stujones wrote:Dioufy wrote:I don't know about that.
Just my take, I know it must sound like I do Joe contiunually a disservice, but as good as Ricky is - he got handled easily Mayweather and it was really only his charisma that got him a 2nd chance for this "P4P title" and now with the Pacquiao loss - well its going to take a long time for the rebuilding process to begining.
I think had Joe fought Hopkins/Jones in 2000..... then, partly cause of his lack of charisma, he would have been not given more opportunities. Look at decent fighters such as Bryant Brannon - anhilated by Jones, and then forgotton about.
Perhaps, but let us assume that Joe doesn't lose all these 'big' fights and manages to win one, or more. He stayed a 168lbs for too long - he missed big fights. I'm not going to mention the names as we know who they are, but I feel Joe had the quality to at least extend Jones jr and definitely BHOP. Ottke is a different fish - he would not have come out of Germany and Joe would not have gone over there, for obvious reasons. Joe going to the States much earlier than the BHOP fight would've got him big fights, especially in New York - the good-looks and the Italian stance could've been exploited. Too many obscure names on his record, who I don't even know now, nevermind before the fight. If Joe wanted to become a true legend like he said he wanted to be, then he would've took a massive risk, like Hatton did against Pacquiao and Mayweather, like Froch did against Taylor and this super-6 series, and Haye, who regardless of what people say, isn't avoiding the Klitsckho's. At the end of the day, the "0" means little to true boxing fans.
I think Calzaghe was odds-on favourite in every fight, apart from Lacy who was 5/6 with Joe being 11/10. To me, that's poor in nearly 50 fights.