Calzaghe a "Starving Fighter"

Carbo · Post by **Carbo** » 30 Oct 2007, 05:27

Want to know how difficult making the weight is for Calzaghe? Personally, I think the below is absurd for a professional athelete. In fact, beyond reducing his athletic output, it's surely dangerous. Tell me what you think.

The Calzaghe Plan Diet:

Monday to Friday 1500 calries in total, plus training in a sweatsuit.

A typical menu planner from Monday to Wednesday (total 500 Calories per day) would be a small bowl of porridge made with water for breakfast, a diet yogurt and, maybe, a banana for lunch, and a small piece of chicken with some salad for evening meal.

Thursday and Friday you can't eat a thing until you've got on the scales and made your target weight.

Water is only permitted in the smallest quantities.

Full Story: http://sport.guardian.co.uk/boxing/stor ... 34,00.html

STP · Post by **STP** » 30 Oct 2007, 05:40

I think Calzaghe's just competing with Eubank and lying.

chesh · Post by **chesh** » 30 Oct 2007, 05:47

It sounds horrendous. I don't understand the water deprivation, though, as it has no calories and you'd surely pee or sweat it out. Maybe on the day of the weigh-in, it should be restricted, but before that too little could harm the kidneys.

Captain Hook · Post by **Captain Hook** » 30 Oct 2007, 06:58

Bit pie in the sky this.

and his stamina is always top notch....

Dirk Kelly · Post by **Dirk Kelly** » 30 Oct 2007, 07:04

This has got to be a bit of mind games before the fight, if you said Scott Harrison instead of Joe Calzaghe then I'd believe you but Joe never looks drained at fights, can fight for 3 minutes every round, and has a huge work rate so just can't believe its true.

Autobarn · Post by **Autobarn** » 30 Oct 2007, 07:24

he's been making the same weight 14 yrs. no wonder it's hard at this stage. i think this is the fight that we'll see him pay for it.

G-man · Post by **G-man** » 30 Oct 2007, 07:46

I don't understand why any top level athlete wouldn't use a nutritionalist and supplements with the advances in products nowadays.

Autobarn · Post by **Autobarn** » 30 Oct 2007, 07:59

it was said that he'd taken on a nutitionist around the time of the aborted Magee fight and the 2nd Veit match.

MightyWarrior · Post by **MightyWarrior** » 30 Oct 2007, 08:05

Great writer Donald McRae.

All true I'm afraid, it's well known Joe has been struggling to cram that build down to 12st for years now. God knows how he manages it - I thought he looked alarmingly older when I saw a bit of him on that Bunce interview last night. Hopefully he'll be looking ok on Sat night.

But it's an old routine with him and Enzo, and they know exactly what they're doing.

I wonder how Kessler is feeling as crunch time approaches? You could see Lacy start to crack in the days leading up, but somehow I think the Dane will cope a lot better: he's been tested like Lacy never had been.
Though not tested likes he's going to be..

Joe obviously has a lot more respect for Kessler than he's had for any of his previous opponents, outside Eubank maybe. Which just tells you how massive this fight is.

Tick tick tick tick....

Max Molyneux · Post by **Max Molyneux** » 30 Oct 2007, 08:25

Don't you need more than 1500 calories a day?

Goz · Post by **Goz** » 30 Oct 2007, 08:41

Max Molyneux wrote:Don't you need more than 1500 calories a day?

That's what I'm telling myself as I eye up the chocolate muffin that will follow this bacon & brie baugette!

Max Molyneux · Post by **Max Molyneux** » 30 Oct 2007, 09:00

I just finished a cheese omlette with salad, followed by a Mars bar with some cherry coke. 8)

I was so wanting some chocolate earlier. 8)

Seriously though even Hatton who's making Welter Is eating more than Joe Is If that article Is true. Kaye's reckons because of all the cardio, Ricky will need to eat at least 6 times a day according to the boxing monthly Interview.

nickd · Post by **nickd** » 30 Oct 2007, 09:03

That article doesn't really make sense. All that food listed in his daily menu does not amount to anything like 1500 calories.

don't call it a comeback · Post by **don't call it a comeback** » 30 Oct 2007, 16:17

nickd wrote:That article doesn't really make sense. All that food listed in his daily menu does not amount to anything like 1500 calories.

Yep it does

Porridge with water about 100 to 120 calories
Diet yoghurt about 100 calories
Banana about 80 to 100 calories
Small bit of chicken and salad about 200 calories

knockout · Post by **knockout** » 30 Oct 2007, 16:43

agree with Nick.....

1500kcal isnt too bad and that list of food is no where near 1500kcal.

you could have a big mac for breakfast, lunch and dinner and still not hit 1500kcal.

eat properly and you could probably have 3/4 good meals.

1)porridge with banana

2)chicken breast and salad

3)chicken breast and salad

4)protein shake

don't call it a comeback · Post by **don't call it a comeback** » 30 Oct 2007, 16:46

knockout wrote:agree with Nick.....

1500kcal isnt too bad and that list of food is no where near 1500kcal.

you could have a big mac for breakfast, lunch and dinner and still not hit 1500kcal.

eat properly and you could probably have 3 good meals.

1)porridge with banana

2)chicken breast and salad

3)chicken breast and salad

its 1500 calories over five days, including not eating at all for the last two

knockout · Post by **knockout** » 30 Oct 2007, 16:47

don't call it a comeback wrote:
knockout wrote:agree with Nick.....

1500kcal isnt too bad and that list of food is no where near 1500kcal.

you could have a big mac for breakfast, lunch and dinner and still not hit 1500kcal.

eat properly and you could probably have 3 good meals.

