Johnson "Calzaghe fight is finished"

REAL_DEAL · Post by **REAL_DEAL** » 07 Jun 2004, 15:31

secondsout

http://secondsout.emojo.com/UK/news.cfm ... 8&cs=13569

By Anthony Evans: A furious Glen Johnson insists that he'll never give Joe Calzaghe an opportunity to fight for his IBF light heavyweight title in the wake of the Welshman's pull out of this Saturday's eagerly anticipated fight at the Manchester Arena, Manchester, England.

Undefeated Calzaghe, Britain's best pound-for-pound fighter, withdrew from arguably the biggest fight of his life on seven days notice with a serious back injury. A July re-scheduled date was immediately mooted but Miami-based champion Johnson is so livid that all his efforts in training were for naught he has instructed his management team to cease negotiations with the reigning WBO super-middleweight champion.

He told SecondsOut: "In my book - and I'm the champion - the fight is cancelled, not postponed. Why would I waste my time getting ready for a guy who don't want to fight? I have bills to pay I can't wait around for this guy to decide whether or not he wants to fight. I'm not fighting this guy anymore, I'm not waiting my time on him. I've told my manager and promoter (Henry Foster and Dan Goossen) to find me someone else to fight because I'm not interested in Calzaghe now."

Johnson pic by Mr Will continued: "When I was a super-middleweight he wouldn't give me a shot at his WBO title but I was willing to give him a shot at my title now I am champion. But this is the second time he's tried to change the date (the fight was put back one week from June 5 to June 12 - but that was to allow promoters Sports Network more time to find co-headliner Ricky Hatton an opponent) and I won't put up with this."

Welsh southpaw Calzaghe was arrested for a domestic disturbance last week and there have been suggestions that problems in his personal life may be the reason for his withdrawal. However, promoter allegedly is adamant his fighter pulled out with intense pain in his lower back, saying Sunday: "Despite undergoing intensive physiotherapy treatment Joe is still in great pain. There was no way he could get in the ring with Johnson, who is a great champion and is expected to give Joe the toughest test of his career. I am currently negotiating with Johnson's promoter Dan Goossen to reschedule the fight and am looking for a July date."

But Johnson is adamant that won't happen: "If Joe is injured I wish him a speedy recovery; if it (the pullout) is because of domestic problems that's just no excuse. Everyone has problems in their personal life, I do right now but I am still ready to go to work. Calzaghe should be professional. He can't expect me to wait for him to work out his personal problems."

If Johnson v Calzaghe is dead in the water then it will be a tremendous loss to the British scene. With so few big fights happening in the UK this year, the clash at 175lbs was hotly anticipated. Hopefully, Johnson will calm down over the coming weeks but his anger is shared by his manager.

"Joe Calzaghe is a complete pussy," spat Foster. "They told us Saturday about a back injury - and how I believe that! Calzaghe is a punk; I heard he's got some problems but c'mon. I really don't know what will happen. I think Dan is looking at other fights and maybe, maybe we could talk about Calzaghe at a future date but Glen really don't want to know about Calzaghe he's so mad."

I sensed Foster was more open to a rescheduling of the Calzaghe fight than the champion was and, let's be honest, Johnson will not make the money he was going to get from the Calzaghe bout elsewhere.

While Foster mentioned several other fighters, like Paul Briggs, as possible alternatives I still expect to see Johnson back in the UK this summer. But we'll see

Calzaghe - viet 2 ?

bennie · Post by **bennie** » 07 Jun 2004, 15:34

Good for him. Calzaghe doesn't deserve a second chance after pulling out so late. He was the challenger and acted arrogantly. He has to learn that proper title shots don't come easy.

KOJOE90 · Post by **KOJOE90** » 07 Jun 2004, 15:34

I'm not too shocked with Glens reaction, it's very understandable really.

deadpan · Post by **deadpan** » 07 Jun 2004, 15:54

I think he'll backtrack.

For a start he has a very good chance of pulling off an 'upset'.

Joe is heading into career car crash territory.

Eric the Viking · Post by **Eric the Viking** » 07 Jun 2004, 15:57

Agree 100% with Johnson - he was being very generous in giving Calzaghe a shot at his 175-lb title. Obviously Johnson was going to get a nice payday as well, but to give Calzaghe, who never beat the top guys at 168, held the lesser WBO title and never even *fought* at 175 before a major-title shot on his own home turf, that's being pretty damn accommodating. fornicate Calzaghe - he's a marital-vow-breaking, big-fight-ducking tosser in my book.

bennie · Post by **bennie** » 07 Jun 2004, 16:01

The first thing I thought of when Calzaghe pulled out on Saturday night was: what about all that talk down the years about him wanting a big fight!
Talk's cheap.

tonyevs · Post by **tonyevs** » 07 Jun 2004, 16:40

This is the last straw for Calzaghe.
He has let his Welsh fans down many times over the years, the last time just before christmas,and then taking his biggest fight out of Wales.
Good for Glencoffe, he is acting like a champion..gives a man a chance , and the man turns it down...Calzaghe was very lucky to be offered it in the first place.

bennie · Post by **bennie** » 07 Jun 2004, 16:47

Would Johnson have received any of his purse?

