Joe Calzaghe - Question Mark

[Coco]

I remember going with a pal, John Kaighin, to the Newbridge shed.
It was quite frightening to see JC's power, he never wore the bigger sparring gloves either like 10 or 12 ounces. John was proper hard, much more experienced and much bigger. In fact the week before an 18 yr old Scott Gammer quit against him.
I also remember JC from the amateurs, proper banger

[Counter-puncher]

that was younger Joe?

[mickey1975]

I remember going with a pal, John Kaighin, to the Newbridge shed.
It was quite frightening to see JC's power, he never wore the bigger sparring gloves either like 10 or 12 ounces. John was proper hard, much more experienced and much bigger. In fact the week before an 18 yr old Scott Gammer quit against him.
I also remember JC from the amateurs, proper banger

I think I saw John up here once, either Denzil or Michael Gale.

[Jimmy2020]

I remember going with a pal, John Kaighin, to the Newbridge shed.
It was quite frightening to see JC's power, he never wore the bigger sparring gloves either like 10 or 12 ounces. John was proper hard, much more experienced and much bigger. In fact the week before an 18 yr old Scott Gammer quit against him.
I also remember JC from the amateurs, proper banger

Didn't know he always sparred in 10oz or 12oz. No wonder he messed his hands up.

[Coco]

I remember going with a pal, John Kaighin, to the Newbridge shed.
It was quite frightening to see JC's power, he never wore the bigger sparring gloves either like 10 or 12 ounces. John was proper hard, much more experienced and much bigger. In fact the week before an 18 yr old Scott Gammer quit against him.
I also remember JC from the amateurs, proper banger

Didn't know he always sparred in 10oz or 12oz. No wonder he messed his hands up.

He used the same gloves for everything, bag, pads and sparring. They were yellow and often appeared in gym photo shots in the paper

It was in prep for his first British title fight, Nicky Piper had been there the day before and wouldnt come back!

[Jimmy2020]

That rings a bell. I wonder what difference wearing 16s would have made to his hands?

I could do pads with lighter gloves but bags and sparring I needed a minimum of 16 or I couldn't do two days in a row of training.

[Teddy's Toupee]

I remember going with a pal, John Kaighin, to the Newbridge shed.
It was quite frightening to see JC's power, he never wore the bigger sparring gloves either like 10 or 12 ounces. John was proper hard, much more experienced and much bigger. In fact the week before an 18 yr old Scott Gammer quit against him.
I also remember JC from the amateurs, proper banger

Didn't know he always sparred in 10oz or 12oz. No wonder he messed his hands up.

He used the same gloves for everything, bag, pads and sparring. They were yellow and often appeared in gym photo shots in the paper

It was in prep for his first British title fight, Nicky Piper had been there the day before and wouldnt come back!

Do you think Calzaghe was clean fighter? No "supplements" to help his renowned stamina?

[Coco]

I believe so but of course I dont really know.
He was always relentless and I cant believe either him or his father would have had the savvy to dope up.

[Jimmy2020]

I'd be staggered if Joe wasn't clean.

[Counter-puncher]

I cant believe either him or his father would have had the savvy to dope up.

That’s my impression, which i also really want to believe, and so distrust

[margaret thatcher]

I'd be staggered if Joe wasn't clean.

is that cause he wasnt ripped

[Jimmy2020]

I'd be staggered if Joe wasn't clean.

is that cause he wasnt ripped

No.

[jamesmcdonnell]

His hands must have been brittle. He was knocking them all over in the ams and up until he fought Eubank. Then it stopped.

Another thing that shows Joe‘s class. Who actually ran him close. Of all the title fights he had, who really pushed him? I can only think of Reid and Hopkins.

He probably picked up hand injuries that never healed properly, happens a lot.

Few ran him close, byron Mitchell was sn up and down gunfight whilst it lasted.

[GreenLightning]

Tony Booth once remarked that he didn't think Calzaghe could even throw a punch properly with his awkward technique, then he sparred him and took it all back, saying he hit "hard as fck", Booth would have been heavyweight at the time

[Wee Tommy]

Fighters carry all sorts of injuries, or are we to believe Calzaghes the only fighter to have bad hands, or that Tony booth is the ultimate arbiter of punch power?

I was a fan of Calzaghe during his career, but your defence of him is bordering on pathological Mickey.

I’d say Tony, after 150 fights, countless sparring jobs with Benn, etc, going in with Chisora might know a few things. Oh, Haye too.

Of course he does that's no doubt, but fighters sparring stories are notoriously unreliable, let's be honest.

