Calzaghe definetly rules out Kessler for his next defence.

[Lefthookhappy19]

I saw Sheika alright. I saw the Butler fight in which he looked totally AWFUL and a shot fighter. Lacy took what was supposed to be an easy 1st defence but it didn't turn out that way and he struggled somewhat. Saleem and Mitchell dropped Joe with monster shots. Lacy wouldn't land. He's a hard puncher no doubt but not an effective one and thats what really matters.

First, Sheika didn't look shot against Butler; nor did he look shot against Ntoh before that. He was quite effective and boxed against sluggers rather than engaging in a brawl.

Second, you're arguing that Lacy isn't as effective at landing shots as Kabary Saleem? Have you seen Saleem before the Calzaghe fight? He's not very good.

Different situation. Joe was totally relaxed and dropped his hands coming in and got caught by a monster shot. Saleem was really negative and hardly threw a shot all night. He would just occasionly try and get lucky and he was. He would take Lacy seriously. After seeing the Sheika fight I could even see Joe stopping him. Lacy would be a sitting duck for his combinations.

Shot is maybe not the word. Awful is though, he looked really bad as did Butler. And as you know at the time people where calling it a mismatch because of the way Sheika had been fighting. He was done at world level. Turned out he gave Lacy a lot of trouble and hurt him at one point. Calzaghe has 10x the boxing ability of Sheika and is a hell of a lot quicker. Lacy isn't winning this one. Theirs a reason Lacys taking another easy defence. He's not ready and may never be for the top guys.

[Sweet P]

Eric Lucas is another of my favorites at 168 and I'd like to see him in against Calzaghe.

Lucas got flogged by Green but he should fight Calzaghe? How come no one has said Calzaghe Vs Green. If Calzaghe fights Green at the moment he will be beaten badley.

[Zhuge]

Eric Lucas is another of my favorites at 168 and I'd like to see him in against Calzaghe.

Lucas got flogged by Green but he should fight Calzaghe? How come no one has said Calzaghe Vs Green. If Calzaghe fights Green at the moment he will be beaten badley.

Fine -- let's see Calzaghe vs. Green.

My point was simply that I was a fan of Lucas (regardless of his performance against Green) and I'd like to see Calzaghe fight someone legitimate. Lucas is a better test than Tocker Pudwill, Mgr Mrkchian, or Kabary Saleem.

Also, I don't truly expect Green would ever have a shot at Calzaghe. Nor do I expect Calzaghe has the cojones to step in with Left Hook Lacy.

[Blue]

Lefthook,
U are only as good as your recent fights & Joe is definitely slipping having been dropped by right hands in 2 of his last 3 bouts.
With Joe's chin in the air, Lacey only has to land once.
U won’t B happy

[Phoenix]

Syd had been actively calling out Calzaghe for months trying to get a fight with him, but could not do so.

ok so we're 100% agreed that Hopkins has been ducking Calzaghe these past few years then? That's how it works isn't it, if you call a fighters name and they don't grant you a title shot they're ducking you.

[jamesmcdonnell]

I saw Sheika alright. I saw the Butler fight in which he looked totally AWFUL and a shot fighter. Lacy took what was supposed to be an easy 1st defence but it didn't turn out that way and he struggled somewhat. Saleem and Mitchell dropped Joe with monster shots. Lacy wouldn't land. He's a hard puncher no doubt but not an effective one and thats what really matters.

First, Sheika didn't look shot against Butler; nor did he look shot against Ntoh before that. He was quite effective and boxed against sluggers rather than engaging in a brawl.

Second, you're arguing that Lacy isn't as effective at landing shots as Kabary Saleem? Have you seen Saleem before the Calzaghe fight? He's not very good.

Different situation. Joe was totally relaxed and dropped his hands coming in and got caught by a monster shot. Saleem was really negative and hardly threw a shot all night. He would just occasionly try and get lucky and he was. He would take Lacy seriously. After seeing the Sheika fight I could even see Joe stopping him. Lacy would be a sitting duck for his combinations.

Shot is maybe not the word. Awful is though, he looked really bad as did Butler. And as you know at the time people where calling it a mismatch because of the way Sheika had been fighting. He was done at world level. Turned out he gave Lacy a lot of trouble and hurt him at one point. Calzaghe has 10x the boxing ability of Sheika and is a hell of a lot quicker. Lacy isn't winning this one. Theirs a reason Lacys taking another easy defence. He's not ready and may never be for the top guys.

When was thge last time that Calzaghe faced a hungry young fighter like Lacy who could really punch. As for the Salem fight, Calzaghe was standing there whaling away with big wide shots when he got caught, a tendency he's had for some time now. The last time he boxed well was against Mger Mykrtchian, and that's not a great test of his skills.

Right now I would favour Calzaghe to beat Lacy, in a year's time if Lacy continues to improve, I think I would favour lacy.

It's all well and good to say Calzaghe would take it more seriously against Lacy, but whose to say that the skills will still be there when he needs them?

[lirva33]

Calzaghe is a fornicating pussy.

[Old bones Ian]

Calzaghe is a fornicating pussy.

