A comparison in the legacies of Mayweather and Calzaghe
January 8th, 2010
By Philip Green: The parallels between Floyd Mayweather Jr and Joe Calzaghe are growing ever more apparent by the day. Both fighters hold unbeaten records spanning 40+ fights and each attracts his own share of praise and criticism. Whilst possessing uniquely different skill sets, Mayweather and Calzaghe’s reign at the top of their respective divisions is not without controversy. Each can be accused of cherry-picking or avoiding opponents and having dubious decisions go in their favour. So let’s take a look at the career highlights of these two boxing icons from either side of the Atlantic and see how their ‘legacies’ compare.
The first big tests for Mayweather and Calzaghe, long before they hit the big time. Scraping through these tough bouts proved an essential learning experience and highlighted the danger of engaging in too many wars against live opponents.
Mayweather vs Gatti, Calzaghe vs Veit
Both Gatti and Veit had good records and large support, but were hopelessly outmatched against their quicker and more powerful opponents. Whilst the names are good to have on your record, these fighters offer little to the generation of ‘legacies’.
Mayweather vs Baldomir, Calzaghe vs Lacy
Baldomir and Lacy were both coming off the back of impressive victories and these big punchers supposedly had the power to trouble their opponent. However, the difference in speed was again glaringly obvious and Mayweather and Calzaghe dished out round after round of punishment whilst taking little in return.
Mayweather vs Hatton, Calzaghe vs Kessler
In many ways these were the career defining fights for Mayweather and Calzaghe. Both were against popular, unbeaten European fighters who provided difficulties in the early rounds but were unable to change their style when they began to fall behind. These bouts attracted huge audiences and brought wide acclaim to the still unbeaten champions.
Mayweather vs De la Hoya, Calzaghe vs Hopkins
Good starts by De la Hoya and Hopkins both showing there class and skill. However, their age contributed to their tiredness in the later rounds and subsequent loss by narrow decision. A good case could be made for both De la Hoya and Hopkins having won the fights and this opinion is still held by many fans.
Mayweather vs Marquez, Calzaghe vs Jones Jr
Two stars nearing the end of their careers were cruelly exposed in a way that was sad to watch. Although Jones managed a better start than Marquez, the bouts soon became exhibitions in which Mayweather and Calzaghe held back and avoided going for the kill. Marquez’s size and Jones’s age meant they were out of their depth and simply adding to the resumes of Mayweather and Calzaghe in name only.
Mayweather vs Pacquiao, Calzaghe vs Dawson
These two stars in the prime of their careers would surely have provided a stern test. Whether they could have inflicted Mayweather and Calzaghe with their first loss is a matter for further debate. What is certain though is that they were career defining fights that needed to happen before the word ‘legacy’ should begin to be used.
Tags: 39 Responses to “A comparison in the legacies of Mayweather and Calzaghe”
Leave a Reply
please use above banner to link back to us!
In response to Master. With respect, you wrote in your text exactly why Joe didn’t fight the likes of Jones and B-hop earlier, because they wanted to much of the cake. I mean 80-20 or 70-30 is ridiculous and I see this from a different view from yours. In my opinion they were scared and priced themselves out of a fight with Joe. If not, why not take a more reasonable amount and prove that you are the best. I also think it’s a crying shame that it didn’t happen earlier and doesn’t look good on Joe’s record , but I certainly don’t think it’s all down to Joe at all. Joe wasn’t at his best when he fought either of them anyway. As he got older he punched less and less hard and relied more on speed of hand and foot. And for the record I don’t think anyone out there now could beat him.
I am only going to mention Calzaghe here and talk about possible bouts he could have taken. I don’t think there is a middle or super middle weight out there today that would beat Calzaghe. Let’s start with Dawson. He is a sound fighter, though I think Calzaghe would have too much speed and ring craft for him and at Joes peak with good hands he would get ko’ed. Next up Pavlik. We saw what Hopkins did to him and Joe would’ve embarrassed him in much the same vain. Pavlik comes forward in straight lines and Joe does so well against predictable fighters like that. Froch is too slow and Joe would pick him off no problem. There is also Abraham, but I think he would go the same way as Pavlik. Funnily enough I think of the fighters out there Dirrel would pose more problems for Joe and it would be an ugly fight which Joe would win on points. In short I can’t see any of the current crop beating Calzaghe even with his flaws. Although I hope Joe does stay retired as he isn’t getting any younger and I think we saw age playing a part in his last bouts.
haha thanks watch hey can u tell me the time please ? i think its nearly time for the pacmans woopin !!
Good comparison between the two fighters Mayweather and Calzaghe.
Manny Pacquiao has hurt the sport of boxing with his refusal to take the test. Manny will NEVER get to the Hall of Fame. He will get tagged the same was as Mark McGuire.
