Joe Calzaghe v Roy Jones Jnr Nov 8 2008
Undefeated Calzaghe Expected to Retire Despite Demolition of Jones
Nov 17, 2008
Their idol, Joe Calzaghe, 36, had just produced one of his finest displays in dismantling the four-weight, eight-time, world champion Roy Jones Jnr, 39, to win a unanimous points decision and retain the Ring Magazine Light-Heavyweight world title.
All three judges, at the boxing Mecca Madison Square Garden, scored the bout 118-109, in effect awarding every round, bar the first, to the Welshman.
Prior to the fight Newbridge-based Calzaghe had insisted that this would be his last fight as he wanted to retire in good health, undefeated and with his legacy intact and enhanced on the back of two victories over boxing legends Bernard Hopkins and Jones Jnr, in Las Vegas and New York respectively.
Struggle for Recognition
Ever since he won the WBO super-middleweight title in 1997 against Chris Eubank, Calzaghe has always struggled to gain acceptance from the American boxing fraternity, who have always believed you are nothing until you have proved yourself by fighting World Champions on their home soil.
Joe has always insisted that he sought unification bouts during these years but promoters and boxing politics had prevented him from showcasing his undoubted talents to a wider audience.
It was not until March 2006, in a unification fight in Wales against the strongly favored IBF champion, America’s own Jeff Lacy, that the Americans began to stand up and take notice of ‘The Pride of Wales’.
In arguably his finest display, the Welshman won every round against the previously unbeaten Lacy and finally gained recognition as the de facto Ring Magazine world champion.
A unanimous points win over the Danish fighter Mikkel Kessler, the WBA and WBC champion, to unify the super-middleweight division was followed by a split-decision win over Ring Magazine Light-Heavyweight champion Bernard Hopkins to further enhance his growing stateside reputation.
So what next for Calzaghe?
Many of his UK boxing peers, such as Lennox Lewis, Ricky Hatton and David Haye, have been quick to come out with statements urging the Welshman to be true to his word and quit while he’s ahead, while his father and trainer Enzo has vowed to back whatever course of action his son decides to take.
If he decides to don the gloves again, and after such a spectacular performance where he threw an astonishing 985 punches few could argue that he is a fighter in decline, the only problem would be finding a big enough fight that would enhance his legacy.
Is that fight out there?
Calzaghe has said in the past that he does not do rematches and that would seem to rule out bouts against Hopkins, Kessler and Jones Jnr.
Of the three aforementioned fighters, Hopkins would seem to have the best chance of getting a second chance against Calzaghe, as he greatly enhanced his reputation with his dismantling of the previously undefeated Kelly Pavlik last month in Atlantic City. A rematch would certainly sell out the Millennium Stadium in Cardiff, Wales and delight his legions of fans.
The only other possible fight out there would be against the 26-year old undefeated (26-0) American IBF Light-Heavyweight Champion Chad Dawson although he is far from being big box office in the USA never mind back in the UK.
A fitting finale to a brilliant career? We’ll just have to wait and see.
