BoxRec

In a way he did anyway. He was asked if Calzaghe was just around in a crap 10-yr era for middles/supermiddles and he said no it's been a good era and its just his era was the the 'best ever'

He said we'll never see an era like his again and something along lines of 'if Joe fought Benn and Eubank twice each he would'nt have won 3 fights and if he went in with a peak Mike McCallum as a 16 fight kid he would never have gone 12- i went 50/50 with McCallum when i warmed up!'

well, Calzaghe is in a strong era right now...

Al Savani wrote:In a way he did anyway. He was asked if Calzaghe was just around in a crap 10-yr era for middles/supermiddles and he said no it's been a good era and its just his era was the the 'best ever'

He said we'll never see an era like his again and something along lines of 'if Joe fought Benn and Eubank twice each he would'nt have won 3 fights and if he went in with a peak Mike McCallum as a 16 fight kid he would never have gone 12- i went 50/50 with McCallum when i warmed up!'

Collins didn't fight a peak Eubank or Benn either so he should shut the fck up!

Collins just makes me sick - He was never a Benn or a Eubank equal - Both Benn and Eubank recognize Joe as one of the best ever SMs so we dont need Collins saying otherwise.

Collins pulled out of the Calzaghe fight because he knew he was going to get a severe beating.

Joe would never have lost to Reggie Johnson and Sumbu Kalam,bay either.

Emerson Poncey Name Ghent wrote:

Al Savani wrote:In a way he did anyway. He was asked if Calzaghe was just around in a crap 10-yr era for middles/supermiddles and he said no it's been a good era and its just his era was the the 'best ever'

He said we'll never see an era like his again and something along lines of 'if Joe fought Benn and Eubank twice each he would'nt have won 3 fights and if he went in with a peak Mike McCallum as a 16 fight kid he would never have gone 12- i went 50/50 with McCallum when i warmed up!'

Collins didn't fight a peak Eubank or Benn either so he should shut the fck up!

Emerson Poncey Name Ghent wrote:

Al Savani wrote:In a way he did anyway. He was asked if Calzaghe was just around in a crap 10-yr era for middles/supermiddles and he said no it's been a good era and its just his era was the the 'best ever'

He said we'll never see an era like his again and something along lines of 'if Joe fought Benn and Eubank twice each he would'nt have won 3 fights and if he went in with a peak Mike McCallum as a 16 fight kid he would never have gone 12- i went 50/50 with McCallum when i warmed up!'

Collins didn't fight a peak Eubank or Benn either so he should shut the fck up!

Agree strongly, he is an asshole.

Collins has some front talking about Calzaghe having a crap era, if ever a champion was around at the right time it was Collins.

I remember Calzaghe called him 'The Celtic Worrier' when he pulled out of their proposed fight.

he is right that the 160-168 climate was allot better back then. Roy Jones, Toney, McCallum, Eubank, Benn, Nunn, Graham, Hopkins and plenty of other contenders. Kalambay and Reggie Johnson were nothing to sneeze at either

Phenomenal-Nutrition wrote:he is right that the 160-168 climate was allot better back then. Roy Jones, Toney, McCallum, Eubank, Benn, Nunn, Graham, Hopkins and plenty of other contenders. Kalambay and Reggie Johnson were nothing to sneeze at either

The division was pretty stacked back then while he was fighting Craig Cummings, Cornelius Carr and Neville Brown!

E wrote: Joe would never have lost to Reggie Johnson and Sumbu Kalam,bay either.

Kalambay was a MASTER. He schooled (yes, schooled) Herol Graham and Mike McCallum in their primes!!

Joe is not in that league.

Just found this on YouTube...

("an in-form Steve Collins beats anybody" :) )

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XfK4ZGIlaRI

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5RYvuF1KY3s

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h18p65PPCh0

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2s75XfxsZK0

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X_e750oQc38

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jNVAfQggGI4

This gives me the impression that Collins is jealous and his comment are inaccurate and unrealistic

STP wrote:Kalambay was a MASTER. He schooled (yes, schooled) Herol Graham and Mike McCallum in their primes!!

Schooled Graham?

Are you actually attempting to be serious? - Graham was very unlucky not to take that fight, he was a good winner on my card.

It was a typical Italian decision.

nickd wrote:

Phenomenal-Nutrition wrote:he is right that the 160-168 climate was allot better back then. Roy Jones, Toney, McCallum, Eubank, Benn, Nunn, Graham, Hopkins and plenty of other contenders. Kalambay and Reggie Johnson were nothing to sneeze at either

The division was pretty stacked back then while he was fighting Craig Cummings, Cornelius Carr and Neville Brown! :o :o

these are true world class fighters..not...Collins wouldnt have won a single round of Calzaghe..jealousey i think.....

Imagine if Collins had fought Jones back when it was mooted. He'd have been battered senseless by about the halfway stage. Collins had guts and heart but was a bit of a scuffler. Makes me laugh hearing him going on like he was some all time great.