PILLS VS. SKILLS WILL ALWAYS AND FOREVER BE HIS MANTRA!
Manny will ONLY be able to fight Bob Arum’s Top Rank fighters. Unfortunately, all of the best fighters are with other promoters.
Manny’s future in the U.S. is bleak unless he takes the test sometime!
Hooray !
Something original from Joke the Coach. I have to commend you on a job well done in that you didn’t use anything that’s already been used on your man Fraud. Very good Joke the Coach, very good. GOOD BOY Joke the Coach !
keep watching cause the pacman fans will soon be aware the pacmans as woopins almost here.
@ joke coach
Keep dreaming, keep dreaming my man…
Nice try on your lame reverse tech when all your comments have been used on Fraud from the start. Just because you can’t come up with anything smart to use on Manny, your best tactic is plagiarizing what everyone else has said about Fraud and his crew.
Dude, be original. Your $hit is sloppy…
manny is scared of getting caught for using streoids and he knows he cant beat mayweather so he just use the try’d and tested ducking technique just like he use catchweight method aswell .
Mayweather doesn’t have heart? He beat Castillo in the first match after tearing his rotator cuff two days before the fight and with two hurt hands! He destroyed
Baldomir with a broken right hand the last half of the fight! Not trading power shots isn’t a sign of no heart if you can easily win without trading power shots. Fighters that can’t win a decision want an all out brawl. Lewis, jones, B-hop, Toney, Mayweather, these are some of the best fighters in the last 15 years and none of them brawled because they didn’t have to! Fighting with two injured hands and a torn rotator cuff is heart! Beating a champion with your power hand broken for the second half of the fight is heart!
Arum must offer Valero vs Mayweather for the ff reasons:
- Valero must be tested via the welerweight punches of Floyd first.
- Floyd likes to fight smaller guy
- Valero will be amenable to Floyd’s whimsical requests.
Since Valero can’t fight in the US, a random blood test will be conducted by a more neutral agency as also a more neutral venue can be chosen (Floyd had a share of good judging in Nevada where he lives and was allowed using Xylocaine – banned in other states). People will buy PPV to anticipate possible scratching of Floyd’s face and the winner fighting Pac will be bigger!
I have been backing Manny But I’m not this time around because i believe he should go for the test. Because Manny now makes me feel so bad that he is hiding something. I know Manny can win the fight but since he does not want to go for the test I feel very disappointed. Floyd Why !!!!!!
Jones jr ducked calzaghe early in his career as he had rated eubank, with joe beating him and the money he’d get for fighting calzaghe back then would be pitance. And everybody knew calzaghe had glass hands so his knockout ratio isn’t all that surprising. You can’t argue with the fact he beat who was put infront of him. A great of his generation yes, of all time, I doubt it.
@Jayyy
Are you a doctor? if not. I rest my case
If you are… your licensed should be revoke.
“Too little knowledge is a dangerous thing”.
manny and freddy both scared they cook up a big gumbo pot of peking duck to get away from lil floyd why cant everyone see that ???
c’mon floyd, lets fight. afraid of a blown-up featherweight? i’ll agree to olympic-type drug test if you a gree to a phsychology test to ascertain you’re not crazy. you see, mental illmness according to my doctor runs in the family. if you’re father is crazy, there is a big chance that you’re crazy too. so i’ll take the test to prove that i’m no doper, but you’ll have to prove you’re not a nut case. so take the mental test floyd
This is unfair to put Calzaghe down like that, ok , he may not have had the super-fights against people his age and peak… but the way he took lacy apart and beat big names like Jones and Hopkins is repectable. I didn’t hear anyone calling B-Hop ‘over the hill’ when he took Pavlik apart!
Mayweather is quality in his own right…but i would agree he should fight Pacquiao to confirm his legacy.
Floyd Jr. wants to have Olympic style Drug testing, so later he will ask again for Olympic style boxing, with Head Gears on it.. Come on, this is professional boxing, why not agree on blood test after the fight, if you really insists of blood testing, that will be the best time,!!!! so many excuses, nobody believes on you, only your fool supporters, which is also High on hash…get over it, someday you will beg Pacquiao to fight you, because you have no money to pay your taxes..
MAYWEATHER is the man has never lost .super style never seen before in boxing ,he is not scare of no body .He is the best of the best.
and thats who alot of you joe cal fans call one of the greats of all time!
like i said before f**k off!
and just before you pull “if he was a yank” crap i rate lennox lewis as the greatest heaveyweight since ali, foreman, frazier, holmes etc… why cause he fought everybody and anybody!
