Calzaghe Retires
February 5th, 2009
By Scott Gilfoid: Well, Joe Calzaghe (46-0, 32 KOs) finally announced his retirement today, and I can’t say I’m the least bit surprised. I figured he would do it rather than continue on and face Chad Dawson, a real threat and someone who would have likely beaten him black and blue if given the chance. Listing his family as being a big reason for his retirement, Calzaghe said to the BBC Sport: “My children wanted me to give up, plus my mum; That’s why I called it a day, and will go on to do something else.” Calzaghe, 36, left open the option of returning to boxing at a later date.
Instead of taking on world champions Roy Jones Jr, Bernard Hopkins, James Toney, Gerald McClellan during the prime of their careers, Calzaghe stuck to facing lower quality opposition in the super middleweight division year after year. Finally, when Calzaghe did end up facing Jones and Hopkins, they were both near or over 40-years-old and arguably not the same fighters they were earlier in their careers.
Late in Calzaghe’s career, he stepped it up against Jeff Lacy and Mikkel Kessler, beating both of them by decision. It was hoped that Calzaghe would continue to seek out important fights like this, but instead of facing fine fighters like Carl Froch, Jermain Taylor, Chad Dawson, Lucian Bute, Jean Pascal, Andre Dirrell and Allan Green, Calzaghe opted to retire.
As such, his career legacy is more than a little tainted as far as I’m concerned because of the lack of big name fighters on his resume. He had the chance to help his legacy in the past couple of years, but instead went after Peter Manfredo Jr., and an old Hopkins and Jones. It’s too bad, because it would have been interesting to see how Calzaghe would have done against Dawson or the aforementioned super middleweights that I listed.
Tags: 20 Responses to “Calzaghe Retires”
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gotta be a american that write this, those americans just hate great british fighterts, lmao
Gilford your articles get worse and worse the more you write them, you clearly have no boxing knowledge so why write for a boxing website?
Next time you write an article instead of slagging off Calzaghe or Hatton why don’t you base it on how retards like yourself bigged up Pavlik before Hopkins destroyed him. Or how Dawson (best fighter of all time judging by your articles) has ducked Kessler and Hopkins to fight Antonio Tarver again!
None of the fighters that Calzaghe “didn’t take on” were even in his weight class!!
Jones was at LH, Toney couldn’t get below 185lbs, Hopkins had only made 6 of so defences of his title at MW and wouldn’t fight Tito for another 4 years (The fight that put him on the map) and Gerald McClellan was in a wheel chair.
Scott Gilfoid you are a bell end (and probably a fat, spotty, over weight window licker to boot!)
What a ridiculous ill informed article. He beat Lacy when he supposed to be the next super fighter from America and not many people gave him a chance. The next great fighter Pavlik was beaten by Hopkins who Joe beat. I cant believe the biased American journalists
Yet another waste of time article fact is the man retired undefeated, beating anyone placed in front of him!! Congrats joe and all the best
the dates dont match gerrald mclelland wasnt boxing when calzaghe was coming through. Maybe you are saying this to get a reaction but ultimatley you are just making yourself look like you dont know your boxing. Joe Calzaghe the best super middle weight of ALL time better name one better?
Was a Great pleasure watching you fight Joe. All the best in your retirement.
Typical, biased reporting. Surely you have had more than enough chances to spout your rubbish and now that he decides to retire you continue – and hardly mention that fantastic – career defining – defeat of Jeff Lacy.
Nobody can take away Joe’s achievements and the fact that he was boxing at all following his hand / wrist injuries just show what a true warrior he is.
Good decision from Joe.
Great career, regardless of what the Yanks say.
Great Champ, 11 years WBO and unification of the Super Middleweight.
Was a pleasure watching him fight.
Man thats so wrong, the only reason he went after Peter Manfredo Jr was to gain exposure in America and bring himself to the public seeing as none of you lot would come over here and fight him.
you can say he never traveled but why did no American fighters come and face him and you never mention Eubank back in the day
that said for selfish reasons I would have liked to see him fight Dawson even although not many people over here have heard of him, Joe says he has no real motivation but what more than beating Dawson in front of his home crowd, taking some titles and shutting Americans up…job done
Should have fought Pavlik!!!
He’s just retired and you are disrespecting one, if not the (not as good as Lewis IMO) greatest British fighter ever. Some of this is absolutly pathetic
SIR Joe Calzaghe. Its got to be really. Well done Joe, enjoy your retirement.
i agree with ukansodoff
his hands did let him down. he’d have had a few more ko’s on his record. he might have looked more attractive if he was knockin contenders out at will.
and despite what the yanks say, calzaghe didnt get to fight jones n hopkins, because of jones n hopkins, not because he ducked them. but imagine, calzaghe vs hopkins in prime and jones vs calzaghe in prime.
i think he’d ave had a good chance. lets face it, clinton woods fought jones in prime and well woods lasted 9 if memory serves me correct. calzaghe is alot better than woods, faster and smarter. would be a hell of a match. never mind ay.
i’d like to see joe and hopkins have another go, but so be it – i understand joe’s decision.
i can’t see a fight out there that lures him back. this might be it. what a career.
super joe!!!
wtf is this writter on about Gerald McClellan he wasnt around when joe won his first belt so how could he fight him, wat a tit.
And joe fought everyone that wanted to fight him and won its just a shame that all the so called super yanks didnt man up and fight him years ago ant it. But thats the yanks for u ant it!! Why would Joe want to fight Dawson ne ways he is a noboby who just beat an old glen Johnson, he couldnt bring the money or excitment Calzaghe wanted, and when Joe did beat him you would just say he was over rated.
Joe Calzaghe hall of fame!!!!!!!!!!!
Best British Boxer of all time and in my opinion a hall of famer. 46-0. Only one other boxer has retired without a blemish on their record and that was Rocky.
People always mention B-Hop as being passed it but lets remember that he destroyed Pavlik in his prime.
I to hope he stays retired. He does not need to see his legacy get trashed like those of Tyson, Jones Jr and Holyfield.
Well done Joe, best of luck in what ever you decide to move onto.
What a suprise. only a couple of hours after the announcement and already the arrogant & ignorant idiots that are american boxing journalists are slagging him off. 46-0 speaks for itself. SUPER JOE CALZAGHE
I wish hed fought some of the fights people go on about these days. and i wish hed a little bit more humble with his opponants before and during their fights., and yes i know its boxing.
Other than that just a brilliant brilliant boxer, i hope he stays retired hes got nothing to prove to anybody, those that demand proof dont know the sport well enough to see a legend when they see one.
If his wrists and hands had not failed him in his mid career i think the world was there to dominate completely.
Biased and poor reporting.. first of all he absolutely destroyed Lacy. Also he was the belt holder and I think you will find that Manfredo Jr went after him.
One thing consistent with this site is all the poor judgements as Lacy/Manfredo/Hopkins/Jones were ALL predicted to easily beat Calzaghe by the pundits here. Dawson is no match for Calzaghe and he would have just been another embarrasing episode as all the excuses fly out of your ill-educated mouths.
As far as I am concerned Gilfoid, you lack any credability, give it up.. go work in a diner or something.
Well done Joe u had a great career, good luck with the promoting