By Joseph Hirsch: Joe Calzaghe is probably the most controversial champion of the last twenty-five years. Many regard him as one of the most overprotected European fighters in history, with the possible exception of Sven Ottke, a man with an ineffectual pitter-pat style of punching who favored picking on old men like Bernard Hopkins or Roy Jones Jr., rather than challenging himself against young lions like Carl “the Cobra” Froch or Kelly “the Ghost,” Pavlik. Others believe Joe to be one of the greatest European fighters to ever lace on the gloves, a man with a perfect record of 46-0.

Whatever your opinion, no one can dispute that he was incredibly fast, and that he had created a style completely his own, largely a product of his father impressing upon his son an improvisational jazz-like rhythm that none of his opponents found comfortable. The Welshman was a nearly impossible man to outpace, with a blistering work-rate and a will to win that saw him rise from a life of poverty on a lowly council estate, all the way to celebrity status.

So now that preliminaries are out of the way, how would “No Ordinary Joe,” have fared against the six men currently embroiled Showtime’s “Super Six” round robin tournament? The question is an intriguing one, and at least two of the men currently engaged in the competition have an opinion about Joe C. The American Andre Dirrell, one of the most naturally gifted boxers alive, was recently asked how Calzaghe would have fared against a younger and more durable Roy Jones Jr. Dirrell responded that “he (Jones) would have slaughtered that dude (Calzaghe).” He made it clear that he did not respect Joe’s skill level, and that Joe was a marginal Euro talent.

The other Super-Six contestant, Carl Froch, has something of a history with Calzaghe. He’s attempted numerous times to draw the Welshman out of retirement, calling him out in post-fight interviews and prompting some response from Calzaghe himself, who has seemed more amused than threatened by the Nottingham lad.

As for the other contestants, Arthur Abraham is a fairly new arrival to super-middleweight, and thus has not really had Calzaghe on the brain; his main fixation was Kelly Pavlik. Andre Ward conducts himself as a class act (at least outside of the ring) and has not raised his voice against Calzaghe. That leaves Mikkel Kessler, who went at it against Joe for twelve rounds and came up the loser in a fair decision. There exists a relationship of mutual respect between the two men, which time has not diminished.

So how would Calzaghe have fared in the tournament? Since it is too late for him to enter, even if the rumors about his un-retirement proved true, we can only guess. Here is this humble author’s speculation about how Calzaghe would have matched up against each of the six opponents.

Calzaghe vs. Mikkel Kessler: This one has already taken place, and Joe was clearly the winner.

CALZAGE: UD

Calzaghe vs. Andre Ward: Ward is a great counter-puncher, and relies on lunges to close the distance and smother his opponent. He uses frustrating tactics that bring out the carelessness in the other boxer. He reminds me of a young Chris Eubank, in that he tends to coil from a distance and strike, bridging large chunks of the ring in one quick bound. I imagine he would catch Calzaghe off-guard, possibly even floor him once or twice, and open some nasty cuts. Mid to late rounds Calzaghe would adjust and begin to pepper Ward with his trademark flurries, at first annoying him, and then slowly hurting him. The cumulative damage would start to show, but Ward would remain on his feet, and either lose by a thin margin or manage to tie the legend, probably the latter.

DRAW

Calzaghe vs. Carl Froch: This was one the public wanted, and one that Froch wanted even more. Calzaghe’s legacy was already cemented at this point, and he felt he had nothing to gain by getting in the ring with Froch. If it ever happened, though, this is a fight that would be fought all over the place, going from post to pillar, from the center of the ring apron to the turnbuckles. Froch likes to be set with his feet planted before he unloads, and Calzaghe would definitely not give him the satisfaction. Froch would chase Joe, leap in, miss, and find himself countered again and again, eventually crumbling under a volley of unanswered shots. I would be surprised if he landed more than ten shots flush on Joe in the course of the night.

CALZAGHE TKO ROUND 9

Calzaghe vs. Andre Dirrell: There is no question that Dirrell is one of the most skilled fighters alive, possibly the most skilled. The only problem is that you never know which Dirrell is going to show up on fight night. Against Carl Froch, he was hot and cold (mostly cold) over an ugly twelve rounds. Against Arthur Abraham, he was a different man, shutting up those who had labeled him a “negative” fighter. Assuming he came to the Calzaghe match ready to fight, Andre would leverage his power very well, staggering Joe until the Welshman was forced to make some major adjustments in the middle rounds. It would be at this point that Joe would turn on the afterburners, using some of his own world-famous spoiling tactics. The term itself sounds bad, and it is an ugly technique, but Calzaghe used it to effectively drain Bernard Hopkins; and Joe was never above dirty tactics to get the job done. He would frustrate Dirrell, unload at close range and then dance away. Dirrell would clock him hard a few times, but probably would never put Joe on the canvas. It is not impossible that Dirrell could win this fight on points, but the safe money is still on Joe.

CALZAGHE SD

Calzaghe vs. Arthur Abraham: Abraham is an intriguing fighter. He has a peek-a-boo style somewhat similar to Winky Wright’s, and is mostly active for the last thirty seconds of any given round. He has monstrous power and is responsible for some of the most brutal knockouts in recent years. That said, many feel that he lost his first fight against Edison Miranda, where “El Pantera” was docked two crucial points for head-butting. The “King,” as dangerous as he is, would be just too inactive to pose a threat to someone with an output as high as Calzaghe’s. Abraham would go into his shell, absorb all of Calzaghe’s shots without ever truly being hurt, but Joe would rack up enough points with accurate but light punches to clinch a wide decision

CALZAGHE WIDE UD

Calzaghe vs. Allan Green: No offense to Allan Green, but there is a reason he hasn’t been mentioned in this article thus far. The man lost to the eminently beatable aforementioned Miranda, and basically played dead for twelve rounds in his Super Six debut against Andre “SOG” Ward. Calzaghe by incredibly lopsided decision.
CALZAGHE UD

Looking at the above hypothetical fights, it appears that only two men stood a chance of tarnishing Calzaghe’s unblemished record, and taking away that pretty “0.” Those men are the Andres, Dirrell and Ward; neither of them will of course ever get the chance to solve this debate, unless Calzaghe decides to un-retire. That seems like a remote possibility, and perhaps it’s all for the best.

In spite of all the hate, the questions surrounding the legitimacy of his legacy, the choice words from Carl Froch and Andre Dirrell, all of the super-middleweights would do well to only mention Joe’s name when they want to pay him homage. Why wake the sleeping giant?