Calzaghe Says he Would Come Back for 10 million – News
June 16th, 2009
By Scott Gilfoid: Former WBO super middleweight champion Joe Calzaghe (46-0, 32 KO’s) is saying that he would be interested in staging a one-fight comeback if someone – I have no idea who – were interested and willing to part with £10 million for a fight, according to Setanta Sports. Calzaghe, 36, is wise enough to understand that probably won’t be happening because the interest in a big fight involving a super middleweight like Calzaghe probably just isn’t there at this point in boxing.
I can see Calzaghe getting something like 400,000, but even that would have to involve Calzaghe stepping it up against a young quality opponent like Chad Dawson, Andre Ward or Andre Dirrell rather than the old timers like Roy Jones Jr. and Bernard Hopkins, who Calzaghe finished his career against.
Around the time that Calzaghe was winding down his career, he had the nerve to say that boxing is a dying sport. Yet instead of going after an opponent who would have been competitive with him and thus given boxing a boost, Calzaghe chose the 39-year-old Jones to fight for his last bout.
All I can say is Calzahge you’re better of staying retired because boxing doesn’t need fights like this, especially if it comes at a huge 10 million price tag. I’d like to think that Calzaghe would be looking at fighting someone like Dawson if he were to come back and ask for a huge sum like that, but I’m not so certain.
Calzaghe’s last seven fights he fought Evans Ashira, Peter Manfredo Jr., Sakio Bika, Jeff Lacy, Mikkel Kessler, Hopkins and Jones. Of those fighters, I only consider Kessler and Hopkins as being the two decent fighters among the mix. However, neither of them would be a huge mega fight for Calzaghe, because their first fights didn’t draw well.
I think Calzaghe should stay retired because boxing needs big fights and fighters that go after the biggest fights that can be found, not simple title defenses against little known non-mandatory challengers that fans have never heard of or care about.
Of course, if Calzaghe were to be fighting in this day and age he’d have very little room to maneuver. Certainly, Calzaghe could still choose whatever challenger to fight in between defending his title against number #1 mandatory defenses, but eventually he’d have to defend his title against someone like Andre Ward or Dirrell, and I see Calzaghe losing to either of them no matter what part of his career he were at.
The super middleweight division just got much better with the addition of Chad Dawson as well. That’s another fighter that would be pursuing Calzaghe and putting pressure on him to fight. The only way that Calzaghe could get out of fighting Dawson would be by vacating his title, because Dawson would likely attain the number #1 contender status in the WBO or wherever Calzaghe chose to fight until Joe was forced to make a decision to defend his title against Dawson or vacate.
My guess is that Calzaghe would have chosen to vacate rather than fighting Dawson and getting an almost certain loss.
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Joe fought everyone before him, offered numerous times to fight the top names in their prime, and came to the US to fight tough veterans. Hopkins was still top 3 Pound for Pound and arguably one of the best over 40 careers out there, also two future hall of famers. He isn’t “afraid” to fight the top young names, they just weren’t known and couldn’t draw over 2,000 per fight in their own country. See Dawson vs Tarver attendance figures. (who I have much respect for)
That was in the worst part of the recession. Joe still filled Vegas with 15,000 plus in that recession vs a lame style to fight counterpunching, faking, running, holding, crying, Hopkins. Joe always brings it forward and forces the fight. Then he pummels Jones at MSG in front of roughly 16,000 in the worst of the economic times days after the election.
In fairness Joe was 36 when Jones was 39, AND Jones had beaten Trinidad and won his next two fights AFTER Joe, so relatively he can be considered to have been fair game, in shape and had the home advantage. Still got busted up worse than you have seem him in any fight ever. And Joe outjones roy at his own game.
Joe always took short money to fight number one contenders back in the day and defended something like 21 times. He then received big money starting with Lacy till Jones long overdue.
Vs Kessler he fought in front of 55,000 so do the math. If Ward or Dawson were to come to Wales, Joe can still get his 40-60 thousand no doubt. People still love a guy who never lost or ducked, put it on the line, made the Super Mid class legitimate, and didn’t fight defensive, winning with multiple borken hand issues.