Come on say what you mean, stop sitting on the fence

Fighters that i would like to see face Calzahge, No1 would be Danny Green, that would be exciting for as long as it lasts. Green certainly comes to fight and carries genuine power in his fists.

other boxers that would be good or even reasonable, Mikkel Kessler ,Mario Veit (i know he got chinned b4, but has improved alot), Otis Grant , Scott Pemberton

[Zhuge]

Syd had been actively calling out Calzaghe for months trying to get a fight with him, but could not do so.

ok so we're 100% agreed that Hopkins has been ducking Calzaghe these past few years then? That's how it works isn't it, if you call a fighters name and they don't grant you a title shot they're ducking you.

I was explaining what the situation was with Vanderpool since someone earlier in the thread mentioned Calzaghe ducking him. Likewise, I was being sarcastic when I mentioned Calzaghe "ducking" Freeman Barr.

Weren't you guys heavily critical of the posting skills, interpretation ability and reading comprehension readily found on the Current Scene not long ago?

[Zhuge]

I saw Sheika alright. I saw the Butler fight in which he looked totally AWFUL and a shot fighter. Lacy took what was supposed to be an easy 1st defence but it didn't turn out that way and he struggled somewhat. Saleem and Mitchell dropped Joe with monster shots. Lacy wouldn't land. He's a hard puncher no doubt but not an effective one and thats what really matters.

First, Sheika didn't look shot against Butler; nor did he look shot against Ntoh before that. He was quite effective and boxed against sluggers rather than engaging in a brawl.

Second, you're arguing that Lacy isn't as effective at landing shots as Kabary Saleem? Have you seen Saleem before the Calzaghe fight? He's not very good.

Different situation. Joe was totally relaxed and dropped his hands coming in and got caught by a monster shot. Saleem was really negative and hardly threw a shot all night. He would just occasionly try and get lucky and he was. He would take Lacy seriously. After seeing the Sheika fight I could even see Joe stopping him. Lacy would be a sitting duck for his combinations.

Shot is maybe not the word. Awful is though, he looked really bad as did Butler. And as you know at the time people where calling it a mismatch because of the way Sheika had been fighting. He was done at world level. Turned out he gave Lacy a lot of trouble and hurt him at one point. Calzaghe has 10x the boxing ability of Sheika and is a hell of a lot quicker. Lacy isn't winning this one. Theirs a reason Lacys taking another easy defence. He's not ready and may never be for the top guys.

You should watch Sheika's fights against Pemberton (particularly the second one) as well as his "comeback" fights against Manu Ntoh and Butler (again). There's definitely a difference in his style between the two, and while both Butler and Ntoh are heavy handed guys known for getting into brawls, Sheika was able to stick to his game plan.

Now, I agree that Rubin Williams is a poor challenge to Jeff Lacy's IBF title. However, he's a more credible challenger than Tocker Pudwill or Miguel Jiminez ever was to any title. And the big thing is -- Jeff Lacy isn't afraid of anyone. Vitali Tsypko ducked him in their rematch and withdrew his name as a challenger for the vacant IBF title rather than get back in there with Lacy.

Calzaghe, on the other hand, is able to come up with all sorts of excuses as to why he can't step in with Kessler (a reigning champion) and instead calls out Echols who has moved back down in weight to 160.

Why is it when Calzaghe looks bad (against Saleem) it's excusable, but when Lacy doesn't outright destroy Sheika (who would beat Saleem and Mger) just two months after blasting out Syd Vanderpool in an exciting fight, it's proof positive he's not ready for Calzaghe?

[Freiheit]

Tsypko didnt duck Lacy the 2nd time. Tsypko is fighting a eliminator vs Rudy Markussen for the IBF #1 spot.

[jamesmcdonnell]

First, Sheika didn't look shot against Butler; nor did he look shot against Ntoh before that. He was quite effective and boxed against sluggers rather than engaging in a brawl.

Second, you're arguing that Lacy isn't as effective at landing shots as Kabary Saleem? Have you seen Saleem before the Calzaghe fight? He's not very good.

Different situation. Joe was totally relaxed and dropped his hands coming in and got caught by a monster shot. Saleem was really negative and hardly threw a shot all night. He would just occasionly try and get lucky and he was. He would take Lacy seriously. After seeing the Sheika fight I could even see Joe stopping him. Lacy would be a sitting duck for his combinations.

Shot is maybe not the word. Awful is though, he looked really bad as did Butler. And as you know at the time people where calling it a mismatch because of the way Sheika had been fighting. He was done at world level. Turned out he gave Lacy a lot of trouble and hurt him at one point. Calzaghe has 10x the boxing ability of Sheika and is a hell of a lot quicker. Lacy isn't winning this one. Theirs a reason Lacys taking another easy defence. He's not ready and may never be for the top guys.

You should watch Sheika's fights against Pemberton (particularly the second one) as well as his "comeback" fights against Manu Ntoh and Butler (again). There's definitely a difference in his style between the two, and while both Butler and Ntoh are heavy handed guys known for getting into brawls, Sheika was able to stick to his game plan.

