Are Rumours of a Calzaghe Comeback Realistic?
June 17th, 2009
By Liam Santiago: Former super middleweight world champion, Joe Calzaghe (46-0, 32 ko’s), stated
that he would return to the ring for one final fight, if he is payed a huge price of 10 million pounds.A sum of this amount is ridiculous and in all probability will never be agreed. Or is there more than money tempting Calzaghe closer to a comeback.
There are plenty of options out there for Calzaghe including Carl Froch (25-0, 20 ko’s), super middleweight world champion. Froch, who recently ko’d Jermain Taylor, has been chasing a huge fight with Calzaghe for years and in the past has offered £5 million to make the fight happen.
This all British affair would be a massive ticket seller in comparison to other fighters chasing Calzaghe such as Chad Dawson (28-0, 17 ko’s), a boxer who would struggle to fill a tent with fans. Other options for Calzaghe are a rematch with Bernard Hopkins (49-5-1, 32 ko’s), who was unconvincingly defeated by the Welshman last year. Also, a rematch with Mikkel Kessler (41-0, 31 KO’S) would be of massive intrest to boxing fans
worldwide.
However, the point is not who is the best or most deserving opponent for Calzaghe, it is simply who can come up with the money and draw in the most fans. And in all fairness to the quality opposition that will be in line should he return, the only boxer that can bring this to the table is Froch. The ongoing rivalry between the pair would only make this fight more inevitable.
In fact, it seems ridiculous that this fight has not yet happened giving that they are both British, super middleweight, world class boxers. In the eyes of the public this is one of
the biggest fights of this age, should it happen. Calzaghe would be the favourite going into this fight giving his record and his fast hands. But, Froch has a massive heart, a granite chin and incredible knock-out power in both hands, which makes this one very close to call.
Many of Calzaghe’s critics are aprehensive about Calzaghe’s legacy, due to the quality of many of his opponents. His biggest wins were against Eubank, Lacy, Kessler and Hopkins. Apart from these four, there are no other huge wins in Calzaghe’s long career. Maybe he feels he still has more to prove? Maybe he does simply want a huge payday?
The chances of the Welsh legend returning to the ring are slim if he is only motivated by money as £10 million is a stupid asking price. But he might feel guilty about the quality of his opposition and feel that he has more to do.
However, thoughts of a glorious finally bout and win over a quality fighter such as Froch could easily end in tears for Calzaghe. Lets be serious, as he showed against Hokins and Jones Jnr, his punch resistance is not what it was, and there is no way of getting it back.
Tags: 46 Responses to “Are Rumours of a Calzaghe Comeback Realistic?”
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Say what you like Calzaghe lost that fight against Hopkins. He also needs to count his lucky stars that he never mate Roy Jones in his prime, because he was hurt like he was in the first round against Roy in his prime guaranteed he would have been knocked out. Calzaghe, you still have a point to prove and you need to comeback and prove it!
i would have liked to see what would happen with him and hopkins again.
the cleaner work was always from hopkins,
im unlike others that dis fighters for where they are from like some people,im british my self.
it just realy got to me when he called himself the legend killer then called out jones,
In my book jones was far better,and Liam as you say the match up was a joke.
davie m, in a way your right. When he was at world class level in his last fight, he was considered in the top 3 p4p in the world. At that point he should NOT have fought Jones. That matchmaking was a joke. He had Froch,Pavlik or Dawson and should not have chose Jones. Why not give Hopkins or Kessler a rematch.
A hard hitting kessler but what else was there hes not the most skilled fighter and still hurt joe with shots that he should’nt have taken so no
So you don’t rate the Kessler fight as inpressive?
THANK god for mitch sheltered till they have aged enough for him to beat.
glad im not the only one who thinks this he has only impressed my once,against lacy,other than that well you said it all mitch,THANK YOU.
joe has one good thing going for him. he’s stamina. It allows him to out work his opponents with the sheer volume of punchs he throws. Plus a good manager that sheltered him from the big boys till they had aged enough for him to beat. Plus the judges in the hopkins fight. Jones is a shadow of his former self so that win means nothing. I can’t understand how any boxing fan could even be exicted about him coming back to slap out another boring decision against some old has been.
