By Michael Lieberman: There are really brave fighters in boxing, there are fighters that would take on anyone anywhere, then there are fighters that prefer not to take risks in the twilight of their careers. Joe Calzaghe is the prefer not to take risks at the end of their career type, judging from today’s boxing news about him saying that he’s not interested in fighting Kelly Pavlik this year. Calzaghe, 35, had a unique way of showing his disinterest in Pavlik, however, instead of coming right out and saying that he doesn’t want to fight him, Calzaghe instead put it on Pavlik, saying to the South Wales Angus “I’m not sure if Pavlik really wants to face me at the moment.”
This was a new one for me. If you don’t want to fight someone, turn the heat on them by saying they don’t want you. In this case, Calzaghe went even further, suggesting that Pavlik would have “little to gain” by fighting him because Calzaghe would beat him. Let me admit, I was more than a little amused by Calzaghe’s excuses because I had seen them coming weeks ago. I knew that Calzaghe wouldn’t face Pavlik long ago, and would find a suitable reason to give to the boxing public for declining a bout with him. Part of me - a big part of me - wanted to see this day come about, but even when I predicted this weeks ago, I figured that Calzaghe would have come up with a little better excuse, one that didn’t sound as disingenuous as what he ultimately came up with.
I mean, certainly a bout with Pavlik would be the more exciting and the easily the better paying fight, but by taking that fight Calzaghe would be taking a calculated risk, which if it went wrong and he ended up losing badly, he would mess out on a chance to fight Jones at a later point in the future.
Frankly I don’t believe for a second that tripe about this being the last fight for Calzaghe, because I think he fully intends on fighting both Jones and Pavlik. For that matter, greed may get the best of him, and I’d be willing to bet that we may see something really bizarre down the road, something along the lines of a bout with Cotto one of the other younger fighters. That is, if he gets out of the fights against both Jones and Pavlik in once piece.
I don’t expect that Calzaghe will have too much trouble against Jones, since he’s not been the same fighter he once was for years now, but who knows? Calzaghe was lucky to get by a faded Hopkins in their recent fight, and if Jones can make it close, I have my doubts about Calzaghe getting the nod twice in a row, not when he’s barely scraping by in the first place.
June 13th, 2008 at 11:22 pm
Every time i read you stories they annoy me you write so musch crap calzaghe will beat pavlik and that is how it is. You are a british boxer hater and thats how it is. pavlik will be beaten by joe and thats how it is. My question to you is will shut up once joe beats pavlik or will you just say something like, well kelly was having a bad day how about a rematch.
You need to write jokes not boxing news
June 14th, 2008 at 11:11 am
what a clown you are.i thought writers on here had to be mainly impartial.how are nobheads like this writer allowed to repeatedly come on here peddling such bias garbage. your just another pavlik hugger who has now got pavlik down as hagler,monzon and sugar ray robinson combined.
June 14th, 2008 at 2:30 pm
Oh man, there really are some bad boxing critics out there arent there. Joe Calzaghe spent 7 years chasing fights with american boxers who did not have the balls to cross the pond to britain, Yeahh it works both ways man, and im sick and tired of critics like you dogging him down. Joe is finally the man and for a change the americans need him. I watched pavlick the other night and its a fact that he is a good fighter with mainly power in his favour - yes he beat Jermain taylor who in my eyes is still the better overall boxer. pavlick turned out to be Taylors nemesis just as Antonio Tarver was roy jones’s thats all. Joe would be far to quick and would and to be honest would completly leave Pavlick standing, frustrated , and exposed for the fighter that he really is. I hope im wrong and that if the fight happens it is a real tussle but -personally i really do feel that joe would have a field day showing off his boxing skills in this fight. Joe’s the man now and thats that my friend. Apart from some of the comments - great website
June 15th, 2008 at 10:18 am
Yellow … How pathetic are you guys ? Hopkins the American prison tough guy runs like a bitch. Lacy gets beaten silly. Your best have been thrashed yet you still slag him off.
I will tell you what yellow is, this site is yellow, when i put up criticism you guys remove it. Why is that , censorship is a joke so is this site. None of you guys have the stones to get in the ring yet you have the nerve to be internet warriors fighting behind a keyboard.
