When reading articles on this site concerning Joe Calzaghe (46-0 32 KO’s) the common themes seem to comprise whether Calzaghe really was as good as his record would suggest, or whether infact he was nothing more than a carefully matched fighter who fought in a weak division in a poor era. I will offer my own opinions on this matter later in the article. However, first I would like to explore an aspect of Calzaghe which seems to be largely ignored by most writers and which i believe has a direct impact on how we should appraise Calzaghe’s achievements: his brittle hands. For most of his career Calzaghe was a revered puncher stopping many opponents early in fights. It could be argued that he did not possess the one punch knockout power of a prime Roy Jones Jr, however his quick two fisted attacks were ferocious, and in his prime Calzaghe was an incredibly aggressive fighter, often overwhelming opponents. Evidence of this can be seen in his first round knockdown of the great former champion and granite chinned Chis Eubank, who later told reporters it was the hardest he had ever been hit (baring in mind this is a man who had tasted the power of Nigel ‘the dark destroyer’ Benn). Further examples can be seen in Calzaghe’s demolition of the previously undefeated and highly rated Mario Veit, as well as his heroic coming off the canvass knockout of American hope Byron Mitchell. Read more: http://www.boxingnews24.com/2011/06...-good-as-his-record-would-suggest/#more-69873