Adam, it’s wrong to grief all british fighters if that’s what you’ve been doing! But i agree with you on the Joe issue.
I also agree with the previous comments – Adam does suck large amounts of Johnson. It doesn’t matter what a British fighter achieves guys, Adam, like those pair of c*nts Scott Gilfoid and Chris Williams will always put them down just because they are British, which is really sad.
I remember him (Adam) commenting on a David Haye article recently and he said something like “I’m proud to be American because we call it how it is”. Yeah right, how the f*ck did you work that out?
Unlike Adam and the other like-minded septic tanks, us Brits will admit if one of our fighters is sh1t (i.e Froch) and on the flipside (nice Americanism there) we will admit an American fighter is good or has good potential if that is the case. E.G. I like Jermaine Taylor. I think he’s a cracking boxer, but needs to sort out those stamnia issues. Frochy, for all of his heart and power is seriously limited as a fighter and will lose very soon.
Adam, just to let you know if you ever decide to leave your “perfect” country you need a small paper-based booklet called a “passport”.
Hold on, why would I want to leave America? How about to see how other cultures live? Oh no, I forgot if they’re not American you won’t like them. How about to see other culture’s history, which your country has none of! Also Adam, unless you’re a red Indian you’re probably part British anyway!
Another point to make about how ignorant you are. You celebrate thanks given for the Red Indians taking you in during the storm / winter and after their hospitality you kicked the sh1t out of them. You then have the audacity to thank them for taking you guys in.
anyone in or around joes weight would be easy for him hes too fast too much stamina and a granite chin, kessler if he moved up maybe be hard but then joe would have the comfortable advantage of having fought at 175 twice before. joe all night hes the man
Sorry, Joe wouldnt of lasted 3 rounds
Please, not a come back from Calzaghe.
Legend killer Ha!! Who will be called up next, Mahammid Ali maybe? If there ever was a protected fighter Joe is it…
He beat Bernard Hopkins, Iv’e seen this fight 3-4 times now, still doubt if he won. Then called himself the legend killer and called out Roy Jones…years to late. In Jones’s time, doubtful if Jones would of lasted three rounds!! Thought we had seen the last of him, lets hope so!
Liam, Jesus Christ man 41-0 Kessler? That just about sums it up. Froch would have to knock Calzaghe out and that aint gonna happen he wouldn’t get close enough. Kessler would get taken to school again and why come back for Chad ‘bore’ Dawson.
Nope stay retired Joe sonshine you are a great in my book.
adam u r a twat
I Agree Adam does suck c*ck
Think Calzaghe would win on points, unless Froch winds him up so much he goes for the KO and gets KOd himself.
brilliant article
adam sucks c*ck
Good article at last.
Adam – You just can’t resist can you, you bellend.
Really enjoyed the article and the varying responses – all valid in their own way. I read an article recently where Joe said he’d come back for 10million – but it was in gest. He still suffers from “sore hands” after fights which was well publicised when he was active and you can put this down to him fighting 2 times p/year max. Joe cant be accused of not fighting big names – I think its fair to say it’s a shame Joe didnt arrive on the scene 7-10 yrs later and was in his prime now as the middle, super middle and light heavy is far more dangerous and stacked with good fights than in Joes early yrs. The likes of Kessler (who Joe destroyed in Kesslers prime) Bute, Froch, Taylor, Pavlik, Dawson, Allan Green?? Bika, Abraham, Taylor,Pascal are all more dangerous, skilled, schooled and classy fighters than the likes of Brewer, Mitchel, Eubank, Benn, and Reed were not in the same class as some of the above mentioned fighters today.I think Froch is very much like Benn and Steve Collins but with more bottle than Benn (not as hard as most people percieved him to be) and Reed (who gave up against Froch and should be ashamed) and more power than Collins but Joe has all the tools to beat him and anyone still on the scene,although as a boxing fan Froch is one of those fighters ya gotta love – He’s hard, can bang and can be banged and doesn’t fear any challenge(against Pascal he took and gave some great shots and they had a toe to toe war)
To conclude – looking at the ratings at middle, super middle and light heavy Joe beat most of the top boys (Kessler, Bika, Lacy, Manfredo, Hopkins)and would still have what it takes to beat the ones up there that he didnt fight (Froch, Taylor, Bute, Pavlik, Abraham etc)
The question for me is anyone today who’s in their prime (Froch, Pavlik, Abraham, Kessler) as good as the Hokins, Calzaghe’s and Roy Jones’ when they were in their prime?