JOKE
June 17th, 2008 at 7:17 am
you make me pull my hair out every time i read this site you people do not want to come to terms with that we the british have the best boxer in the world and let me tell all you joe hatters now he would take pav to town and back just like the main man lacy was before he went in the ring with joe and saying he was luck against hopkins ur a joke you really are joe put more punches on that guy more than any one has ever JOE YOUR THE MAN MATE AND ALWAYS WILL AND ALWAYS HAVE YOU DO WHAT YOU WANT TO DO MATE AND ALL US BRITISH WILL BE THERE ALL BEHIND YOU MATE
June 17th, 2008 at 8:11 am
Why should Joe fight pavlik. He is just come on the scene. Pavlik looks good and has some potential, but he has only defended his title once. Perhaps after a few more defences and a convincing win against a big name opponent then maybe Joe may have a bit of interest. If they did ffight and Joe beat him as I expect he would, it would be the same as Lacy…he was not the fighter we thought he was. It is upto Pavlik to prove himself more before he deserves a crack at Joe. I would like to see Pavlik fight Kessler and if Pavlik could do a better job on Kessler than Joe did then bring it on. However I think kessler may also beat Pavlik.
June 17th, 2008 at 9:56 am
i agree toon mate he dont deserve a fight with joe yet and i dont even think he will last against kessler joe is the man and he should be going forward and to fight pav it is just goin backwards
June 19th, 2008 at 3:41 pm
Joe Calzaghe is scared and the entire world knows it.
June 21st, 2008 at 2:54 pm
Clearly Aaron you know absolute jack about boxing - hense your short little speech, go home and talk to all the other naive little boxing fans that also no nothing. PATHETIC
June 26th, 2008 at 4:09 am
who knows if calzaghe would beat pavlik or if pavlik would beat calzaghe? the point is that unlike all the true legends of the sport, ever since calzaghe made a name for himself by beating lacy, he’s refused to go out there and fight the best. you can’t seriously think a fighter who was washed up 3 years ago (knocked out by the light-hitting glenn johnson) is anything close to ‘the hest’ that is out there for him. if he doesn’t want to fight pavlik, let him fight tarver or even chad dawson but roy jones!!??! jeez, why doesn’t he try to sign macho camacho? i think he’s out of prison now.
June 26th, 2008 at 1:27 pm
re david. are u being serious about joe ducking yank “fighters”? what abou jones jr years ago rather fighting a heavyweight that face joe,or hopkins skipping the super middleweight division and going to light heavy, or jermain taylor waiting for joe to step up to lh before he stepped up to sm. at lest lacy(who was apparently going to destroy everyone in boxing if u believed the hype b4 he got his arse handed to him) had the balls to come and fight him. joe was the most avoided fighter(with margarito) over the last 6-8 years.
June 26th, 2008 at 1:40 pm
But now that the american public are aware of him every 2 bit pundit wants him to fight everyone from middleweight to light heavy. All i keep hearing from u pavlik worshipers is that joes a slapper and kelly throws bombs. well i heard that b4 kessler and lacy. pavlick throws bombs at middle(joe took bombs at super middle) and any fight with them wouldnt be under 170lbs. as regards joes punching power he wont need much to stop someone who was knocked on his arse by Jermain Taylor!!!. read carefully joe will finish what he wanted to start 6 years ago by beating jones jr then he will finish his reign by destroying your latest golden boy pavlick inside 7.
July 16th, 2008 at 10:26 am
pavlik, tghis guy makes me laugh, you talk of a guy with a 33-0 record and make out hes the second coming or some sh*t. whos he fought? jermain taylor twice, recognized now as over rated and robbed hopkins blind. edison miranda, miranda got beat twice by arthur abraham, the same arthur abraham that americans say is another overhyped european?? pavlik has fought NOBODIES until miranda. so he’s had 3 fights of genuine class opponents, see any resemblance. calzaghe has beaten 45 fighters across 2 weights and his recent opponents i.e. hopkins and kessler are ten times tougher than miranda and over rated jermain taylor. want to know what the hypes about?? its coz hes WHITE, its a well known fact he punches in straight lines and defensively aint great. what u think calzaghe never come up against someone who hits as hard as pavlik?? kessler hits harder than pavlik and you even argue jeff lacy a natural light heavyweight could hit harder. pavlik aint ready, i dont even think he reign that long and if it does come down to calzaghe to beat him, itll be a walk in the park.