Steve Collins v Joe Calzaghe

[IRLangmaid25]

Any thoughts on this one as it nearly happened back in 1997 when Calzaghe was looking to make his way onto the world stage. So who would have won it?

[DrDuke]

Calzaghe was more solid from the technical side, he would have outboxed Collins.

[polecateddy]

Well I think Steve Collins knew who would win, because he retired rather than going through with it! Collins was already past his prime and had been floored against part-time fireman, Craig Cummings in his last fight. A pre-hand trouble Calzaghe was a hitter, and probably the must slower Collins would have taken a 8 or 9 round pasting before being pulled out.

[Boxerbeetle]

Calzaghe was better in pretty much every area, I’m certain he would have beaten Collins, whether in 1997 or peak for peak.

[orbtastic]

Could have been interesting at the point it was supposed to happen, after all Calzaghe said a late-notice, boiled down Eubank gave him his hardest fight.

Wasn't Collins supposed to have collapsed in sparring/training a number of times?

[Noxy]

Could have been interesting at the point it was supposed to happen, after all Calzaghe said a late-notice, boiled down Eubank gave him his hardest fight.

Wasn't Collins supposed to have collapsed in sparring/training a number of times?

He did, but that was after when he attempted a comeback

[Noxy]

It’s a tough one to call. I say Collins but I’m not mega-confident about it. Collins was actually an excellent and seasoned fighter and I think he had too much for Joe at that stage of his career. A peak Calzaghe beats him.

[Bodyshot3]

Any thoughts on this one as it nearly happened back in 1997 when Calzaghe was looking to make his way onto the world stage. So who would have won it?

I am fairly sure Collins has been refreshingly frank about Joe C in the past.........wrong kind of fighter, wrong kind of money and at the back-end of a very hard career for the Dubliner; so it was always thanks but no thanks mate.

Maybe Collins - if he'd accepted the challenge - would've delivered a similar fight to Eubank. He's not getting stopped, he can deal with the hotshot and gives Joe the sternest test he's faced to date; but drops the decision.

Calzaghe at this juncture was a very handy fighter indeed.......super-fast, busy and his hands were not busted-up so he was throwing power shots rather the 'slappy' stuff his critics have always flagged-up.

A fully motivated Collins, hell-bent on defending his title would have made Joe work like hell.