Too much gets read into oe getting knocked down in his last 2 figthts. He was floored by Bernard Hokins and Roy Jones Jr. Not exactly soft hitting nobodys at the end of the say.
Infact if you wana read anything into it read the fact that he got back up and won which as far as im concerned is very very impressive.
Im sure hes just fishing here, hes thrown the comment about 10 million out there like a fishing line, and is waiting to see if there is any bites.
Chances are though for that kind of money he better not be holdin his breath cuz\ i cant see whose able to bring that to the table inthe super middle or light heavyweight divisions.
I really dont think there are any fights out there for Joe to take right now.
Hopkins – This was one of the most boring fights ive ever seen, Joes style made Hopkins look terrible and shot.
Kesslar – An exciting fight that could go either way, but if your not a boxing fan then you will have zero interest in this fight.
Dawson – There is nothing at all exciting about this fight. Nobody would pay to see it, the media would fall asleep at the press conferences. Totally pointless even talking about this fight. Joe might win, he might lose, either way its not profitable for anybody.
Froch – This guy isnt a huge super star and might never be, but i think the media would grab hold of the idea of 2 undefeated british world champions who have had a rivalry for years fighting it out in front of 70,000 british boxing fans. This is the only fight for joe, but i think 10 million pounds is a little too much. I think hes crazy, if i got offered 1 million pounds for 3 months training and 1 nights work… id bite their hand off!
I think joe is far more talented than he will ever get credit for. Sure he lost his knock out punch later on in his career due to hand injuries. But look at how he fights, hes intelligent, he ruins the styles of his opponents, like when he destroyed the career of Lacy, who has not been the same since.
Adam, shut up you silly little boy, you love the most boring fighters alive in the “brothers”.
I would have to say I think Calzaghe has priced himself out of the market because he doesn’t want to return, lets face it, the only names put forward seriously are Froch and Dawson.
Froch’s support is quite simply not big enough to generate that kind of cash, and Dawson, well he’s to busy, how would Adam put it, being a bitch ass pussy avoiding his mandatory and opting for old men.
Hopkins won’t get a look in, that fight was messy and did nothing to make people want a rematch.
Calzaghe isn’t stupid though, if by some miracle one of the above stumped up the cash, he would then demand the fight to be in Cardiff, if you want mecome get me style. I don’t see it happening.
Good article, glad a few fresh names with valid and diplomatic views have appeared on here.
Chad Dawson is the most boring and over-rated fighter around. He’s a joke. Why fight Johnsan next, why not Hopkins.
Actually Adam the most boring fighter ever is Sven Ottke, followed by Benard ‘hold a lot’ Hopkins and ‘bad’ Chad Dawson
Here is what Joe actually said…
“£10 million! I’d come back for that! But, realistically, that’s a joke. Nobody is going to offer me that in my weight division. Anyway, my hands are still sore and I can’t achieve anything else”
Adam you talk shit son. Haye gets injured once and he runs? Rubbish.
I’m not a big fan of Joe either, but to tar all British fighters with the same brush is just a sign of ignorance and a lack of knowledge. Hatton didn’t run from anyone did he? Froch didn’t run from Taylor did he? Haye didn’t run from Mormeck either. Both knocked out in their back yards. I could go back through history and clown you some more, but I think the burden of proof is on YOU to back up your ridiculous statement. Go on, run off to boxrec kid…
I wonder where you’re from…. Why don’t you share that little gem of info with us as well.
Who cares.Calzaghe is the most boring boxer on the planet.He has no power and is a btch that runs jus like Haye ran.Im starting to see a trend of British boxers running for their lives.