Been told the same thing from very reliable sources. I’d say I’d rely far more on fighters opinions than yours James

[THEBUTCH]

Sparring stories count for bugger all.

If we always bought into sparring stories, Nathan Gorman would have vanquished Daniel Dubois .... but come the 1st real bell and reality came-a-knocking and Dubois pissed all over Gorman

I've seen gym mates look like the next ABA champion in sparring, but get dropped and beaten with ease in an official contest.

[mickey1975]

Sparring stories count for bugger all.

If we always bought into sparring stories, Nathan Gorman would have vanquished Daniel Dubois .... but come the 1st real bell and reality came-a-knocking and Dubois pissed all over Gorman

I've seen gym mates look like the next ABA champion in sparring, but get dropped and beaten with ease in an official contest.

There not rumours. Do you really think he has any need to lie? Who was the last English man to win more fights than Tony? Peter DeFraitas said he was always on call first for any Benn camp. He boxed pissed up in Belgium on Christmas Day at light middle, sober at The Millennium at Heavyweight for Del. He’s not exactly a little bullshitter.

[SticknMove]

They are if you are milling around and hearing them and taking them as facts without being there in person. If you were there you'll understand sparring is that. What they do after is up to them.

[mickey1975]

They are if you are milling around and hearing them and taking them as facts without being there in person. If you were there you'll understand sparring is that. What they do after is up to them.

So everyone In British boxing is wrong? Go watch him in the ams.

[SticknMove]

They are if you are milling around and hearing them and taking them as facts without being there in person. If you were there you'll understand sparring is that. What they do after is up to them.

So everyone In British boxing is wrong? Go watch him in the ams.

Everyone? Who? Calzaghe?

[GreenLightning]

Joe was a completely different level.

So was his reluctance to take on all comers.

It seems you're using every excuse in the book to excuse Calzghages record, whilst playing down Frochs.

I'd have picked Calzaghe to beat froch if they'd fought, but it's quite possible the fight would never have happened.

Why because you think Cazlaghe would have been scared to fight Carl Froch? The man who just went life and death with Dale Westerman?

[GreenLightning]

Sparring stories count for bugger all.

If we always bought into sparring stories, Nathan Gorman would have vanquished Daniel Dubois .... but come the 1st real bell and reality came-a-knocking and Dubois pissed all over Gorman

I've seen gym mates look like the next ABA champion in sparring, but get dropped and beaten with ease in an official contest.

There not rumours. Do you really think he has any need to lie? Who was the last English man to win more fights than Tony? Peter DeFraitas said he was always on call first for any Benn camp. He boxed pissed up in Belgium on Christmas Day at light middle, sober at The Millennium at Heavyweight for Del. He’s not exactly a little bullshitter.

There is zero reason for Tony Booth to lie about Calzaghe htting harder than he thought he could in sparring , ignore these jokers ffs. "sparring stories" nobody is saying he was outboxing James Toney or anything

[GreenLightning]

Whatever the shot in their contest - A Roy Jones' with a hint of ambition would have followed it up. I honestly believe that was was the most hurt / buzzed Calzaghe was in his career, legal shot or not. Jones though after the Tarver rematch always seemed to be more content in going the distance and proving to fans / critics he had a chin as opposed to winning the big fights. Did something similar vs Trinidad the fight before. The 24/7 in the build up was not good viewing, Jones' seemed more content to enjoy the "last few fights" - play sparring with his fat friend.

It was a forerm to the face like you alluded to and Mitchells punch definately hurt him more, spun him 180 degrees ffs

[GreenLightning]

Whatever the shot in their contest - A Roy Jones' with a hint of ambition would have followed it up. I honestly believe that was was the most hurt / buzzed Calzaghe was in his career, legal shot or not. Jones though after the Tarver rematch always seemed to be more content in going the distance and proving to fans / critics he had a chin as opposed to winning the big fights. Did something similar vs Trinidad the fight before. The 24/7 in the build up was not good viewing, Jones' seemed more content to enjoy the "last few fights" - play sparring with his fat friend.

It was a forerm to the face like you alluded to and Mitchells punch definately hurt him more, spun him 180 degrees ffs, Roy did say that "those pitty pat punches hurt like hell" but I guess he's not an arbiter of punching power either

[GreenLightning]

also believe Tony Booth was the first one to coin the phrase "if he slaps, then he slaps fcking hard"

Also don't forget Jeff Lacy "If you look at his fights you can see he's a slapper" then proceeded to get wobbled to his boots in the first round, pretty much every single Calzaghe opponent said this before fighting him