Eubank on Calzaghe Retirement..!

[Greg Nicholas]

He broke all my records, so all power to him. He's a legend. In any avenue of lifemanship, there is always somebody that little bit better just around the corner. It has to be that way or the world would stop revolving.

Joe's retired for now, but he's not retired (as) a great figher. He's only won. It's how you handle defeat after winning so much, and if you come back and beat your conqueror and win world titles and great fights. That's greatness. Like Hagler and Ali had to. I tried and failed.

But then I'd already met my master in Michael Watson in our rematch fight; that night he battered me from pillar to post, and everything I hit Michael with - nothing, he kept on coming.

I accepted defeat not after the fight but actually during the fight itself. That's integrity, and the highest rank you can get, in any way of being, is through integrity.

I got up to carry on in a fight I couldn't win. The sort of power I acquired to throw that one shot, the sort of power I required to win the fight, even though I had nothing left, can only be acquired if you are truly honest.

I got back up to take more punches.

I'm shocked Joe has retired now, because he's a very undamaged fighter and there are big names out there to pull in big money against: (Antonio) Tarver, (Bernard) Hopkins. I think it's silly.

You think I was going to go in with Mike McCallum directly after the internal damage Nigel Benn inflicted on me? I didn't have Hagler and Sugar Ray Leonard and I wasn't undamaged. Why retire?

DIG

I had a heavily swollen jaw for the first week of every unit of heavy sparring, that's 52 fights. So for a year of my life my jaw was swelled up. I took more punches to my head than my jaw.

I wasn't gifted enough to be sharp without heavy sparring. Plus it gave my flesh immunity. Usually I was back in the gymnasium on the Monday morning after the Saturday night fight. But it took me three weeks to recover from Benn 1 and four weeks to recover from Watson 2.

I never damaged my hands though because I punched correctly.

[Greg Nicholas]

On Watson 1st fight..

Michael instigated that I had brought the business into disrepute - through the vocally honest integrity that I was boxing for finance and family, first and foremost - and that I was working against the integrity of legends like Ali and Sugar Ray Leonard, who had helped raise the profile and perception of the sport.

This annoyed me. Michael also made it quite personal, through the sheer baseness of his comments, which annoyed me, too, as did his lack of perspective.

For the first time in my career, I took my eye off the subject matter, that ball of objectivity which was to simply score more points than your opponent then shake his hand and pat his back.

I wanted to humiliate him. It didn't matter that I was going into the fight with a broken sternum and that they couldn't detect my blood pressure through lack of hydration.

I took all of the first six rounds with ease, won them all without question. It didn't matter that I could physically feel my brain rattling around inside my skull - I remained the coolest man in the arena, with all my front.

I started to panic when I realised I hadn't gone into the fight with objectivity, which was my whole thing, and this created abit of a summer-long fracas, in the end.

On Collins 1st fight..

I lost because for the first time in my career I went out to hurt my opponent.

On David Haye..

I'm a big fan of his. I think he's fantastic. I like his style, in and out of the ring. The things he says - that's not a bad way to go about your business because it brings audience.

It brings audience because the public will want to see if he's going to be the man he says he is.

If he's going to win the world heavyweight title, he's got to keep those hands down. Box with your hands up and you have to move your hands away from your face to throw a punch, and that's when you get hit.

The sensible thing to do is to box with your hands down, because it makes your opponent think - and while he's doing that, you are hitting him.

On The Bronx..

I went there not knowing what to expect, to escape the system in England, but it was nightmarish. After 10, 12 days I wanted to go home. But there was no way out. I had no money and I was too scared to steal there.

I went to the gym, to school and to church to keep myself off the streets, which were too scarey. I threw myself into my studies, threw myself into my training. Boxing was a way out.

Boxing got me to Manhattan, which was a whole new world. I wouldn't have seen it without boxing, I worked my way there as an amateur, worked my way up. I saw it as a way to see the world.

I wanted to work my way into the boxing team and see the world. It was my only means at the time. But then I had a school telephone bill to cough up, where I'd been using the school phone to call a girl, and boxing was my only means to pay up - through turning professional.

