors. We've introduced a top navigation bar with quick links into old and new sections of the site. We also polished a few edges, made some things larger, others smaller and moved a few boxes here and there. More changes and adjustments to come.

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Recommending FanPosts

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There are plenty more small changes and additions we've made, so please take a careful look around and explore this new system. We appreciate your patience and hope you'll help us improve the new platform for this and all the other SB Nation blogs.

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Mosley-Judah postponed

your friendly BullsBlogger — Thu, 08 May 2008 20:46:24 -0000

Kevin Iole at Yahoo!:

The welterweight fight between former champions Zab Judah and Shane Mosley that was scheduled for May 31 at Mandalay Bay in Las Vegas has been postponed because of an injury suffered by Judah.

Richard Schaefer, the chief executive officer of Golden Boy Promotions, confirmed the postponement Thursday during a conference call to announce that AEG had acquired a significant stake in Golden Boy.

Schaefer said the situation is unfolding and he doesn't have details on when the fight will be rescheduled. Judah fell in his bathroom and received stitches in his arm.

"I'm going to be working on that this afternoon and tomorrow," Schaefer said.

Schaefer said Judah required 50 stitches in his forearm to close the wound and would be unable to train for four weeks

If it's still going to happen, maybe they can use the extra time to produce a better undercard...or even possibly get a non-PPV slot.

Re-watching Calzaghe-Hopkins

SC — Sun, 04 May 2008 06:39:54 -0000

My initial scorecard, of course, was 117-110 for Calzaghe. That was about as wide as anyone on earth had it, and I'm not one to get all defensive and angry; I just questioned whether or not I was fuckin' sane.

I should have given Bernard two more rounds than I did, as I intently sat and re-watched this fight one last time. It's the fifth time or so that I've watched the fight, because I kept struggling with a lot of the rounds.

I'm one that believes that your score is your score, but nobody is infallible, and I'm certainly not. I was flat-out wrong on this one; not in who I thought won -- I still think Calzaghe largely dominated the flow of the fight, and that Hopkins clearly lost, and that he looked every moment of his 43 years as the fight wore on -- but this was an instance where I certainly let myself get sucked into a lull watching the fight live.

So 115-112 for Calzaghe would be my amended score, and it was a close 115-112. This is about the last time I want to talk about the fight (and I didn't want to make a front page post for this), but I was pretty off, and it deserved to be said.

What lies for the future?

Mon, 28 Apr 2008 06:03:06 -0000

Well the Golden Gloves in Chicago 2008 was one of the best tournaments in recent years. All of the top fighters from the world were involved. Boxer Reymies Marmolejos (101wins-0loses-72KO's) was the most impressive fighter of the tournament. His battle against Joseph Gonzalez (113wins-1 lose-89KO's) was a fight to go on the record books. Reymies for the first time in his Amateur/novice career was knockout for four counts but came back and won the fight by destroying Joseph with over hand rights and knocking him out twice, giving Joseph his first lose in 113 fights.

The career of Reymies Marmolejos is nothing but spectacular, but he is not going to become a professional boxer. It is very surprising to witness this kid that has all the potential to be among the all time greats in boxing, go to another sport. Reymies Marmolejos is going to be attending USC University on a baseball scholarship where is going to follow a dream of becoming a professional baseball player or doctor.

"It doesn't matter what Reymies decides to do with his life, he is going to be successful no matter what. The boxing fans and boxing world are not going to like his decision on not becoming a professional boxer, but it is his decision and I am very proud of him. Congrats on your Golden Gloves victory" said Sugar Ray Leonard-Former World Champion

"This kid could have been just what boxing needed to grow again but he picked baseball instead. Even though this kid is a great fighter my respect for him has has gone down. With his talent in boxing he could have been great inside and outside the ring. The only thing I can say is that God gave Reymies the talent to be a fighter and that is what he should be, I'm done" said Teddy Atlas-Former Boxing Trainer and Announcer.

"I know people are not happy with my decision of not becoming a professional boxer but this is my decision and if you don't like it, deal with it. Boxing is something that I love but it is not a career I can follow for a long run, I want something secure and beneficial for my future. Thank You" said Reymies Marmolejos.

The future for Reymies in boxing is something that is not going to happen. This is one fighter that people wanted to see grow into an all-time great but he is not going in that direction. Fans and fellow boxers of Reymies are turning against him, giving him a hard time, and even provoking him in violence. Aside from everything Reymies is a great boxer and he has shown it throughout all his fights and the Golden Gloves tournamant. We all wish you luck and congratulations on your victory, becoming 2 time Golden Gloves Champion in the Light Heavyweight Division.

