Is Calzaghe in your top 5 super middleweights?

[BoxBuzz]

I honestly think he was over managed, and very lucky......so I always speak of him with a little humor, and probably a lack of respect for his actual "gravitas" in the sport. But when someone can accomplish what he did, I wouldn't spend too much of my time berating him, unless I was from his local area, and was part of the "fog" of the hype....so I don't get involved with being as critical of him as I am of say.... Pryor.


With that said...and to his credit......in his amat days....he notched the following folks with terrific resumes:

Antonio Tarver, Michael Moorer and Chris Byrd. By far his biggest bragging rights came before the pros. And then he manages to retire from the pros a champion....and unbeaten.

So......He just can't have been all that bad. Now couild he?

[Goodnight, Irene]

Who gives a shit about anything else to do with Ottke!?

[Goodnight, Irene]

Sven Ottke will always hold a special place amongst my days as a boxing fan. I remember coming home from my first days working after university and watching an ottke fight back in those far off days of 1999-2002.

Coverage of boxing was all but dead on free to air British TV so those Tuesday nights every other month when they showed Ottke take on a quality foe in front of a packed out Arena in Germany were special.

He was a great technician, a lot of posters in the British forum dislike my respect for him but how not to respect a man who turned pro so very very late and after such a glorious amateur career, and than wins the title after a couple of handfuls of fights and defends it so often against the best of a admittedly poor division at the time and than retires undefeated.

The so called robberies against Reid and Glen Johnson and Brewer were not robberies at all to those who actually watched them.

No he didnt fight Lucas, Beyer or Calzaghe or go after a RJ jnr. But Sven was a small SM and Joe apart Lucas and Beyer were not going to beat him.

Its like shooting fish in a barrel.

[BoxBuzz]

G.I. can you give more info on the photo? For those of us in the cheap seats?

[Tomasino]

Buzz, it's Sven Ottke KOing Antony Mundine, his finest hour.

[giacomino]

Buzz, it's Sven Ottke KOing Antony Mundine, his finest hour.

And for that alone he should have our undying gratitude

[Goodnight, Irene]

Buzz, it's Sven Ottke KOing Antony Mundine, his finest hour.

Selling it short. IMO, Humanity's finest hour.

[Bricks]

Davey boy, in retrospect it does look to be Ottke's finest hour, but at the time of the fight, it was most definetly his worst hour, he was being totally outboxed and exposed by a ten or so fights proffesional novice who hadnt had any amateur career who probably to most observers before the fight had no business being in the ring with Ottke.

Yet it took one of Ottkes wild rushes and a hitherto unseen hail mary one punch kayo to save the fight for him.....up to that point he had lost all 8 or 9 rounds....even in Germany!

[Controversial]

Ottke vs. Robin Reid has to be one of the most dodgy fights I've seen with some of the worst refereeing as well. An absolute disgrace how blatantly biased the ref was to Ottke. Unsurprisingly Reid lost the decision in Germany.

[Bricks]

I just think Reid wanted to engage in a fencing type match and was childish to think he was going to be able to do that and spoil his way to a points win. He didnt do anything of substance to say he had won. The biased BBC commentary and scary tales of "Germany" were what create this false impression Reid was ripped off.

[Controversial]

I just think Reid wanted to engage in a fencing type match and was childish to think he was going to be able to do that and spoil his way to a points win. He didnt do anything of substance to say he had won. The biased BBC commentary and scary tales of "Germany" were what create this false impression Reid was ripped off.

Haha, you being serious, did you watch the fight? Reid was landing clean punches and the ref was warning him, he even knocked Ottke downing the 6th, a clean knockdown as well, and it was ruled a slip !!!

I watched the fight with my mouth open, couldn't believe what I was watching. Reid lost heart near the end and gave up trying, disgraceful decision.

[Bricks]

I've gotta agree to disagree lol!

[pound per pound]

Joe Calzaghe is in my top 5 Super Middleweights.

Frankly I think it would be difficult to exclude him from anyone's top 5 of that weight Division, his over-a-decade title reign and his unifications MUST put him in the top five.

And in a related topic, he most probably should be ranked as the Number One Super Middleweight ever, but as I say, that's a different topic.

I agree with Crease here.

[tennessee]

Joe not only the best, but could beat the other top guy back to back. Perfect style, just throw a ton of slaps. A prime roid Jones of course give anyone trouble. Eubank and Benn would be fight of year candidates. Sven would get outworked. Barkley would probably get bloodied and stopped. Toney would catch and roll a lot of punches, not get hurt but lose every round. I think we would have to take Joe to lt. Heavy to get him beat.

[BoxBuzz]

Tennessee.....All of them back to back? Joe Beats Toney in a shut out? Jone's roids confirmed? Not sure Arakansas that coming.....

[Syntax Error]

He's certainly in my top 5 SMWs.

The thing is, 168 is not really a glamorous division historically & always seemed like a division for those who felt that they struggled to get down to 160, or stopped off at on the way to 175, but that has changed dramatically now.

Calzaghe just has to be in the top 5 as things stand, as far as I'm concerned.