Ed: Hopkins cheated and spoiled that fight completely. He didnt win at all, Froch would not be able to handle Calzaghes pace whatsoever. He knocked out Taylor in the twelth round and was behind in the fight easily. He is nothing special, but obviously hes got a lot of heart and power. To say Joe’s resistance has gone is bollucks, the Roy Jones right that put him down was a forearm and he got up. Hopkins punched and then shoved him and HE got up. People need to get over it, he has beaten lot of great fighters.
i agree wit this article and i watched the fight wit hopkins and hopkins won in my eyes
I cant see him coming back but a fight with Froch would generate most money, every Brit TV will have it on, any brit arena will be sold out and Mick Hennessy will put the money forward. It would also get good american coverage after Frochs win over Taylor. I think even Americans have lost faith in bad chad after the tarver rematch and wouldnt bother tuning in to watch hinm get humiliated
I think a fight between Froch and Calzaghe would be a very similar scenario to the fight between Calzaghe and Eubank with Calzaghe losing and officially handing over the Brit patton over to Froch. In his prime, Calzaghe would of taken him due to his superior boxing skills and speed but Calzaghe has looked a little wobbly in his last few fights as father time has just caught up with him, and i reckon Froch would wear him. Froch is a breath of fresh air in todays boxing as he’s honest, direct, doesn’t duck anyone and loves a tear up.
if calzaghe rematches hopkins he loses convincingly. the difference between hopkins and calzaghe’s records aren’t just the losses, it’s the fact that hopkins has never won a split decision. every win on his record is undisputable by way of ud or ko. and all of his losses with the exception his fight with roy jones were controversial. he beats calzaghe unanimously and easily. hell, he basically made him look like a bad sparring partner in the first fight.
Nobody from 168 to 175 can beat Calzaghe at the moment. He’s the best. His great victories over the Legends like Hopkins and Jones Jr. could guarantee this.
finally a writer on this site that boxing is a business. well done on stating that dawson couldnt sell out a tent. calzaghe sells out 70,000 seater stadiums, dawson couldnt even pack a 2,000 seater venue in his last fight(nothing to do with tarver as we all know he can sell a fight!) want to see more from this writer and less from that idiot chris williams!!!!
loved the article. all true aswell. calzaghe i think would beat froch if he can take him the distance. AND, i DO , think he WILL, fight again.
the statement joe made was a joke he wont be back pointless commenting not gonna happen froch is not in same class as jc leave the welsh warrior to enjoy his family and his money
Ye, true lads, just a typing error. To be honest if he did comeback i think Froch could ko him.
Good article Liam but yeah just a correction:
“Also, a rematch with Mikkel Kessler (41-0, 31 KO’S)”
That should be 41-1.
Good work, keep it up.
Great article mate. Best ive seen in a long time. Totally agree. He has to fight Froch at Wembely.
A good article but would add Byron Mitchell, Charles Brewer, Omar Sheika & Robin Reid to the list of good quality opponents. Many thought Byron was going to come over and knock Calzaghe out much like Lacy years later. Charles Brewer although not top quality was the IBF Champion and Reid was also a champion as Sheika beat a younger Glen Johnson who later went onto to defeat Tarver & Jones.
M
How is Kessler 41-0? Calzaghe dominated him…AND HE LOST!
really good artical m8.dont agree with you about joes chin though.the shots hes been down off were from really good solid punchers.i thought the sign of havin a good chin was getting hit,hiting the floor then geting back up from it relatively unscathed.all though i have to admit he was hurt against byron mitchell but against hopkins/jones they were pretty much flash knock downs.good artical though apart from the chin bit.lookin forward to your next 1.
good fair article, much better then gilfords dribbling shit lol
calzaghe would win on points and would terrorise froch all way froch is piss poor all he has is heart
good article
Ward, that is a good point. The hopkins bout in America was a whole new experience for Joe.
If he thought Froch i’d say Calzaghe on points, but Froch has power. I know Lacy and Kessler did too but Froch has more than them. He has so much heart, he will never give up.
any comments on the article are appreciated. Thanks.
A fair article, i think the knockdowns were more down to the occasion of fighting in america and nerves/caught cold along with the hopkins one being a shove after a punch.
I think joe would terrorise froch with his hand speed to be honest, taylor was to quick and joe is quicker but froch has good stamina (joe has the same if not better) and can bang.
It could be like the lacy fight but not as one sided, still a shut out for calzaghe.
I do like froch though and think if he gets hsi hands up can beat bute,kessler and would love to see pavlik and then hopkins fights, froch will fight anyone anywhere which cant be said about most fighters past and present.