10M for a 46-0 fighter isn’t much to ask. It’s time to put it where the mouth is. None of Pac-Mans or Mayweathers opponents are as good as Joe, and Joe was #2 Pound for Pound before retiring. Not bad consider Pac-Man was top. Without his incredible end of career run, Joe would have been the undisputed #1 Pound for Pound. He was Ring Recognized champion at Light Heavy and won every single belt at Super Middle. How the he*l is he not worthy???
It’s not his fault there was no Super Six Tourney or that us in USA were ignorant of him. It’s all promoters and TV. The media’s faults do not cross over to the fighters merit.
What promoters DONT like to do is take a Calzaghe/Ward or Calzaghe Dawson fight and add more top names on the co-feature or undercard. But that helps make people fill a stadium with 50,000 instead of struggling to fill 5-10K elsewhere.
Watch the Lacy-calzaghe Fight. Calzaghe CONNECTED more than 1,000 times. He won every second of every round. Credit Lacy with his extreme ability to take a punch. Half of the other fighters would have been KO’d. Oh, and this writer should know that the UK boxing magazine ranks that fight as the performance of the decade. Us fans don’t need to write for a site or magazine to recognize the real when we see it.
Calzaghe’s best light heavy fight would be Dawson because Dawson boxes and doesn’t overly expose himself but he has speed and skills to make it competitive. Also Cloud would be great to see if Joe could stick with power and outdo another young champ, but Joe has beaten many of Tavoris’s kind before.
Pascal, Froch and Bute would be a piece of cake for Joe. Kessler and Abraham only moderate challenges. Ward is the best 20-0 fighter I have seen in some time since Calzaghe and he would provide the kind of fight that could be fun. Plus he has a gold medal and is the only other person to beat 42+ fight veteran Kessler, and he did it very convincingly. (Another fight I attended)
SO don’t blame Joe for wanting to dictate the terms and get his just due. If Ward’s promoter wanted it bad enough or Dawson’s then they would accept the terms and fight overseas or in Ward’s case at least compromise and fight in NY or London instead of Wales. If HBO was behind it it would get 50-60K attendance, and make 30-50M in Gross Revenue no prob with the proper promotion, strong undercard and UK venue.
Us American’s just tend to forget the dominance of a fighter as soon as he retires, unless he is from the US of course…
I mean some people still think De La Hoya was a HOF-mer… because he always “faught such great people”.. last I checked a HOF’er didn’t lose so much. De La Hoya was a great fighter.
Joe Calzaghe is a Hall of Famer. I think he is worth 10M and more.. After all his last fight was selling all the 1,500 ringside seats…
I hate this craze of retiring and coming back if the money is right…. I have no respect for these ‘young’ retirers. In the book of box legends they are worth but a footnote.
matt w you say calzaghe fought hopkins and jones because they were faded. it wasnt BECAUSE they were faded, they just happened to be faded. (in my opinion hopkins wasnt, hes a physical specimin and he hammered seven bells out of americas middleweight hope after he faced calzaghe anyways) calzaghe faced hopkins and jones when he did as he wasnt given the opportunity years ago. Y didnt hopkins or jones call calzaghe out 5-6 years ago? because he wasnt a marquee fighter then. but after the wins against lacy and kessler he became well known in america meaning hopkins and jones saw big cash fights. calzaghe whi hadnt been offerd a big cash fight before couldnt believe his luck and took them. not coz of the fact they were faded but coz finally a big cash deal was put in front of him!!!
He “slapped” hard when he knocked out 32 fighters including a few americans didnt he, joe wasnt only wbo champ he unified by destroying lacy and easily beating the current top man in the supermiddle division. Does anyone say kessler is rubbish??? no and joe beat him to capture the wba and wbc belts.
He beat hopkins to become a two weight champion, the same hopkins who took apart pavlik in his next fight so all this rubbish putting hopkins down as a old man is a joke.
