WHO WINS? Joe Calzaghe vs. Carl Froch

[wesshaw1985]

the 2 men never met in the ring, if they did who would have won?

[DannyMCR]

Calzaghe. People must think I dislike Froch because I reckon Golovkin would do him as well but I think Joe would have an even better chance.

Calzaghe always found a way to win and as a result remained unbeaten in 46 and Froch has shown how he can be beaten, twice.

[milpool]

War Froch

[Tomasino]

I always felt Calzaghe when he was active would have too much speed for Froch. If they fought when Joe had been retired and Froch had come into his own, say after the Abraham victory then I'd take Carl.

[Boxerbeetle]

Excellent, it's been at least 6 months since someone posed this question.

Calzaghe on points is the only sensible answer.

[lefty]

Excellent, it's been at least 6 months since someone posed this question.

Calzaghe on points is the only sensible answer.

[lefty]

Calzaghe-Ward is a more interesting question. I would pick Ward but it would have been a very interesting one.

[Autobarn]

Calzaghe likely had the tools to figure out Ward, the brain and variety to deal with him and the physical strength inside but it'd be very messy and close with few - if any clean or correctly delivered shots. Joe had the attitude to outbox and dominate physically whereas Ward's willingness to spoil could backfire in this case.

I think Calzaghe would beat Froch in exciting but clear fashion but that Froch could seriously improve in a rematch. Froch doesn't adapt well during a fight but he can improve between fights after boxing badly. In a fantasy right Froch is a worthy opponent for Joe, because Joe is aggressive and willing to exchange/take shots. we know from seeing Froch tear into Bute that when he gets on with it he can use the weapons - left hook, right hand - to trouble a southpaw. No one ever really tried sustained attacks of left hooks and right hands versus Calzaghe. Obviously not an easy task. I think Froch would try it and make it memorable.

[bigjack]

Excellent, it's been at least 6 months since someone posed this question.

Calzaghe on points is the only sensible answer.

[Stuarty]

Calzaghe on a wide points decision. I think he'd have made Froch look ponderous.

[Stevieb8006]

Again

[coneye]

Joe too smart and to quick for , Froch , plus he had an iron chin , Carl would'nt pull a late KO in this one, ala Groves first fight

[samwbr]

Robin Reid reckons Froch wins

[Loftgroov]

Calzaghe. People must think I dislike Froch because I reckon Golovkin would do him as well but I think Joe would have an even better chance.

Calzaghe always found a way to win and as a result remained unbeaten in 46 and Froch has shown how he can be beaten, twice.

Yes...46 wins, but about 44 of them against those well past their primes (Eubank, Benn, Jones, Hopkins) or below top level. Would he have beaten a PRIME Roy Jones?

Got a close decision over Robin Reid, and had to go the distance with David Starie, Salem and Ashiba......

I respect his win over Lacy, who was feared at the time, but who one could argue was a hype job given his subsequent fights.

Calzaghe had a great career, but I genuinely think gets over-rated.

Froch would have beaten him up.

[fizzjambo]

Excellent, it's been at least 6 months since someone posed this question.

Calzaghe on points is the only sensible answer.

[Grilling Machine]

2006 and prior - Calzaghe
2007 - 50:50
2008 and later - Froch

[bigjack]

Calzaghe. People must think I dislike Froch because I reckon Golovkin would do him as well but I think Joe would have an even better chance.

Calzaghe always found a way to win and as a result remained unbeaten in 46 and Froch has shown how he can be beaten, twice.

Yes...46 wins, but about 44 of them against those well past their primes (Eubank, Benn, Jones, Hopkins) or below top level. Would he have beaten a PRIME Roy Jones?

Got a close decision over Robin Reid, and had to go the distance with David Starie, Salem and Ashiba......

I respect his win over Lacy, who was feared at the time, but who one could argue was a hype job given his subsequent fights.

Calzaghe had a great career, but I genuinely think gets over-rated.

Froch would have beaten him up.

He never fought Benn,also maybe Lacy was badly effected by the Calzaghe beating and wasn't the same again because of that.

[Autobarn]

Joe does have vulnerabilities, especially lat in fights, losing concentration. Great stamina but often see,ed glad to hear the final bell.

Froch is dangerous to the final bell.

Calzaghe was never afraid to trade and Froch having proven himself in so many hardcore wars, so I think Froch - who put on a clinic of power punching vs a southpaw in Bute - would have some serious moments in a very hard fight.

Calzaghe is a superlative boxer, with such great strength, speed (of hand) - and unrivalled perhaps in U.K. boxing history, fluidity - proven especially in the two super middleweight unifications - but many fights were tame, glorified games of tag or pathetic mauls (Starie, Salem, the Contender guy) in waste of space contests.

[REEVE]

Calzaghe for me

[Boxerbeetle]

Calzaghe. People must think I dislike Froch because I reckon Golovkin would do him as well but I think Joe would have an even better chance.