Eric the Viking · Post by **Eric the Viking** » 07 Jun 2004, 17:10

If I were Johnson I'd ask for a physician not affiliated in any way with Warren and Sky to check Calzaghe out - if he doesn't confirm the injury, sue the bastards for breach of contract. Why should he take Warren and Calzaghe's word for it?

A strategically positioned private investigator watching Calzaghe shag his latest tomato rotten despite his alleged bad back would be even funnier. I can imagine Joe's explanation: "It, uh, only hurts when I'm not having sex..." ;)

JimStone · Post by **JimStone** » 08 Jun 2004, 04:38

bennie wrote:Would Johnson have received any of his purse?

Frank has drawn for the tickets, you'd of thought Glen will get weighed in for at least a percentage of his purse to cover expenses and man hours spent preparing, but you never know.

knockout artist · Post by **knockout artist** » 08 Jun 2004, 05:11

FlawedGenius wrote:
bennie wrote:Would Johnson have received any of his purse?
Frank has drawn for the tickets, you'd of thought Glen will get weighed in for at least a percentage of his purse to cover expenses and man hours spent preparing, but you never know.

They should be insured for this sort of thing. Calzaghe's insurance should cover Johnson.

jamesmcdonnell · Post by **jamesmcdonnell** » 08 Jun 2004, 05:40

Sadly, Johnson probably has little other ways to make money, whose going to face him, Tarver? Tarver wants Tyson or Jones, he ain't interested in fighting an unknown light-heavyweight champion.

British boxing takes another knock, another lost opportunity.

bugs · Post by **bugs** » 08 Jun 2004, 06:57

Calzaghe has not ducked a fight before so cut the crap that the calzaghe bashers always come out with. I have posted on numerous other threads saying who he fought and who ducked him so search back through my posts if you are interested.

As for this fight, Calzaghe may be playing the field but he is not stupid, he knows that withdrawing from Saturday is going to hurt his career, his titel hopes and his legacy, so I am guessing he probably is injured. Damn shame and real annoying, but he is still a fantastic fighter and in a way I am also pretty sure Johnson is relieved out of the press' eyes.

jamesmcdonnell · Post by **jamesmcdonnell** » 08 Jun 2004, 07:05

Sorry, excuse me, are you Joe's new squeeze or something?

How do you figure Johnson is 'relieved' you think he's really shitting himself about facing Calzaghe, do me a favour. Win or lose, Johnson believes he has a good shot at beating Calzaghe, and he's been in plenty of title fights before now, and against top quality opposition too.

As for whether Calzaghe is genuinely injured or not, I don't know, but suffice to say I have my doubts, as do plenty of other people, and rightly so.

Johnson is fuming over this, it's a lost opportunity for him, and after a career of getting fucked from behind by the judges you have to feel for him.

And don't tell me I'm a Calzaghe basher either, because I am not, but there is no way that anyone can claim he has faced every challenger, nor 'cleaned out the division' either for that matter. Yes Ottke may have ducked him, but there are many other fighters who Calzaghe could have fought instead.

J · Post by J » 08 Jun 2004, 07:15

bingo Jim.

Calzaghe if he isnt careful will go down as "THE MOST DISSAPOINTING BRITISH FIGHTER EVER"

all the talent and no bollox.
excuse after excuse. Cant go stateside cos he is scared of flying well we know thats a load of shit as he was ringsinde in the states for de la hoya mosely, cant get the big names they are running scared, yeah right Joe more bullshit. I fight the best, yeah usually after ottke has beaten em first so you know they arent a danger. Im sick of excuses we have had ten years of it.

In short he has shot himself in the foot arse back whatever.

bennie · Post by **bennie** » 08 Jun 2004, 08:35

bugs wrote:Calzaghe has not ducked a fight before so cut the crap that the calzaghe bashers always come out with. I have posted on numerous other threads saying who he fought and who ducked him so search back through my posts if you are interested.

As for this fight, Calzaghe may be playing the field but he is not stupid, he knows that withdrawing from Saturday is going to hurt his career, his titel hopes and his legacy, so I am guessing he probably is injured. Damn shame and real annoying, but he is still a fantastic fighter and in a way I am also pretty sure Johnson is relieved out of the press' eyes.