What makes this article complete rubbish is the fact you moan about joe fighting 39 year oldjones and then hilariously you mention chad dawson, he has just fought 39 year old tarver twice and now i fighting 40 year old johnson AGAIN!!!
i wouldnt pay 10 bucks to watch this guy… all he does is slap… he stands in front of a guy he runs in and throws his hands as fast as he can and doesnt have much power… he couldnt finish a 40 year old jones, who had his first cut in his career right over his eye and couldnt see from the 4th round all the way to the 12th… he couldnt finish this man because he is a girl and slap boxes instead of punching… i personally think he sucks and i would probably pay to watch hatton before i watch this guy…. and pac and cotto is going to be the worst fight in the history of boxing… cotto will be killed and we will have to hear how pac is the goat…
Scott guilford. If you think Dawson comes close to Calzaghes class you should not be working here. Plus he can barley full a beer hall never mind wembley. The only fight at mega level for Joe Is Froch. Will it happen. I doubt they could raise 10 mil but who knows. I think 10 mil is asking a bit much. but dawson is not and never will be in joesl league.
Scott, stop being such a bashing prick.
I think this is obv his way of saying im retired because no1 will offer this much
only way he would make ten mill is if he was against manny and floyd at the same time
Calzaghe would box Dawsons head clean off his shoulders.Dont get me started on 1970s boxing style impersonator Froch!
Im british, can we all have a whip round? Get enough money to make calzaghe face someone good and be exposed. I used to love him, then i read his autobiography…”ill never fight jones”… claiming he’s shot. Didnt enjoy the hopkins fight one bit.
I do respect the fact he slaps is down to his hand injuries… but still… doesn’t justify his behaviour when choosing his fights. Ahh dear, also, if he’d of got the balls to go to America earlier… Jones would have destroyed him.
i also think calzaghe is boring to watch, he dnt punch with any real power and as scott sez, he’s a slapper, just a stat pad winner im afraid, 12 round decisions all the time, im british and dont enjoy watching calzaghe either, 10mil, he must be bloody mad…….
and lala, get a grip will ya, he fought them because they are legends yes, but mainly cause have faded dramatically over the years and are a shadow of thier former selves, can u imagine what roy jones would have done to calzaghe if they were both maybe 25/28 yrs old, it would have been over in 6 rounds maximum! im glad he gone, dnt want, as scott sez point grabbing slappers in boxing, just bore the carp out me……
dawson is only a good fighter thats all not that good would not waste my time fighting him
No racisim in there but clearly a redicolously bias report plus inaccurate and finally who allows this person to do reports on here?? he does not strike me as having any boxing knowlege whatsover!
scott ur a complete c#nt. u say calzaghe shud fight class fighters then u mention chad dawson haha. chad fights old men after old men then gives them a rematch so b4 u go slagging of joe calzaghe have a dig at ur own, u just hate english fighters cuz u knw there better then u ya yank twat
Dawson would not fight mighty Joe. Because Joe aint old enough yet.
And Dawson couldnt bring 10 tousand to the table let alone 10 mills, hes boring and nobody cares about him, not even his own countrymen who do have an eye for excitment and can see they wont find it there.
Spot on lala, couldn’t put it better myself. And Gilfoid you racist piece of siht, Calzaghe said 10million as A JOKE you arse. And who the hell are Dirrel and Ward??? I’m very interested to hear your reasoning for these ‘certain losses’ but no doubt you’ll keep quiet. Racist.
Dont agree with the racist scott gilfoid but i wouldnt give a fiver to come back never mind 10 mil .Keep dreaming you fake……….
See your at it again scott. Nothiing but a brit basher rascist.
and the reason calzaghe fought hopkins and jones is that they are legends. hes a british fighter so he has to fight marquee fighters to attract business from the uk. we dont care about the dirells and the wards coz they havent done a fifth of what calzaghe has and that is a fact!!! whereas hopkins and jones are legends and generate money! nothing to do with being scared or fearfull its all about the pound coin baby. calzaghe would beat all of them anyway, he adapts and beats them. kessler would beat all of the american light heavys and supermiddle weights anyway!!!