I thought I could maybe win the Southern Area title, British at best. So to be two-time world champion was way beyond my wildest expectations.
To be a world champion you have to be exceptionally good. My old mate Tony Velinor I thought was better than me in the amateurs, and he didn't get near any world ranks.
To be a world champion for 10 years, you are talking legend. Legend.
It's no fault of Joe's that better people haven't been put in front of him. Whatever has been put in front of him, he's smashed up and often looked a million dollars doing it.
What he wants to do is say it's better late than never and let's cross that pond and seek these fights with some of the top Americans. Blokes like Taylor and Hopkins. Hopkins is old now and not throwing much so Taylor might be the one.
To be kept in Britain and Europe and fighting British and European fighters, that isn't good enough for Joe's ability. That doesn't impress anyone, not least the Yanks.
He really should have been in the ring eight to 12 weeks after his smashing of Jeff Lacy, bad hand or not. He could have pushed for these fights and had them long ago. He could have his feet up by now.
When I fought, I wanted to be smashing people every week and pushing for these great fights. I wanted proper challengers so kept changing managers and promoters to get them.
In an 18-month period I fought some of the greatest wars against the likes of DeWitt, Barkley, Watson, Eubank - all the tough guys. That's why the public on both sides of the Atlantic sat up and took notice that there was more than one Big Ben!
Barkley had sparked Tommy Hearns quicker than Marvin Hagler and ran Michael Nunn to the wire who was the best pound-for-pound fighter at the time.
They couldn't make it at Old Trafford and I wasn't going to hang around, I wanted a tear-up and I wanted respect and I wanted to show the Yanks that us Brits aren't no push-overs.
I went right into Barkley's back garden, got off first and tried smashing him out of the ring.
I didn't take an easy defence, I took on Chris Eubank! I wanted to give the public a proper fight.
Gerald McClellan was the most feared man in boxing when I fought him. He couldn't get anyone else in the ring. I could have fought a runner like Nunn but wanted a proper fight and wasn't going to duck him.
An incarcerated Mike Tyson described Gerald as the best fighter in the world, Don King said he was going to punch me into a hospital bed. I didn't care, he was going to have to kill me to beat me. I wanted to do Britain proud.
Joe should be a little more urgent, because if the chances pass it'll be a crying shame really for a guy who'd have probably given me and Chris and Steve Collins a good going over.
Benn is in Hertfordshire right now training guys for an army boxing event for charity with Dave 'Boy' Green
It's refreshing to hear an ex-fighter saying that a fighter of today would likely have given him 'a good going over'. Not often you hear things like this.
He seems like a top bloke does Nigel. I sent a donation for the benefit he held for Gerald McClellan along with a short letter. In return I was sent a signed copy of the event programme (by Nigel & Alan Minter) with my name listed alongside the likes of Naseem Hamed and Joe Calzaghe on the thank you page. Thought that was a great gesture.
I also met him a few years ago and he was really nice.
Nigel is a nice bloke & has mellowed, matured some-what in recent years.
As one has stated already, it's not often you hear a fighter claiming that a current world champ would have beaten it. Many fighters would perhaps think the same thing as Benn, few would let it be known public!
I bet Nigel is putting the army people through their paces, making them work real hard. I think Benn would be a good trainer as he knows what it takes to reach the top. In the book about his life, there is good detail about his training methods, how hard he would train etc. Benn credits Jimmy Tibbs as the best trainer he had during his career.
Recently, there was a video on this website showing Benn of today sparring, and he still has that bit of quality. As I say, he has matured, but I guess you wouldn't want to have a straightner with him, would you?
Top man is Nigel. Hope he attends Calzaghe-Kessler & Hatton-Mayweather to support the boys!
Matt W wrote:It's refreshing to hear an ex-fighter saying that a fighter of today would likely have given him 'a good going over'. Not often you hear things like this.
Can you imagine, say, Bob Foster saying something like that??
I understand that a huge ego & self-belief drives many fighters to achieve what they do, but it is frustrating when it blinds retired fighters from giving current champs their due.
