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.
When you think about it the idea of some promoter willing to pay 10 million for a known slapper seems hilarious. With cable networks trying to squeeze out every last penny by reducing boxing coverage and going after the more exciting fighters – read: sluggers – and the much more appealing match ups, the thought that anyone would be willing to pay Calzaghe an absurd fee of 10 million would seem nothing more than a pipe dream on his part.
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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