Calzaghe is fighting another nobody

REAL_DEAL · Post by **REAL_DEAL** » 18 Aug 2004, 09:36

October 22: Joe Calzaghe Vs. Kabary Salem
By G. Leon

August 18, 2004 - Longtime WBO super middleweight champion, Joe Calzaghe will defend his title for the fifteenth time when he takes on rugged contender Kabary Salem on October 22. Salem dropped a controversial decision to interim titlist Mario Veit earlier this year. Sources from the Salem camp have informed us the fight will soon be signed. Boxingtalk.com will have more to follow but until then remember where you heard it first! (12:01 am/ET)

Kilburn · Post by **Kilburn** » 18 Aug 2004, 09:49

Just a slight loss of momentum then for Calzaghe's career.

DG. · Post by **DG.** » 18 Aug 2004, 09:49

Lets hope Salem knocks his arse out !

Total bullshit from Spunks Waworks...AGAIN !

Who even cares ?..

Exile · Post by **Exile** » 18 Aug 2004, 09:51

What a shocker!! Its not like Calzaghe to beat up on bums, his fights are usually so competative

This is a complete joke, it wont matter how many defences Joe makes of his title because unless he fights someone with a pulse soon he will be remembered by fans about as long as a headache.

15 title defences and yet the only legit fighters he has faced are Eubank, Reid, Brewer and Mitchell. Sorry but that isnt good enough for someone who has been proclaiming himself the best in the division for years despite no attempts at unifying. I remember a while back he even had the brass neck to say that Hopkins and Jones jr were running from him.

A tradgedy that someone with his talent has been allowed to waste away, i honestly thought that after the Eubank fight he would go on to bigger and better thing but here we go again......boring

Loynesy · Post by **Loynesy** » 18 Aug 2004, 09:58

Fighting a bloke who lost to a guy Joe knocked out in round one.....

knockout · Post by **knockout** » 18 Aug 2004, 10:10

salem is a dirty fcuker...... hits hard with his head....

nickd · Post by **nickd** » 18 Aug 2004, 10:30

What a load of rubbish.

Calzaghe was rubbishing the idea of fighting Veit as he has already beaten him yet is happy to face a guy coming off a loss to Veit!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! CALZAGHE YOU ARE AN ABSOLUTE JOKE RETIRE NOW.

Loftgroov · Post by **Loftgroov** » 18 Aug 2004, 10:31

Exile wrote: 15 title defences and yet the only legit fighters he has faced are Eubank, Reid, Brewer and Mitchell.

and three of those four were hardly "in their prime" eh.

bennie · Post by **bennie** » 18 Aug 2004, 10:33

"Remember where you heard it first..." We're trying to forget, boxingtalk.com. We're trying to forget.

REAL_DEAL · Post by **REAL_DEAL** » 18 Aug 2004, 10:38

this will be the 4th time in 5 fights that i have never heard of the fighter he is fighting before.

Eric the Viking · Post by **Eric the Viking** » 18 Aug 2004, 12:05

The only potential ray of hope I see here is that since this is from BoxingTalk it's only 50/50 that it's true. Remember, the Mighty Veity only managed to eke out a SD over Salem, so Salem must be a real world-class operator. (Or at least he would be if I were writing PR's for Sports Network.)

Oh damn, I see the Salem "fight" listed on Chicken Calzone's BoxRecord, so it appears to be for real, or at least 60/40, whichever is greater.

After Salem (assuming Joe manages to climb that massive mountain and get the historic and legendary win), what next for the great Italo-Welshman? Perhaps a unification bout against Croation legend Branko "I, Robot" Sobot? Or the eagerly anticipated rematch with Russo-Armenian Mger MKresjtaeribygntehrefgedlregre754754th? Or (and I hardly dare hope this much, it just sends my heart pitter-pattering and my goosebumps goosebumping to even think of it) a mega-fight-of-the-millenium against the awesome, ravages-of-time-defying Jerry "The Austro-Nigerian Nightmare" Elliott? Sorry, gotta step up away from my computer to collect myself - I'm getting choked up just imagining the possibilities.

deadpan · Post by **deadpan** » 18 Aug 2004, 12:43

What a fabulous paradox.

The man who lost an interim title fight gets first shot at the champion.

Welcome to the wonderful world of allegedly and the WBO.

Eric the Viking · Post by **Eric the Viking** » 18 Aug 2004, 12:48

The WBO playing strange games with rankings and mandatories? I find that shockingly out of character for them.

steve689 · Post by **steve689** » 18 Aug 2004, 12:53

Ha ha, look at everyone getting wound up by another speculative opponent! Why dont you all just chill out and treat Calzaghe's career as the joke it is.

glittermonkey · Post by **glittermonkey** » 18 Aug 2004, 13:10

You guys want the moon on a stick. Salem is a decent opponent for Calzaghe. He lost a narrow split to Veit (narrow despite headbutting the ref and having two points deducted for another naughty with the head), took Echols the distance and also lasted the course against Eric Harding. He has also been in with several other named fighters.

Okay, so boxrec has him at 27 in their rankings, but that isn't always a fair indication of a fighter's ability. And so what if the guy is 36, i still think he'll give Joe a hard time.

My T Sharp · Post by **My T Sharp** » 18 Aug 2004, 14:19

I don't think we can expect too much from Joe anymore after pulling out twice from fighting Glencoffe Johnson.

If the back injuries are still a problem expect him to follow the Johnny Nelson approach of defending his WBO title once a year against fringe contenders.

