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Boxing to Calzaghe: Ain’t Missing You at All
This month marks a year since Joe Calzaghe last set foot inside a boxing ring. Has it already been a year, you ask?
When Calzaghe retired in 2008, he walked away as the most accomplished super middleweight in history, having won three titles in the division with 21 title defenses. He also ended his career considered by most to be the second best active boxer on the planet, behind only Manny Pacquiao. And finally, he walked away undefeated, a perfect 46-0.
But when he hung up the gloves, there was no shock, no cry of foul. There was no clamor from the boxing public for him to continue fighting, though there were opponents who still wanted a crack at him. Instead, the overall response was a tip of the hat and a look in the other direction.
It was a far cry from the outrage that ensued when pound-for-pound king Floyd Mayweather Jr. retired that summer at 39-0. No one was ready to let Mayweather get out of the sport unscathed. Fans demanded he come back and fight Miguel Cotto, Paul Williams, Shane Mosley or even Manny Pacquiao – anyone, as long as he suffered defeat in a sport where everyone is supposed to lose eventually.
While Mayweather was unable to stay debt-free and had to fight on, Calzaghe has kept his word about retirement so far.
And nobody seems to mind.
Why was there not so much as a peep when he pulled the same stunt as Mayweather the same year – and with a much weaker resume to boot?
Maybe the answer is marketability.
Unlike Mayweather, who was a box office bonanza largely due to his ability to play the role of the villain so well, Calzaghe was never a draw. Not only was his personality a watered-down version of Mayweather’s, he also fought an unpleasant style, criticized for slapping with his punches rather than throwing with intent to hurt. He relied on quantity rather than quality of punches and would often win just by throwing more than his opponent.
It couldn’t have been for lack of competition because the opponents certainly were there for Calzaghe throughout his career and still are. In fact, the best three he ever faced were the last three he fought after wasting a decade against mediocre opposition.
In Mayweather’s absence, the welterweights boomed as they fought to fill the void he left. Several fighters in the division or around it recently occupied spots on the pound-for-pound list, including Pacquiao, Mosley, Cotto and Williams. Mayweather could make a must-see event against any of them.
Not coincidentally, the hottest division right now behind welterweight is super middleweight. This has been the result of Showtime’s Super Six World Boxing Classic – a tournament pitting the best in the division against one another to determine the heir to Calzaghe’s throne.
Yet there’s been no talk from boxing fans of seeing Calzaghe come back against any of the super middleweights the way there has been demand to see Mayweather against the top welterweights.
Was the boxing public just ready to see Calzaghe go away and make room for more exciting boxers? And was the public willing to let him go undefeated so long as he went away?
Then there’s the matter of legacy, and Calzaghe’s long-scrutinized one is now in legitimate jeopardy.
The best win of Calzaghe’s career was his clear victory over Mikkel Kessler – an undefeated, polished champion – in 2007. Yes, Calzaghe beat Bernard Hopkins and Roy Jones Jr. in his next two fights, but they were hardly career-defining statements.
Hopkins was 43 years old when Calzaghe fought him, and Jones was two months shy of 40 himself. Yet Calzaghe was dropped in the first round of both fights and barely edged Hopkins, while Jones had been a shell of himself for years. Antonio Tarver and Glen Johnson were able to knock Jones out cold whereas Calzaghe had to settle for a points win.
This weekend, the undefeated Andre Ward took Calzaghe’s greatest moment and trampled all over it. In 2007, Calzaghe got a spirited fight out of then-undefeated Kessler. Last week, Ward completely dominated Kessler from start to finish. Calzaghe had made Kessler look inferior to him, but Ward made Kessler look downright amateurish. For those who felt Calzaghe was too highly regarded for beating Kessler, Ward has given them plenty of ammunition.
Sure, Ward beat Kessler two years after Calzaghe, but Calzaghe can hardly make a case for “ruining” Kessler. He won on points and only had Kessler stunned once in an otherwise competitive fight. And if Mayweather is to be criticized for not looking as impressive against Oscar De La Hoya and Ricky Hatton as Pacquiao did a year-and-a-half later against each man, then Calzaghe deserves the same criticism.
The difference between Mayweather and Calzaghe is this: even if Mayweather was set financially, he would eventually be back in boxing because the public would demand it. There is intrigue about him as a person and as a fighter, and he’s earned his place as one of the best of all time by winning titles in five different divisions without suffering defeat. And he’s currently in talks with Pacquiao to make what should be the highest-grossing fight in boxing history.
Simply put, boxing needs Mayweather.
The same can’t be said for Calzaghe, who appears to have been replaced in a single year.
The worst thing any boxer can endure is to have people no longer talking about him in a positive light. Calzaghe’s compatriot Lennox Lewis is still mentioned any time heavyweights are discussed because he was the last great champion in the division.
But once the Super Six champion is crowned, will Calzaghe’s name even come up as more than a footnote? Or has boxing already moved on without him?
Tags: Andre Ward, Andre Ward vs Mikkel Kessler, Floyd Mayweather Jr, Joe Calzaghe, Manny Pacquiao, Mikkel Kessler, Super Middleweight
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