Feliciano needs to stop fighting

jrok — Sat, 26 Apr 2008 03:55:37 -0000

Honestly. I like him, but he has nothing for anyone in the sport right now, except maybe a chin with a bullseye painted on it. A lot of people praised him for his gutsy performance against Cintron. I didn't, if only because I kind of thought this guy's inability to keep his hands up was just a whole lotta trouble careerwise.

But at some point I think you have to distinguish "gutsy" from "suicidal." Tsurkan was just nailing him over and over with these sloppy-but-sort-of-hard hooks, and Feliciano was just mechanically marching right into them, literally EATING them like ice cream cones. He is dangerous to himself, period.

Jesse - there is other work for you out there. Stop before it's too late, buddy.

Editor's Addition by Scott:

I was coming on just now to say the exact same thing. I missed the fight live but watched it today.

Look, I'm all for letting grown men do what they wish within the law. Feliciano routinely getting his brain sloshed around is within the law. But it's not enjoyable to watch at all. He deserves praise for having a lot of guts and being very tough. But you know what that praise and those guts and that toughness are going to get him? Brain damage. That's it.

The guy can't fight back. Someone that cares about him should really talk to him about whether or not he should continue fighting. He gets TV fights because he allows action to happen every second of every fight. But he's getting destroyed out there. It's not fun viewing. It's just sort of gruesome at this point.

He's 15-8-3. Vast riches do not await Jesse Feliciano. He is by all accounts a nice guy, and there is plenty of work in boxing that won't require him getting his face punched in anymore.

Respect his toughness, respect his heart, respect Jesse Feliciano. But I agree -- he needs to get out before something bad happens.

Weird new boxing reality show

your friendly BullsBlogger — Thu, 24 Apr 2008 21:12:21 -0000

Here's the press release for the show that I can only assume has no actual TV slot yet.

ask someone who the heavyweight champion is, and you will receive either a blank stare or multiple answers, thanks to both boxing politics and the fact that those who hold this title have become faceless. Why, because talented and charismatic athletes over 200 pounds have turned to greener pastures on football gridirons across America.

This year, in a groundbreaking TV series that will set the standard in reality sports programming, boxing will look to those gridirons to find an "American Champion" to once again bring attention and prestige to the world heavyweight championship.

...

"We already know they can hit," said Englebrecht, owner of Roy Englebrecht Promotions and Roy Englebrecht Events who's fight promotions company is the largest in California in terms of shows promoted. "Let's identify those huge guys who have the heart to take their skill on the football field and move it into the square ring. They're coming from one discipline - football - at 24 years old, in shape, fine tuned, right into our boxing training program."'

"American Champion" will begin its search with 75 elite athletes from college football programs from around the country. These are athletes who have been team captains, All-America candidates, and award winners who have fallen through the cracks when it came to being drafted into the NFL. Normally, not receiving a phone call on draft day would mark the end of their athletic journey. But their size, talent, intelligence and desire has given them another chance at pro sports in the boxing ring, and under the tutelage of some of America's top boxing trainers including the likes of renowned trainer Floyd Mayweather Sr., they will learn the art of the sweet science from one of its finest teachers.

I may watch just for Floyd Sr.

Joe Calzaghe undefeated how long?

Sun, 20 Apr 2008 04:34:07 -0000

Tonight's fight (Bernard Hopkins vs, Joe Calzaghe) showed only one thing to me, that Joe Calzaghe will be knocked out when he faces a opponent like Antonio Tarver or Glen Johnson. Why? Simply because fighters like Glen Johnson and Antonio Tarver, are natural light heavy weights and natural punchers with power! Joe Calzaghe is a slow starter that can not find his range until the middle rounds, and if Antonio Tarver lands a big punch in the early rounds (which is not hard to do with fighter like Joe Calzaghe), he will not be allowed to recover or might not even recover from the initial punch. Joe Calzaghe's chin is revealing to be suspect! A few of Bernard Hopkins's clean punches on the chin hurt Joe Calzaghe, not a good look for Joe Calzaghe, being that Glen Johnson and Antonio Tarver hits much harder. The light heavy weight division might not be the right division for Joe Calzaghe. Joe Calzaghe's win over Bernard Hopkins proves nothing, he did not impressively win, but he should of got a unanimous decision. The split decision was straight bogus! Bernard Hopkins did not follow up when he hurt Joe Calzaghe, and when a fighter fights peddling backwards he better get the best of the exchange of punches in every round, which Bernard Hopkins did not do. Joe Calzaghe won this fight because he out worked Bernard Hopkins and was thee aggressor in the fight, but frankly both fighters performance's looked quite amateur.

Coulda, Shoulda, Woulda: Re-designing Joe

jrok — Thu, 17 Apr 2008 17:35:49 -0000

As a mental experiment, I decided to throw together a list of four fights that I think might've dramatically changed the context of Joe's career, made him and his camp truckloads of money, and silenced any and all debate about his list. I think if he won these fights, we could have seen B-Hop/Calz duke it out in 2006. And win or lose that, he still might've recieved one of the least controversial tickets to Canastota in the history of boxing.