REAL_DEAL · Post by **REAL_DEAL** » 18 Aug 2004, 14:24

My T Sharp wrote:I don't think we can expect too much from Joe anymore after pulling out twice from fighting Glencoffe Johnson.

If the back injuries are still a problem expect him to follow the Johnny Nelson approach of defending his WBO title once a year against fringe contenders.

isnt he doing that now?

Eric the Viking · Post by **Eric the Viking** » 18 Aug 2004, 14:25

glittermonkey wrote:You guys want the moon on a stick. Salem is a decent opponent for Calzaghe. He lost a narrow split to Veit (narrow despite headbutting the ref and having two points deducted for another naughty with the head), took Echols the distance and also lasted the course against Eric Harding. He has also been in with several other named fighters.

Okay, so boxrec has him at 27 in their rankings, but that isn't always a fair indication of a fighter's ability. And so what if the guy is 36, i still think he'll give Joe a hard time.

It's just that Calzaghe's and Warren's talk for years now has been about how they want a mega-fight with Jones or Hopkins but those guys are afraid of Joey, blah, blah, blah, while Joe fights one stiff after another.

Then when it finally looks like Joe is going to try to step it up against a proven quality fighter who's not 5 years past his best form, Glen Johnson, what does Joe do? Spends the months leading up to the fight arguing with his wife, chasing tail and partying, then pulls out of the fight on short notice with a mysterious "back ailment," which days later magically clears up as Calzaghe/Warren generously offer Johnson a makeup fight on worse terms for him (i.e. in Cardiff), then magically reappears when Johnson and Dan Goossen justifiably tell Calzaghe and Warren to fornicate off (not in those precise terms, but that's the gist of it.)

I wouldn't consider expecting Joe to actually fight somebody in the top 10 asking for "the moon on a stick." Hell, there's at least 10 guys in the top 20 at 168 he's never fought, yet he claims to have cleaned out the division. A guy like that deserves to get ragged on mercilessly.

Wales · Post by **Wales** » 18 Aug 2004, 14:30

suppose our friends at sky will bill at joe vs the guy thats never been stopped

bennie · Post by **bennie** » 18 Aug 2004, 15:24

He headbutted the ref?

Bard of Boxrec · Post by **Bard of Boxrec** » 18 Aug 2004, 15:25

we all know joe is relieved he's not fighting Swarchkopfzx. When 'Hawaii Jabb-O' recovers from his groin ailment and relocates his shoulder the man from Latvia via Burkino Faso and Honolulu will be ready to take away his World supermiddleweight title.

REAL_DEAL · Post by **REAL_DEAL** » 18 Aug 2004, 15:28

bennie wrote:He headbutted the ref?

viet fight

Salem penalized 2 points in Round 5 for intentional headbutting. In Round 7, Salem broke the referee's nose after the two clashed heads

stujones · Post by **stujones** » 18 Aug 2004, 16:17

Abosultely rediculous. Team Calzaghe called a Viet rematch a backward step, and I would be fuming if that match would have been arranged. But a Fighter who LOST and eliminator against Viet, it sjust doesn't make sense - you know Calzaghe should have to face Viet again if something cannot be done at Light Heavy. So not only is 2004 been a disaster, 2005 will not start off better.

black panther · Post by **black panther** » 18 Aug 2004, 17:24

i remember reading a quote from enzo calzaghe a while back " we want to move forward and not move backward by fighting C-class fighters like Howard Eastman and Robin Reid."

[/quote]

glittermonkey · Post by **glittermonkey** » 18 Aug 2004, 17:28

Eric the Viking wrote:
glittermonkey wrote:You guys want the moon on a stick. Salem is a decent opponent for Calzaghe. He lost a narrow split to Veit (narrow despite headbutting the ref and having two points deducted for another naughty with the head), took Echols the distance and also lasted the course against Eric Harding. He has also been in with several other named fighters.

Okay, so boxrec has him at 27 in their rankings, but that isn't always a fair indication of a fighter's ability. And so what if the guy is 36, i still think he'll give Joe a hard time.
It's just that Calzaghe's and Warren's talk for years now has been about how they want a mega-fight with Jones or Hopkins but those guys are afraid of Joey, blah, blah, blah, while Joe fights one stiff after another.

Then when it finally looks like Joe is going to try to step it up against a proven quality fighter who's not 5 years past his best form, Glen Johnson, what does Joe do? Spends the months leading up to the fight arguing with his wife, chasing tail and partying, then pulls out of the fight on short notice with a mysterious "back ailment," which days later magically clears up as Calzaghe/Warren generously offer Johnson a makeup fight on worse terms for him (i.e. in Cardiff), then magically reappears when Johnson and Dan Goossen justifiably tell Calzaghe and Warren to fornicate off (not in those precise terms, but that's the gist of it.)

I wouldn't consider expecting Joe to actually fight somebody in the top 10 asking for "the moon on a stick." Hell, there's at least 10 guys in the top 20 at 168 he's never fought, yet he claims to have cleaned out the division. A guy like that deserves to get ragged on mercilessly.

I was only being half serious. Of course, i'm as disappointed with Calzaghe's career as the next bloke (unless that "next bloke" happens to be Warren). It's not very often we Brits manage to find a fighter who is capable of dominating a division, so to see him bottle it (my opinion) when a big chance comes his way is galling.

However, this guy is a better fighter than Will McIntyre, Tocker Pudwill, Rick Thornberry, and Mega Maacratcheanne (spelling looks about right). I'd say that there's been at least 6 worse defences than this one, presuming it happens. Yes, Calzaghe shouldn't be fighting a guy of this standard, but given his previous opposition this Salem isn't all that bad.