BoxRec

Putting ottke in the hof would simply demean it and would send out the message that his approach to the sport was laudable.

In my opinion, he was a technically adept boxer but a joke champion who never sought to test himself against the best. He also seemed happy to rely on questionable home town decisions against low level opponents.

Calzaghe had his faults too, there's no doubting that. But as well as dealing with all the better fighters ottke face (generally more impressively too) he also beat good fighters like woodhall etc, before belatedly stepping up to the plate against the likes of lacy (who despite some revisionism since the fight was very much a threat and Joe completely emasculated him that night), kessler and Hopkins, prior to the exhibition bout against a hopelessly shot jones.

Calzaghe has a flawed legacy and would only have himself to blame if he fails to enter the hof, but if ottke is inducted it would be a joke IMO.

good post rjp

calzaghes destruction of lacey was one of the most flamboyant and brutal victories ever seen in a british ring. Lacey had been built up like tyson. Calzaghe was like a latin matador that night, i truly think the frenzy he induced in the crowd that night was almost murderous. I hadnt seen it since the terrible mclellan-benn war.

I dont like calzaghe as much as some. I feel he lost narrowly to reid and avoided a rematch. I feel he lost to hopkins. But i also dislike the revisionist history being applied to his wins over lacey and kessler. I also think people forget joe fought the last 5-6 years years of his career with hands that would no longer allow him to punch as hard as he could.

Getting back to topic ottke isnt a great but people say he was afraid to fight outside germany. I dont think he was afraid as such. He fought all around the world as a stellar
amateur world champion. I just think the money and support he had in germany he ddint want to go elsewhere as his motivation for turning pro so late was primarily financial. People forget he grew up a communist and spent his early years as a young man a communist. All he knew was the amateur code.

Sure he could have fought calzaghe in wales......but who else? He beat tate,mitchell,brewer, the best american super middles of the day. He could have fought roy jones? Jones was at light heavy and wouldnt come to germany, plus i think ottke knew he would be massacred. He was good but he wasnt great like a jones...........

Nowhere near a great imo.

He was a solid world class operator who often benefited from corrupt officiating. I do give him credit for some good wins in fights he deserved to win, but at other times he only got the verdict because of German corruption.

Ottke was a decent world class titlist, and not much more than that.