In attempting to retro-fit Joe's career, I've tried to locate the path of least resistance to international mega-stardom. I think they would also have helped him to retire by age thirty-three, stupendously wealthy and a sure-thing for the Hall of Fame.

*
(June 1999)
Joe fought: Rick Thornberry
Joe should've fought: Vinny Pazienza

What would've it proved? Ultimately, not much. But Joe would've got to publicly retire an iconic boxing figure, probably by knockout, and made his American debut in one fell swoop. Instead, Paz contended the IBO championship that spring with Dana Rosenblatt. If Joe's people wanted some free press, a highlight reel KO, and a American "name" fighter, he could've gotten it all at once. Plus, Paz wouldn't have been difficult to negotiate with at all. He probably would've even flown out to England to get wailed on.

*
(December 2000)
Joe fought: Richie Woodhall
Joe should've fought: Sven Ottke

This is a no brainer. For a fighter like Joe, three years is 23 months too long to let a fraud like Ottke live. Joe would've been hailed as an international hero for beating Das Phantom to a bloody pulp. His camp should've given in to every single demand to make this fight happen. As his countryman Witter recently did with Hatton, Joe should've offered to fight him for free. He should've also offered to fight him on German soil, and promised to sing "Deutschland, Deutschland Uber Alles" in between rounds.

Never mind those shifty German judges. The unification would've been well worth the risk. And if it turned out to be a robbery - hey who HASN'T been robbed by Ottke! No shame in that! Besides, if it happened, at least would've been a massive, public robbery in broad daylight, and would've gotten lots of free international press and sympathy.

And if you win? Though my version of Joe and Warren offered to take a bath moneywise on this first fight - they also made sure that the contract guarantees the rematch is held in England, and that Team Joe gets the biggest slice. On the other hand, if Joe's team thought that simply holding on to the WBO and an "O" would eventually bring the big names and money sailing off to England - well we saw how that strategy worked out, didn't we?

*
(October 2001)
Joe fought: Will McIntyre
Joe should've fought: Antwun Echols (OR scoop up another belt)

At this point, Joe has likely assassinated Sven again in a spring rematch in Cardiff . Politics (and concern for good hygiene) probably would've kept Zags away from the scrum for Hilton's WBC crown. Still, in this alternate universe where the stain of Sven has been wiped away, who knows? There may be an extra belt lying around somewhere, or wrapped around a dainty waist like Beyer or Lucas or one of those guys. If so, nab it Joe! It belongs to you!

But say that can't happen? If you're now a dual belt-holder and feel like taking out someone's trash, why not B-Hop's? Calzaghe could've drawn a laser beam on Antwun's skull early in his run at 168. You don't think Echols' would've come running for Joe's belts rather then fight (and utterly destroy) the undertalented Charles Brewer for that shoestring called the NABA? Instead, Joe actually waited around another year and let BREWER come running! Oh well.

Meanwhile, HBO would've picked up the Echols fight for sure, casting Echols as the underdog challenger to Joe's reign. And as far as an attention getter, this would now provide a proper stage for Joe to shout across the oceans at Roy Jones Jr. And by now, Roy may have started to (vaguely) pay attention.

*
(December 2002)

Joe fought: Tocker Pudwill! (standing in for Thomas Tate!!)
Joe should've fought: Roy Jones Jr.

Yep. If he was well-managed enough, I think Joe could've gotten a main event with Roy Jones by 2002 and negotiated an okay deal for himself in the process. At the very least, he wouldn't be fighting this past-it fill-in for an also-ran. And let's not quibble over what weight it's fought at. If anything, Joe has already proven he is the man at 168 by now, and should've moved up in weight himself. Then, he wouldn't be risking his laurels, and would have a shot at gigantic paydays for the rest of his career.

Even if he lost, he would be called "courageous," could convincingly claim that he was stepping out of his comfort zone in weight, and return to his 168-lb throne a wealthier and more prominent figure in the sport. Instead, his countryman Woods ran off to the states to grab a beating and a fat paycheck. Woods is a okay fighter, but Calzaghe is leagues faster, far more talented and a southpaw to boot. It would have been one hell of an exciting fight.

And if he won? Joe-mania! He would've been an internationally renowned celebrity, wearing more metal around his waist then Clubber Lang wore around his neck. Shrines would have been erected to "The Great Joe Calzaghe: The Man who Saved Boxing, etcetera, etcetera." Ten years from now, guys would have said stuff like "Floyd? Floyd who? Oh Mayweather. Yeah he was okay, I guess. But he was nothing compared to the Dragon. That guy is a damn legend."

Well, okay, I guess that's going too far.