44 year old b hop = split decision
shot roy jones = decision
mikkel kessler = close decision
jeff lacy = decision
eubanks= decision
bika = decision
oh wait on, thats everybody!
can any joe cal fans please tell me who of any real importance has mighty joe ever stopped inside the distance.
please do tell me as im sick of hearing that this guy is an all time great!
i can be argued into agreeing that he is ONE of the best in his era, but an all time great, f**k off!
i understand that you dont have to ko guys in boxing to be a champ but at least a couple on a 40 plus and 0 record would be essential when comparing to the all time greats now wouldnt it.
please do help with this i cant name ANYBODY!
Floyd Mayweather has REFUSED to fight:
Oscar DeLa Hoya (rematch)
Shane Mosely
Paul Williams
Miguel Cotto
Antonio Margarito
Vivian Harris (prime)
And now…
Manny Pacuiao
If this is a way to stay undeafeated Floyd…by NOT FIGHTING the top fighters…then please do us a favour and please RETIRE FOR GOOD this time
FORGET FLOYD…
I WANT TO SEE:
SHANE MOSLEY vs MANNY PACQUIAO (now that’s a fight!!!)
Calzaghe had a heart mayweather is a coward
Calzaghe fought the best in his weight. Done deal.
Ant, I totally agree with you!!!
I thought that was a good article compared to some on this site.
I am a calzaghe fan i always found joe had amazing work rate in his fights and thou some may question his power few should question that he was willing to trade with his opponents.
question to THE FIGHT DOCTOR i was under the impresion that joe wanted to fight bhop earlier in his career but bhop didnt want it.Too risky with little reward money wise.I dont no the ins and outs of what happened with it so please dont take offence i may be wrong its just what i heard.
As for floyd i find him a very gifted boxer who is able to adapt during fights pick his shots with pinpoint accuracy and pick his opponents apart . However his next fights before retiring will make or break his legacy in my opinion for instance if he fights paulie m hatton etc i see even his close fans not being happy with him he has the tools in my opinion to be the best and beat the best in the welter division.
money vs pac calzaghe vs dawson
Would in my opinion end all debate with these two great boxers.But i doubt joe will fight again.
Manny Pacquiao will go down with an *Asterisk next to his name for all eternity. In my opinion, I think he should be banned from boxing all together for what he did to the sport. Pharmaceuticals, or even the suspicion of them have no place in boxing. Manny did NOTHING to dispel that myth. This legacy will be on his epitaph and will be buried along with him.
All fighters carefully choose their opponents. Every single one of them do. Mayweather could put an exclamation point on his legacy with a convincing victory over Pacquiao.
Thanks to Bob Arum, he wants to ride this meal train as long as he and Freddie Roach possibly can.
Bob, remember…you’re 80 years old!
Good article!
Calzaghe hands down, Mayweather isnt a true champ. He has the talnet, but not the heart.
Maywether will be remember as one of the best at 130 and 135 but a Flake at 147
I dont know if those of you that are laughing at this comparison are joe or floyd fans but the parallels are there, a very well written article.
Im a floyd fan but cant argue against facts. They are both great fighters, neither should be considered the G.O.A.T
Mark – I stand corrected on the Mayweather/Mosley fight attempts, good point.
What kills me about Mayweather is that he is cleary talented, he possibly could beat all of the fighters you mentioned, its just that he hasn’t fought any of them. That is what tarnishes him to me. Hopefully he will come through and fight Pacquiao, that will be his ‘legacy’ fight.
Who they didn’t fight in their prime as well as who they actually fought, will forever be part of both men’s legacies.
No comparison what so ever.
Calzaghe is a legend. It makes me laugh when these Americans slate him. Jealousy is such a hard thing to overcome.
I would just like to correct Ant Banks on one thing, although I concur with much of what she said. Mayweather has tried to make some of these fights. He tried to fight Mosley twice. Once as a lightweight and also in 2006 as a Welterweight. He also is making an attempt to fight Pacman in March.
I am a Mayweather fan, but I cannot argue with this very good and factual article. What made my two favorite fighters (Ali and Leonard) so great is that they fought and beat many great fighters.
If Calzaghe would have fought and beat a prime Jones and Hopkins, and then went on to beat Dawson, his legacy would be special.
Mayweather is fighting at a time where is has so many great fighters to choose from (Mosley, Williams, Pacman, Clotty, Bradley, Martinez, etc). He could be considered one of the greatest of all time if he put some of these names on his belt. As a Maywether, I’m dissappointed that these fights have not been made.
Having said that, I do not believe Mayweather is afraid of any of them. In fact, I believe Mayweather would beat all of the above, with the exception of maybe Williams, because of his size.
I do agree with Ant Banks, but good article!
joe calzaghe fought in a divison with no depth whatsoever wen he clearly had the skills to step up in weight and take on some of the best out there….mayweather is the most technically gifted boxe3r of recent times and wen (not if although it wont be march 13th) fights manny he will show he was a true great until then his legacy is in doubt