Kilburn posted the recent WBC super-middleweight title history yesterday:
Since 1996:
Sugarboy Malinga beats Nigel Benn
Malinga loses to Nardiello in first defence
who loses to Robin Reid in first defence
Reid makes 3 defences, loses to Malinga
Malinga loses to Woodhall in first defence
Woodhall makes 2 defences, loses to Beyer
Beyer makes 1 defence, then gets KTFO by Catley
Catley gets KTFO by Thobela
Thobela loses to Hilton
Lucas picks up vacant title, makes 3 defences then loses to Beyer
Beyer makes 2 defences, loses it at the weekend.

Where was Calzaghe when all this was going on? Pissing about with his WBO belt. The Welshman had a golden chance to clean up. Instead, he sat back and allowed his British peers to take that chance.
When he does decide to go for a proper belt after seven years as WBO champ, he pulls out. Johnson was already in the country, ready, willing and able. Small wonder he's so angry.

glittermonkey · Post by **glittermonkey** » 08 Jun 2004, 08:41

Look at the fighters on that list. If Joe had been as ambitious as he likes to claim he is, he'd have had that belt a long while ago. As it is, out of those names he's only fought Reid and Woodhall, a poor showing no matter what the excuses.

bennie · Post by **bennie** » 08 Jun 2004, 08:45

glittermonkey wrote:Look at the fighters on that list. If Joe had been as ambitious as he likes to claim he is, he'd have had that belt a long while ago. As it is, out of those names he's only fought Reid and Woodhall, a poor showing no matter what the excuses.

The sad thing is, Calzaghe would have probably have beaten all of them...the only man who may have really given Calzaghe a Reid-like struggle was a prime Catley.

glittermonkey · Post by **glittermonkey** » 08 Jun 2004, 08:56

bennie wrote:
glittermonkey wrote:Look at the fighters on that list. If Joe had been as ambitious as he likes to claim he is, he'd have had that belt a long while ago. As it is, out of those names he's only fought Reid and Woodhall, a poor showing no matter what the excuses.
The sad things is, Calzaghe would have probably have beaten all of them...the only man who may have really given Calzaghe a Reid-like struggle was a prime Catley.

I'd have given Malinga an outside chance at beating Joe. If the fight happened in the late 90's i think Malinga may have still been good enough to cause Calzaghe a few problems. Malinga could just be so awkward, and in that phase of Joe's career he (Joe) was so inconsistant. But yeah, Catley would have been an interesting test.

bennie · Post by **bennie** » 08 Jun 2004, 09:00

glittermonkey wrote:
bennie wrote:
glittermonkey wrote:Look at the fighters on that list. If Joe had been as ambitious as he likes to claim he is, he'd have had that belt a long while ago. As it is, out of those names he's only fought Reid and Woodhall, a poor showing no matter what the excuses.
The sad things is, Calzaghe would have probably have beaten all of them...the only man who may have really given Calzaghe a Reid-like struggle was a prime Catley.
I'd have given Malinga an outside chance at beating Joe. If the fight happened in the late 90's i think Malinga may have still been good enough to cause Calzaghe a few problems. Malinga could just be so awkward, and in that phase of Joe's career he (Joe) was so inconsistant. But yeah, Catley would have been an interesting test.

Agree. Malinga was a cutie. A joy to watch. Not sure about his workrate (Woodhall just seemed to work harder the night he beat him) but the way he stood up to Benn and took him apart was beautiful. He also played with Reid of course.
I think the bottom line is: we'll never know, but should have.

tonyevs · Post by **tonyevs** » 08 Jun 2004, 17:29

...the only man who may have really given Calzaghe a Reid-like struggle was a prime Catley.[/quote]

Possibly the worst fighter to name to have given Joe a good fight would have been Catley..even in his prime he could not take a decent shot.
His stable mate Dean Francis, before his problems, would have been a better name to have put forward.

jamesmcdonnell · Post by **jamesmcdonnell** » 08 Jun 2004, 18:33

I never knew he was ringside for DLH v Mosley, how can he have kept a straight face when he claimed he was scared of flying, christ!

stujones · Post by **stujones** » 08 Jun 2004, 19:25

tonyevs wrote:Dean Francis, before his problems, would have been a better name to have put forward.

Dean Francis would have beaten him in my opinion, if it wasn't for his problems I think he would have been the best of the Supermiddles (including Benn, Eubank and Collins).

The guy had it all, heart, technique, could hit like a mule and was only like 22 when knocking on the door of a world title. Just imagine what he would have been like at 27-28.

Joe, of course, beat him as an amateur, but there is 2 years between them, I'm not sure how old they were when they fought - but I would imagine Francis was around 17 and Joe 19 - were there is a huge difference in physical development.