'he should have been in the ring......bad hand or not.' WTF? thats like saying a footballer should be playing with a broken foot!
how can a fighter box with bad hands? he was not even able to train, let alone box. bit of a silly thing to say.
we have seen benn, eubank and collins all come out and have a pop at JC in some way or another over the last year or so, but the thing is he beat Eubank and Collins avoided him like the plague. I would have fancied Benn to give JC the best fight out of the other three, as he was best when on the back foot........something JC does v well.......as long as he has the full use of his hands!!
101boxing wrote:'he should have been in the ring......bad hand or not.' WTF? thats like saying a footballer should be playing with a broken foot!
how can a fighter box with bad hands? he was not even able to train, let alone box. bit of a silly thing to say.
we have seen benn, eubank and collins all come out and have a pop at JC in some way or another over the last year or so, but the thing is he beat Eubank and Collins avoided him like the plague. I would have fancied Benn to give JC the best fight out of the other three, as he was best when on the back foot........something JC does v well.......as long as he has the full use of his hands!!
Well he's probably wondering how bad the hand was. Joe fought Lacy with a bad hand didn't he? According to his Dad, or book, Joe wanted to pull out.
Im not so sure Calzaghe would have beaten Benn at his best. I think Benns raw agression, power, and boxing ability would have given Calzaghe a very hard night.
I think Calzaghe would beat Collins and Eubank on points
Calzaghe beat an old Eubank(a pre-Watson version would have been a TOTALLY different story)and he would have whupped ANY version of Steve Collins, without any doubt.
I also think he would have beat Benn.Not without having getting hurt himself though during the process.
If Eubank was on top of his game, I would back him to beat Joe, but anything less than 100%(and Chris could be hit and miss)then Eubank loses against Joe too.
Eubank looked very drained and dull against Calzaghe and still gave him hell for 12 rounds. Personally I can't see Calzaghe getting past Eubank at his best, the lively Eubank who kept changing the angle of his attack and who's punches and combinations flowed. I think Joe would get hurt against a younger Eubank, Hurt.
Eubank couldn't reallly cope with workrate. I don't know what the big deal is that Eubank gave an inexperienced Calzaghe problems. Jesus Christ, anyone heard of a thing called PERSPECTIVE.
Autobarn wrote:Eubank couldn't reallly cope with workrate. I don't know what the big deal is that Eubank gave an inexperienced Calzaghe problems. Jesus Christ, anyone heard of a thing called PERSPECTIVE.
Autobarn wrote:Eubank couldn't reallly cope with workrate
I disagree, he couldn't cope with Watson in their second fight because Watson was moving faster forwards than Eubank was backwards and only working at close quarters where Eubank liked to pinch rests (Eubank, if you study his fights, pinched rests up-close or in clinches rather than the consensus of strutting just out of reach). He wasn't 'running', he was changing angles and looking for different ways to come in with shots.
Joe punches in the clinches but not if he's hurt - Joe stands square and Eubank comes in from either side with powerful shots before they get close to eachother, that's how I visualise a match between Chris and Joe at their bests. So then Eubank pinches his rests when Joe is hurt from his shots, and if/when he feels Joe's ready to go..he does him.
I thought benn wanted nothing more to do with boxing, he makes a good point in that he says Hatton could be more active and realy should have fought Ottke for example.
Eubank was a lazy fighter. I don't know if he ever got his weight properly right. OK, he could fight a fast pace with Benn and Wharton. Yet he really picked his spots vs Rocchigiani and looked very uncomfortable with Thornton, whom some had beating Eubank.
Definitely, Joe really squares up and leaves that chin up in the air. This is why so many ppl have doubted his dad as a trainer - he's defensively suspect - until he tweaked Macca and brought Pryce and Rees to their best.
It's refreshing to hear an ex fighter being so humble (Take note Mr Collins).
I rate Calzaghe very highly; I picked him for great things ever since I saw him win the ABA's at three weights.
Nigel would have beaten Calzaghe at middle. At super middle, it could have gone either way - but I'd say Nigel is probably more proven. Gerald Mclellan was a wrecking machine and nobody wanted to take him on.
I can't see Nigel beating Joe. Nigel needed to load his best shots up and Joe won't let him set and tee, whereas Joe doesn't need to load his shots and would let them off when Nigel's low.
