BoxRec

Here's a thought, the IBF only allowed the Bika farce to take place after Warren agreed that Joe would fight IBF No.1 Robert Stieglitz. I haven't seen Stieglitz and he maybe total crap but the IBF strips more champs than anyone else so it looks 100% certain that Joe will be back to being just a plain ol WBOgus champion by the New Year.

Joe Calzaghe will start 07 just as he did 06... a WBOgus champ who fights bums (Bika, Gareth Gates)... like the Jeff Lacy fight was all a dream...

Oh dear. Go Warren & Calzaghe!!

I remember seeing Stieglitz fight Alejandro Berrio on the Dzindziruk-Santos undercard i think. He was solid and capable if unspectacular but he did a good job stopping Berrio (10th round?) seen as Berrio has since beaten hyped (mostly by himself) Yusef Mack.

Thought Steiglitz was pretty crap myself. I think Peter Manfredo is a more realistic challenge.

Sorry, Paul but I don't get this reference to Gareth Gates.

I'm with Stu here, Stieglitz looked shite when I saw him. Plus he always seems to be injured when his opportunity comes up. I think he's just hoping to be offered some step aside money in the supermiddleweight merry-go-round.

Gareth Gates - a reality TV runner-up just like Manfredo...

Actually, I heard Warren tried to sign Calzaghe v Gates but talks 'stuttered'...

I wonder... Frank ripped on Hobson when Hatton had to give up his IBF belts in the summer... wonder if he'll pen a NotW column saying similar things about himself???????

Paul Powler wrote:Gareth Gates - a reality TV runner-up just like Manfredo...

Actually, I heard Warren tried to sign Calzaghe v Gates but talks 'stuttered'...

I wonder... Frank ripped on Hobson when Hatton had to give up his IBF belts in the summer... wonder if he'll pen a NotW column saying similar things about himself???????

Darius might be more apt. A guy who was eliminator but invited back due to illness of a fellow competitor.

Still possible he's not fighting Manfredo though.

SN don't usually have their fighters give up titles.

Max Molyneux wrote:Still possible he's not fighting Manfredo though.

SN don't usually have their fighters give up titles.

Thats because SN deal almost exclusively with the WBOgus.

Who actually cares if Calzaghe is stripped? Same with Kessler.
Sod their mandatories.We all know these are thw two best fighters in the division,and any recpitent of their stripped titles would'nt be recognised by the fans.
Kessler should scrap his mandatory,Joe should'nt even think of fighting yet another below par opponent.Just get it on once Kessler is fit.
Take the money,go to Denmark,if you lose,rematch in Wales.

There you go,sorted

Let's hope Fwank and Joe read this

Boy, Stu must really know his "X Factor"... hehehehehehe... wonder when the IBF will give any offical word??? just speculation on my part of maybe FW will convince them to allow JC to keep it (I mean Judah f-ing lost and still managed to keep him IBF title!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!)

The IBF will lose a godlike champion if they strip Calzaghe.

They should definitely strip him. Not so much because I want to see him stripped, but because I hope that will stop this bogus fight from happening.

Deram wrote:They should definitely strip him. Not so much because I want to see him stripped, but because I hope that will stop this bogus fight from happening.

I agree to a point. I want to see the guy face Kessler.

But then again, Stieglitz is even worse than Manfredo. And if he faces Kessler, Calzaghe would (in such a scenario) be stripped anyway...so I don't think the IBF will have an impact on Joe's decisions.

Although it would be great to see the orgs force a megafight now and then.

I agree that Stieglitz is no world beater - however - one could not really complain if calzaghe took his mandatory. Because that is not his choice no matter how bad the guy is.. Manfredo IS his choice.

That annoys me. If there is the risk of getting stripped, you TAKE CARE OF BUSINESS FIRST! Why didn't they face their mandatory instead of Bika? Foolishness.

Is Calzaghe really so appetizing for Taylor? We all know he'll fight Manfredo over here, not in America where he will raise his profile. One of his titles will probably go soon as well.

I'd rather Calzaghe fought Stieglitz to get the mandatory out of the way than Manfredo. At least then he has a valid excuse for not making a big fight and we still get the chance of a unification with Kessler.

Deram wrote:They should definitely strip him. Not so much because I want to see him stripped, but because I hope that will stop this bogus fight from happening.

Remember it's not confirmed by both sides yet.

Does Stieglitz even want the fight?

yiddo14 wrote:Who actually cares if Calzaghe is stripped? Same with Kessler.
Sod their mandatories.We all know these are thw two best fighters in the division,and any recpitent of their stripped titles would'nt be recognised by the fans.
Kessler should scrap his mandatory,Joe should'nt even think of fighting yet another below par opponent.Just get it on once Kessler is fit.
Take the money,go to Denmark,if you lose,rematch in Wales.

There you go,sorted

Let's hope Fwank and Joe read this

Kessler has a very dangerous mandatory. Kessler-Andrade qualifies as a compelling matchup. I don't mind watching Kessler fight mandatories.

Max Molyneux wrote:

Deram wrote:They should definitely strip him. Not so much because I want to see him stripped, but because I hope that will stop this bogus fight from happening.

Remember it's not confirmed by both sides yet.

Does Stieglitz even want the fight?

I was under the impression that the IBF were trying to get Lacy to fight Stieglitz.

Maybe Calzaghe won't be stripped.

Warren may have turned the IBF to the dark side.

Max Molyneux wrote:The IBF will lose a godlike champion if they strip Calzaghe.

Only thing IBF will lose is a chicken Joe"yellow yellow"Calzaghe

jangeorg wrote:

Max Molyneux wrote:The IBF will lose a godlike champion if they strip Calzaghe.

Only thing IBF will lose is a chicken Joe"yellow yellow"Calzaghe

Mikkel has a Mexican to fight first anyway, who else can Joe fight while waiting and how can you be so sure that he won't lay a lesson on Mikkel?

Seems to be a bit of understandable paranoia because of Calzaghe's past.

Warren may have turned the IBF to the dark side.

I think he has Darth Vader like powers.

No belts don't matter, but if Calzaghe is stripped of the IBF belt and Kessler the picks it up... how much more pressure can there be on Joe to make the fight .. and on the Ring etc etc. to recognice Kessler as the best SMW? If that happens, I hope Joe would wake up and agree to the fight.

I don't really care if Kessler is recogniced as the best - or if he has all four belts... if Calzaghe is still boxing, then that is THE fight I want to see! No matter who has the belts... but I just hope belts can wake Joe up.

Deram wrote:I agree that Stieglitz is no world beater - however - one could not really complain if calzaghe took his mandatory. Because that is not his choice no matter how bad the guy is.. Manfredo IS his choice.

Neither is top ten material, but Manfredo is an American...and it seems that beating Americans is all that Joe's interested in at this stage.

Max Molyneux wrote:The IBF will lose a godlike champion if they strip Calzaghe.

Maybe the IBF just consider Calzaghe a mere mortal - Who will very soon be out of contention anyway.