Now, I agree that Rubin Williams is a poor challenge to Jeff Lacy's IBF title. However, he's a more credible challenger than Tocker Pudwill or Miguel Jiminez ever was to any title. And the big thing is -- Jeff Lacy isn't afraid of anyone. Vitali Tsypko ducked him in their rematch and withdrew his name as a challenger for the vacant IBF title rather than get back in there with Lacy.

Calzaghe, on the other hand, is able to come up with all sorts of excuses as to why he can't step in with Kessler (a reigning champion) and instead calls out Echols who has moved back down in weight to 160.

Why is it when Calzaghe looks bad (against Saleem) it's excusable, but when Lacy doesn't outright destroy Sheika (who would beat Saleem and Mger) just two months after blasting out Syd Vanderpool in an exciting fight, it's proof positive he's not ready for Calzaghe?

I agree entirely. Sheika is a very experienced fighter, who has added some wrinkles to his game, and is fringe world class level, and Lacy won the fight despite having some tough moments.

Calzaghe won the fight comfortably against Salem, but had to get off the canvas to do so. The fact that Salem didn't really try and follow it up was a decided bonus.

[Zhuge]

Tsypko didnt duck Lacy the 2nd time. Tsypko is fighting a eliminator vs Rudy Markussen for the IBF #1 spot.

Wrong. Tsypko had the shot for the vacant IBF belt against Lacy and he turned it down. His management team didn't feel he was ready for it yet and so they were supposed to go for the EBU title in the interim before trying to get to Lacy again. That's how Vanderpool came into the picture for the vacant belt.

[Old bones Ian]

what about Eric Teymour, i don't know that much about him, but i remember he was willing to meet Calzaghe.

[Lefthookhappy19]

First, Sheika didn't look shot against Butler; nor did he look shot against Ntoh before that. He was quite effective and boxed against sluggers rather than engaging in a brawl.

Second, you're arguing that Lacy isn't as effective at landing shots as Kabary Saleem? Have you seen Saleem before the Calzaghe fight? He's not very good.

Different situation. Joe was totally relaxed and dropped his hands coming in and got caught by a monster shot. Saleem was really negative and hardly threw a shot all night. He would just occasionly try and get lucky and he was. He would take Lacy seriously. After seeing the Sheika fight I could even see Joe stopping him. Lacy would be a sitting duck for his combinations.

Shot is maybe not the word. Awful is though, he looked really bad as did Butler. And as you know at the time people where calling it a mismatch because of the way Sheika had been fighting. He was done at world level. Turned out he gave Lacy a lot of trouble and hurt him at one point. Calzaghe has 10x the boxing ability of Sheika and is a hell of a lot quicker. Lacy isn't winning this one. Theirs a reason Lacys taking another easy defence. He's not ready and may never be for the top guys.

You should watch Sheika's fights against Pemberton (particularly the second one) as well as his "comeback" fights against Manu Ntoh and Butler (again). There's definitely a difference in his style between the two, and while both Butler and Ntoh are heavy handed guys known for getting into brawls, Sheika was able to stick to his game plan.

Now, I agree that Rubin Williams is a poor challenge to Jeff Lacy's IBF title. However, he's a more credible challenger than Tocker Pudwill or Miguel Jiminez ever was to any title. And the big thing is -- Jeff Lacy isn't afraid of anyone. Vitali Tsypko ducked him in their rematch and withdrew his name as a challenger for the vacant IBF title rather than get back in there with Lacy.

Calzaghe, on the other hand, is able to come up with all sorts of excuses as to why he can't step in with Kessler (a reigning champion) and instead calls out Echols who has moved back down in weight to 160.

Why is it when Calzaghe looks bad (against Saleem) it's excusable, but when Lacy doesn't outright destroy Sheika (who would beat Saleem and Mger) just two months after blasting out Syd Vanderpool in an exciting fight, it's proof positive he's not ready for Calzaghe?

I don't like Joe Calzaghe and am not some fanatic fanatic fan defending him. I just believe he is all wrong for Lacy. Before the Sheika fight I would have given him a better chance but that fight made up my mind about him. Joe would tee off on him. Ive seen the Pemberton fights, he slugged in those fights as usual. Joe can box better than this so called new version of Sheika. A fat James Butler isn't exactly the hardest man to outbox.

I agree on him ducking Kessler. But I don't think he has all that much to fear from Lacy. Joe in fact came out and said he's looking to make a fight with Lacy which tells you what he thinks of him. Joe doesn't like difficult fights.

[ArtOfWar]

How about the other Magee for Calzaghe, I think it would be acceptable, just.

No it wouldn't, Magee's is not a world level fighter at all. He's just another babied British fighter, who got well and truly found out against a fading world level fighter in a weak division.

Calslappy will end up fighting Veit. I can't wait.

[Zhuge]

Joe in fact came out and said he's looking to make a fight with Lacy which tells you what he thinks of him. Joe doesn't like difficult fights.

Mayhaps, but he also said he was looking to fight Glen Johnson and kept finding an injury (or reason) to prevent from stepping in the ring against him. Calzaghe claiming he wants to make a fight against someone doesn't mean much to me.