I wasn't simply the best, I just pretended to be.

[Rocky Balboa]

I'm a fan of Eubank's! Ok, so he may not be to everyone's liking, but the man had bottle & plenty of it! He was a top-calibre fighter imo!

He may not have beaten the likes of McCallum, Toney or Jones if he had faced those guys, but he would have given his all & any of them would have known they were no for a battle & half!

[Cannibal]

A very understated hardman. I always remember that bit in the documentary Theroux did on him when they were sparring and Theroux was crapping his pants.

"What if I get a beating?"

"Then you stand there and take your beating if a beating is what you are getting. It's proper etiquette."

[metropol]

A very understated hardman. I always remember that bit in the documentary Theroux did on him when they were sparring and Theroux was crapping his pants.

"What if I get a beating?"

"Then you stand there and take your beating if a beating is what you are getting. It's proper etiquette."

I thought eubank was great entertainment hed stood apart from most boxers in a world where it is usual to be "hard" all the time he wasnt afraid to be elequent from time to time

[Max Molyneux]

Joe's retired for now, but he's not retired (as) a great figher. He's only won. It's how you handle defeat after winning so much, and if you come back and beat your conqueror and win world titles and great fights. That's greatness. Like Hagler and Ali had to. I tried and failed.

Yeah and Hagler stormed off when Leonard beat him, hardly coming back he couldn't handle it once he became rich and greedy like most of them.

[Greg Nicholas]

Haglers PRE-championship opposition betters J.Calzaghes championship opposition..! He lost twice to v.v.good fighters on the way up nd avenged both defeats

[coghaugen11]

A very understated hardman. I always remember that bit in the documentary Theroux did on him when they were sparring and Theroux was crapping his pants.

"What if I get a beating?"

"Then you stand there and take your beating if a beating is what you are getting. It's proper etiquette."

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gucv6amhro8

[metropol]

that louis is a disgrace if is was given free shots at eubank id try by best to hurt him , Just to tell people i had

[Greg Nicholas]

Eubank was a hard hard f*cker..

[NaFianna]

Yeah, Eubank was a tough one alright, but then along came Stevie Collins :-)

[coghaugen11]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=45zj4T3yC-4

[champ4ever]

i don't class what eubank said about calzaghe as a dig because at the end of the day it's the truth, calzaghe had so many hand problems because he did'nt punch correctly, everybody knows that. what you get with eubank is the truth and honesty, some don't like that, i on the other hand respect that alot.

that louis theroux is a dick, simple as that, he asked to spar with eubank, eubank in the end agreed, and then louis made a mockery of himself, if you can't handle a sparring session or don't want to spar, then don't ask to spar with a former world champion, simple as that.. in the end louis acted like a girl.

[hurlock]

theroux was being a typical journo,misleading ronnie & chris trying to put them in a bad light & make them look like cavemen by acting bloody stupid.
eubanks should of just smashed him in the body & said this is what we do simple.
its like asking coal miners why they mine??its stupid an oxford tit with a silverspoon in his mouth tryting to tarnish our game!
maybe he was trying to get at eubanks etique,but so what if the man's betterd himself through boxing,he's doing his best to be a gent.

[yiddo14]

Yeah, Eubank was a tough one alright, but then along came Stevie Collins :-)

Much in the same way that Barrera was tough until Amir Khan came along

Eubank was a step above Collins in his prime, any non-biased Boxing fan will tell you this. Eubank, even way past his best didn't bottle it when it came to a young, fit Joe Calzaghe.

[Loynesy]

It is one of the biggest myths in boxing that Eubank is eloquent (for example, WTF is "lifemanship").

[superpunchout]

It is one of the biggest myths in boxing that Eubank is eloquent (for example, WTF is "lifemanship").

lifemanship

Pronunciation: \ˈlīf-mən-ˌship\
Function: noun
Date: 1949
: the skill or practice of achieving superiority or an appearance of superiority over others (as in conversation) by perplexing and demoralizing them

Eubank may not exactly be a glib caudron of witticisms but he does know a thing or two about the English language.