1)porridge with banana

2)chicken breast and salad

3)chicken breast and salad
its 1500 calories over five days, including not eating at all for the last two

ooops, I see...

WildWaylon · Post by **WildWaylon** » 30 Oct 2007, 16:53

I knew a man who was put on a 1000 cals a day following a heart attack - His wife told me it was murder working it all out so he didnt exceed the set limit - He was always hungry, no wonder for a 6 foot 4 ex marine - I bet Joe eats a horse between two breadvans after the fight.

jamesmcdonnell · Post by **jamesmcdonnell** » 30 Oct 2007, 17:10

Actually knockout, three big macs is 1620 calories.......

You could have two big macs and maybe a quarter pounder with cheese.

There is surely some better, more scientific method of losing weight these days, than simply not eating hardly at all for 5 whole days?

I mean, he surely cannot be working out in that last week, you simply wouldn't have enough carbohydrates in your system to work out with any intensity?

It seems to work for Joe though, whatever way he does it, because Stamina has never been a problem for him.

Poncey · Post by **Poncey** » 30 Oct 2007, 17:19

When you see Joe you can see he's a huge SM at over 6 foot and around 14 stone walking weight because of his Mesomorphic frame.

I'm 5'10, weight train and weigh bout 12.5 stone. I have an Ectomorphic frame, so it's much harder for him as he's naturally more muscular. I've cut myself right down in body fat and still wouldn't make 12 stone in a month of Sundays so how Joe does it is beyond me.

Also, in the Woodhall fight some 7 years ago Ian Darke mentions that Joe was struggling to make the weight then when his metabolism was slightly faster.

The reason behind the reduction in water is possibly to prevent the amount of water his body/muscles hold prior to making the weight. I have heard of some bodybuilders doing this before a show.

jamesmcdonnell · Post by **jamesmcdonnell** » 30 Oct 2007, 17:26

Joe isn't really that muscular though. I mean, his build has never looked that big to me he has a pretty lean frame without much in the way of bulging muscles.

Kessler looks MUCH more muscular and with an all around bigger frame than Calzaghe, but perhaps Calzaghe has very thick legs, it's hard to tell because figthers wear long shorts these days, but when you look at Kessler he looks a lot more thickset than Calzaghe. Some people have very dense bones, maybe Calzaghe has, I don't know.

Rocky Balboa · Post by **Rocky Balboa** » 30 Oct 2007, 18:23

I remember Joe Goosen once saying: "I never starve Diego, there's no crash diet. He just eats a lot less". This was refering to the late Diego Corrales' weight making.

I think Joe is honest guy & the article posted about his weight making difficulties, I believe them. I don't think Joe is the type tro lie just for the sake, to try & up his ego.

If both fighters are weighed on fight night, I bet Calzaghe is the heavier. Kessler seems big for the weight, but he just appear to struggle like Joe, although I can't be 100% certain of this.

The weight-making difficulties Joe has highlighted, for me, show hoe discplined Calzaghe is. He's been at the same weight his whole professional career. How many boxers in recent years have done the same? Staying at the same weight for the duration of your pro career is a rarerity today.

I can fully see why Calzaghe jokingly said to Steve Bunce on Inside Sport, how once he's retired, there will definately be no comeback as he'll be as fat as Buncey!

No doubt it's hard for Joe, but in my opinion, you have got to respect him for being so disciplined in respect of making tyhe sacrifices of making weight. Having his father, Enzo, to motivate him & push him on is a big plus for in my view.

Anyway, Joe is one of the very fittest fighters out there. His pace, stamina will not be any different this time around. It's always top-notch!

Deram · Post by **Deram** » 30 Oct 2007, 22:14

Joe has been fighting for many years and has always done the same routine. Just in his last fight he had to get to the same weight. He is smaller and less muscular than Kessler - why would he all of a sudden have big problems getting in weight?

This reaks of prepared excuses....

Normally this would be a bad sign concerning a fighter's self confidence, but we have seen with Joe that he has had bad self confidence before a fight before and only done even better than normally (Lacy fight).

jamesmcdonnell · Post by **jamesmcdonnell** » 30 Oct 2007, 22:27

Terry D wrote:
chesh wrote:It sounds horrendous. I don't understand the water deprivation, though, as it has no calories and you'd surely pee or sweat it out. Maybe on the day of the weigh-in, it should be restricted, but before that too little could harm the kidneys.
Apparently it is better to drink water as it passes right through.

Not when you are dehydrated. Your body will actually hoard it, which is why if you are dehydrated it can become very hard to shift weight. As soon as you take water on board, your body stores it in the muscle tissue and you get water retention.

Water is the easiest thing to shift quickly, and as it weighs a lot it can reduce weight dramatically. With modern weigh ins as well, a fighter has a lot more time to rehydrate, so if two or three liters of water can be shed and then regained, that's a lot of weight.

Autobarn · Post by **Autobarn** » 31 Oct 2007, 04:00

Deram wrote:Joe has been fighting for many years and has always done the same routine. Just in his last fight he had to get to the same weight. He is smaller and less muscular than Kessler - why would he all of a sudden have big problems getting in weight?

This reaks of prepared excuses....

Normally this would be a bad sign concerning a fighter's self confidence, but we have seen with Joe that he has had bad self confidence before a fight before and only done even better than normally (Lacy fight).

no it doesn't reek of excuses. he genuinely struggles to get the weight off. he's fought his whole career at the same weight. in 2004 he said he needed to go up to light heavyweight.

he also says making the weight and makig the sacrifices makes him leaner and meaner come fight night.

i think this is 1 fight too many at super middleweight, especially against this opponent. Joe looked a bit old late on vs Bika and he looked really sloppy vs Manfredo.