STP wrote:

E wrote: Joe would never have lost to Reggie Johnson and Sumbu Kalam,bay either.

Kalambay was a MASTER. He schooled (yes, schooled) Herol Graham and Mike McCallum in their primes!!

Joe is not in that league.

I share your enthusiasm for Kalambay. His rematch with McCallum was some of the finest boxing I've ever seen, and he lost very closely to a legend. As you say, he totally schooled McCallum 1st time in an absolute masterclass. I felt he was on even terms with Graham but he found the punch, knocking Bomber into the ropes and getting a knockdown 2 point rd. I felt Graham won the rematch without doubt in Italy - great boxing by Herol. I also had Kalambay beating Pyatt for the WBO in his last fight.

Autobarn wrote:

STP wrote:

E wrote: Joe would never have lost to Reggie Johnson and Sumbu Kalam,bay either.

Kalambay was a MASTER. He schooled (yes, schooled) Herol Graham and Mike McCallum in their primes!!

Joe is not in that league.

I share your enthusiasm for Kalambay. His rematch with McCallum was some of the finest boxing I've ever seen, and he lost very closely to a legend. As you say, he totally schooled McCallum 1st time in an absolute masterclass. I felt he was on even terms with Graham but he found the punch, knocking Bomber into the ropes and getting a knockdown 2 point rd. I felt Graham won the rematch without doubt in Italy - great boxing by Herol. I also had Kalambay beating Pyatt for the WBO in his last fight.

Kalambay was decent no doubt, but would not have beaten joe. HE got Ko'd by MIchael Nunn in a round (ok maybe fluke) but also got beat by decent but hardly great Kalule, Duane Thomas and European stnadard Pyatt.

Bomber GRaham also fought a terrible fight that night - without ingle and trying to box agressively with his new colombian trainers.

It appears to me that Collins is a bitter drunk

Des1 wrote:It appears to me that Collins is a bitter drunk

HE alwys seemd quite decent to me until this kind of chat. IS he really a p1sshead??

E wrote:

Des1 wrote:It appears to me that Collins is a bitter drunk

HE alwys seemd quite decent to me until this kind of chat. IS he really a p1sshead??

I've heard he's turned to the drink a big way, like you i've always found him a decent bloke but its statments like this, and the way he was ranting and rambling on, on RTE at the McDonagh/Gomez fight which I saw, and somebody told me they saw him at a boxing show a while back the worse for wear and was swearing at people in the toilets (although I cant say thats 100% true as I didnt see that for myself) makes me suspect he is. This doesnt not make him a decent bloke, its a shame if he has gone this way and I hope my guess is wrong

E wrote:

Autobarn wrote:

STP wrote: Kalambay was a MASTER. He schooled (yes, schooled) Herol Graham and Mike McCallum in their primes!!

Joe is not in that league.

I share your enthusiasm for Kalambay. His rematch with McCallum was some of the finest boxing I've ever seen, and he lost very closely to a legend. As you say, he totally schooled McCallum 1st time in an absolute masterclass. I felt he was on even terms with Graham but he found the punch, knocking Bomber into the ropes and getting a knockdown 2 point rd. I felt Graham won the rematch without doubt in Italy - great boxing by Herol. I also had Kalambay beating Pyatt for the WBO in his last fight.

Kalambay was decent no doubt, but would not have beaten joe. HE got Ko'd by MIchael Nunn in a round (ok maybe fluke) but also got beat by decent but hardly great Kalule, Duane Thomas and European stnadard Pyatt.

Bomber GRaham also fought a terrible fight that night - without ingle and trying to box agressively with his new colombian trainers.

he wasn't decent - he was superb. he was really only a junior middle and was really outsized by Nunn and on away ground. He went 1-1 with McCallum, who achieved way more than Nunn, and outboxed Collins, Graham and for my money, Pyatt. It was a massively competitive era and Kalambay - who also boxed the ears off Barkley, 1-punch KO'd DeWitt and ouboxed Robbie Simms - distinguished himself extremely highly on the Euro and world scenes.

There were a # of early losses, but he also managed to beat Buster Drayton around that time which is more terrific stuff IMO.

Twinkle Toes wrote:

STP wrote:Kalambay was a MASTER. He schooled (yes, schooled) Herol Graham and Mike McCallum in their primes!!

Schooled Graham?

Are you actually attempting to be serious? - Graham was very unlucky not to take that fight, he was a good winner on my card.

It was a typical Italian decision.

i think he schooled the bomber too, kalambay was absolute class and very very underrated !!

After Kessler we will have a better idea of how Joe would have coped with most of the fighters being mentioned.

Joe is more a light heavy than a middleweight anyway.he would almost certainly have fought there for most of his career had he been around before 168 was created.

good point. mccallum, kalambay and graham, who at times seem to fight on dead even terms, were all really light middleweights while joe admits himself he should have been a light heavy for a few yrs by now

I think the middleweight division after Hagler and before Jones ('87-'92) was absolutely outstanding. The super middles are stacking up in a comparable way now.