[NazNaci1]

Hard fighter, he has tremendous heart and will.

Even today when I watch, I listen to what he says, as he does speak honestly, as said b4, maybe to not everyone's taste, but he is a honest, forthright guy.

Good fighter, watch the very last 10 secs of his fighter with Calzaghe and you see him detonate 2 piledriver rights on Calzaghe and Calzaghe definately was stunned, rocked etc...thats the kind of fighter he was, a fighter to the end.

Love the bloke.

[adamheight]

damn i like eubank...obviously its better to read his views than actually listen to him speak

[Loynesy]

It is one of the biggest myths in boxing that Eubank is eloquent (for example, WTF is "lifemanship").

lifemanship

Pronunciation: \ˈlīf-mən-ˌship\
Function: noun
Date: 1949
: the skill or practice of achieving superiority or an appearance of superiority over others (as in conversation) by perplexing and demoralizing them

Eubank may not exactly be a glib caudron of witticisms but he does know a thing or two about the English language.

Er, no he doesn't.

It is not a real word, it was "made up" by legendary satirist Stephen Potter.

[Phenomenal-Nutrition]

It is one of the biggest myths in boxing that Eubank is eloquent (for example, WTF is "lifemanship").

lifemanship

Pronunciation: \ˈlīf-mən-ˌship\
Function: noun
Date: 1949
: the skill or practice of achieving superiority or an appearance of superiority over others (as in conversation) by perplexing and demoralizing them

Eubank may not exactly be a glib caudron of witticisms but he does know a thing or two about the English language.

Er, no he doesn't.

It is not a real word, it was "made up" by legendary satirist Stephen Potter.

Language is always an evolving form though, always has been

[Autobarn]

Eubank obsures what he's supposed to be saying by trying to sound eloquent (IMO) but really he just spreads confusion.

Hopkins is even more difficult to understand. He rambles on and on.

[observer1]

Eubank obsures what he's supposed to be saying by trying to sound eloquent (IMO) but really he just spreads confusion.

Hopkins is even more difficult to understand. He rambles on and on.

Nah Hopkins is well spoken imo, especially now as a commentator. Much better than Roy Jones or Lewis.

[superpunchout]

It is one of the biggest myths in boxing that Eubank is eloquent (for example, WTF is "lifemanship").

lifemanship

Pronunciation: \ˈlīf-mən-ˌship\
Function: noun
Date: 1949
: the skill or practice of achieving superiority or an appearance of superiority over others (as in conversation) by perplexing and demoralizing them

Eubank may not exactly be a glib caudron of witticisms but he does know a thing or two about the English language.

Er, no he doesn't.

It is not a real word, it was "made up" by legendary satirist Stephen Potter.

The word boredom was "made up" by Charles Dickens.

I'm done with splitting hairs, the bottom line is that I think more highly of Eubank's core intelligence than I suspect you do.
He isn't intuitive in conversational terms and I think he tries to paper over the cracks by overplaying the eloquent hand sometimes.

Like others have already said, he reads better than he talks. The medium of literature allows him to trim away all of the fat and what you are left with is pure gold imho. Personally I found his autobiography a zillion times more absorbing that the fare offered by the likes of Calzaghe and Hatton.

[TheCentre]

Eubank is a polite guy. I would have called bullshit on the retirement and called Calzaghe what he is, a big pussy. I can't stand fighters that never travel outside their area for fights. Those who do not seek their opposition where ever it may be found are not deserving of words such as "legend" or "greatest". Except his last fights Calzaghe spent his entire career fighting local fights so for me he is a local champ.

In all his 46 fights he fought outside the UK only against
Mario Veit
Bernard Hopkins
Roy Jones Jr.

3 fights out of 46

Also I found it absurd when he stated in his fight against Roy Jones (or Bernard I think) that he is a legend slayer?????? WTF

He had his entire career to pick fights against Bernard, Roy Jones, and so many other yet he makes that choice when the are both older and slower (though Bernard is still dangerous).

True he did defeat Kessler, but thats only one guy, all the rest (to the exception of old bernard and old Roy) were fights he had at home in the comfort of his fans.