Can anyone tell me what notable opposition Calzaghe has faced to be considered amongst the all-time greats??

Question

I'm a boxing fan. It wasn't hard for me to notice that Calzaghe built his nice record from fighting bums. So with that said can someone tell me "who has this guy fought"? And do me a favor, don't mention:

-The 43 year old senior citizen

-Reality show fame boxers

-Guys that have good records but also fought no one,ex.-Mikkel Kessler, who's biggest fight was dunt da da dunnn!!!..Calzaghe.

Answer 1

calzaghe is a world class fighter but he will never go down as a great.  if you look at the very best in the business, pound for pound, then you know they have taken on the very best.. there people who haven't swerved anybody: manny pacquiao, PBF, hopkins, roy jones jr, barrera, de la hoya... these guys go down as greats cos of the records they have and the people they've fought.  sure calzaghe may hammer a hugely faded roy jones before he bows out but that will only serve to cement his status as a fighter who never had the stones to take the plunge and challenge the truly great when they were great.

as a result he is never going to be referenced as an all time great.. i guarantee in 20 years no-one will be talking of calzaghe

kessler and lacy the biggest fights?? what a joke.. its worth noting he swerved roy jones a number of years ago as well.. and he was lucky to get a decision against B-hop.. it wasn't scandalous but that decision could have went either way

Answer 2

Chris Eubank.

Jeff Lacey

Bernard Hopkins.

Bernard Hopkins went on record before the fight saying that his age should be no excuse if he loses as he is in the best condition he has been in..and he always fights the way he fights..Why his supporters then want to bring it up - does the man a complete dis-service.

Edit..

So... If he beats someone young they are nobodies...if he beats someone old they are pensioners?

How the h**l can he ever win?

Answer 3

How can you call Bernard Hopkins a senior citizen? Its just Americans that cannot take the loss so when he loses he is therefore a terrible fighter. And so what? He has won 45 fights and is undefeated. It doesent matter. And if he does beat Roy Jones Jr (if he fights him), then everyone will be stunned.

Answer 4

This question can not be answered....He has never fought a great fighter. I mean if you look at the great fighters of this era, Bernard Hopkins before he turned 40, Jermain Taylor, Winky Wright, Kelly Pavlik. Them 4 guys have fought great fighters and therefore they are great fighters unlike Calzaghe.

Answer 5

Nobody really honestly. Some can make the argument of Lacy being one but I dont count him. I dont consider him an all time great he might be considered a current great because he has yet to lose a fight but we all now his record is padded and mostly fought bums. I like Joe and i consider him a pretty good fighter but defintly not a great fighter.

Answer 6

I agree that Calzaghe hasn't really fought anyone notable that was in their prime. I will also add that there really hasn't been anyone notable in his weigh class to fight. Most of the top fighters out right now are in lower weight classes. He probably could fight a De La Hoya but even he is probably past his prime. The problem with the sport of boxing is that most of the top fighters (Mayweather, Cotto, and Pac-man) are all in way lower weight classes. He really doesn't have any top people to knock out. The same was true with Roy Jones Jr. in his prime. His biggest criticism was that he mostly fought bums thoughout his career. I just think the sport of boxing isn't what it used to be. There aren't any notable fighters right now in the upper weight divisions. No Sugar Rays, Hagglers, Hearns, Tysons, Bowes, or Holyfields to give you any real top match ups right now.

So while I believe Calzaghe is a good fighter, I could never say he was a great fighter because he hasn't beaten anyone notable in their prime.

Answer 7

Remember Jeff Lacy before entering that ring?

Remember how much of a big mouth he had and nearly everyone in the States believing he's going to massacre Calzaghe?

Remember when Calzaghe tore that boxer apart like never seen before?

Face it people. Calzaghe has a perfect record and has taken on whoever comes in front of him. Give him respect for that. Even Sugar Ray Robinson was beaten at one stage and he along with Ali (also beaten) are the so called best in the business. Can we then say that Marciano who quit because he was (in his own words) fighting a bum a month should be noted as never fighting anyone of mention?

If Calzaghe was American then you wouldn't hear the end of him. He would be the equivalent marketing wise as Michael Jordan was. Sour grapes is all you have.