Calzaghe always found a way to win and as a result remained unbeaten in 46 and Froch has shown how he can be beaten, twice.

Yes...46 wins, but about 44 of them against those well past their primes (Eubank, Benn, Jones, Hopkins) or below top level. Would he have beaten a PRIME Roy Jones?

Got a close decision over Robin Reid, and had to go the distance with David Starie, Salem and Ashiba......

I respect his win over Lacy, who was feared at the time, but who one could argue was a hype job given his subsequent fights.

Calzaghe had a great career, but I genuinely think gets over-rated.

Froch would have beaten him up.

He never fought Benn,also maybe Lacy was badly effected by the Calzaghe beating and wasn't the same again because of that.

Froch admittedly had the better resume in terms of tough fights, but Calzaghe's win over prime Kessler is the best win out of all of them imo.

[magwitch]

Calzaghe. People must think I dislike Froch because I reckon Golovkin would do him as well but I think Joe would have an even better chance.

Calzaghe always found a way to win and as a result remained unbeaten in 46 and Froch has shown how he can be beaten, twice.

Yes...46 wins, but about 44 of them against those well past their primes (Eubank, Benn, Jones, Hopkins) or below top level. Would he have beaten a PRIME Roy Jones?

Got a close decision over Robin Reid, and had to go the distance with David Starie, Salem and Ashiba......

I respect his win over Lacy, who was feared at the time, but who one could argue was a hype job given his subsequent fights.

Calzaghe had a great career, but I genuinely think gets over-rated.

Froch would have beaten him up.

He never fought Benn,also maybe Lacy was badly effected by the Calzaghe beating and wasn't the same again because of that.

I agree. Not just the sustained physical and mental trauma - but how must it affect a man’s esteem/ motivation to be on the wrong end of an utterly one—sided beatdown?
Regarding Lacy “later being exposed as a hype job”....rubbish imo. Ask all the fellas that got hammered by Left Hook (including Robin Reid, who was dropped 4 times*) if they think they got beat by a “hype job”.


*prime Reid I doubt would get dropped 4 times, if at all.

[magwitch]

Joe does have vulnerabilities, especially lat in fights, losing concentration. Great stamina but often see,ed glad to hear the final bell.

Froch is dangerous to the final bell.

Calzaghe was never afraid to trade and Froch having proven himself in so many hardcore wars, so I think Froch - who put on a clinic of power punching vs a southpaw in Bute - would have some serious moments in a very hard fight.

Calzaghe is a superlative boxer, with such great strength, speed (of hand) - and unrivalled perhaps in U.K. boxing history, fluidity - proven especially in the two super middleweight unifications - but many fights were tame, glorified games of tag or pathetic mauls (Starie, Salem, the Contender guy) in waste of space contests.

I agree. Joe Calzaghe - regardless of his King of the Cardiff Castle ways - was the full package. A physically gifted, supremely dedicated fighter and as cerebral as they get - from what I saw. If Froch is a “warrior” then Calzaghe is “seriously tough hombre”.....pick your strongest suite and it’s likely that Joe could match you if not exceed you.

I tend to rate Carl higher after reading his book (higher than I rated him beforehand - not higher than JC). Perhaps the norm but he put his Ward loss down to demotivation and boxing in front of about 3,000 people in Boardwalk City. Kessler I, he thinks he won. Groves I, he said he got hammered about a bit because he didn’t think he needed to train - and he kind of proved this in the rematch! Froch genuinely believed that he had the beating of any man (still claims he could rule at Super Middle if he came back).
It speaks to his resumé that I almost think I am imagining that he laid a hammering on the tough Arthur Abraham - because it simply gets half-forgotten in his string of resonating victories.

[lefthook82]

Calzaghe in a close UD and a barnburner of a fight

[Boxerbeetle]

The poll is pretty conclusive at the moment - 90% in favour of Calzaghe

[stujones]

Robin Reid would say Joe, but not necessarily a fair reflection - he was about 150 when he fought Froch and he fought Joe after Joe had Ice Cream poisoning and Joe fought with one hand for most of the fight. Whilst Reid gave Joe arguably his closest fight, I think the fact he didn't win out of sight demonstrates the difference between the Reid and Joe.

Joe would be comfortably too much for Froch, remember a faded Kessler was too much for Froch, at pretty much his prime (okay there were Volcano issues). Yes, I thought (and I feel I am the only one in the UK) that Kessler did enough to draw with Calzaghe on a round by round 10 points must system - but Kessler was a different machine when he fought Joe to when he fought Froch. He hadn't been exposed by Ward

But on the other hand.... Ward beats Joe, Bhop (Prime) beats Joe, and RJJ (prime) beats Joe - and I feel the three would beat Joe handily... as they would have (and one of them did) Froch.