BoxRec

Calzaghe relishing Vegas test



Joe Calzaghe


Joe Calzaghe is looking to emulate one of the great feats of British boxing when he fights Bernard Hopkins in Las Vegas in April.
Calzaghe, 35, is hoping to mark his first workout in America with a performance as impressive as the one which saw unfancied Lloyd Honeyghan dismantle Don Curry for the undisputed welterweight title in 1986.

"Lloyd Honeyghan went out there and took apart one of the best pound-for-pound fighters in Don Curry. That's what I'm looking to do - a Lloyd Honeyghan," said Calzaghe.

"Get out there, take things in my stride and do the business. A ring's a ring. It doesn't matter if it's in Wales, England, Italy, Las Vegas. I'm pretty chilled out. I don't let things get in the way of me.

"Yeah, he's going to try to wind me up but I'll just take it in my stride."



--

Not only was Don Curry a lot better than Hopkins ever was, but he was rated hands down the best fighter in the world at the time, by far, and in his young prime. Lloyd wasn't given a prayer. Calzaghe is the big betting favourite to win this freakshow. And I wouldn't put Hopkins in the 10 best fighters in the world at the minute.

I compare it more to Benn-Barkley. Benn was coming off his best win at the time against DeWitt, who had just taken out Matthew Hilton (big difference between Markus Beyer and Matthew Hilton, by the way), and Iran had taken out Olajide, Hearns and ran Michael Nunn close (big difference between Michael Nunn and Jermain Taylor/Antonio Tarver/Winky Wright, by the way) and was more intimidating than Hopkins is.

Not only was Don Curry a lot better than Hopkins ever was, but he was rated hands down the best fighter in the world at the time, by far, and in his young prime. Lloyd wasn't given a prayer. Calzaghe is the big betting favourite to win this freakshow. And I wouldn't put Hopkins in the 10 best fighters in the world at the minute.

I compare it more to Benn-Barkley. Benn was coming off his best win at the time against DeWitt, who had just taken out Matthew Hilton (big difference between Markus Beyer and Matthew Hilton, by the way), and Iran had taken out Olajide, Hearns and ran Michael Nunn close (big difference between Michael Nunn and Jermain Taylor/Antonio Tarver/Winky Wright, by the way) and was more intimidating than Hopkins is.

If Calzaghe wins, I bet there will be some plonker/s who claim the victory to be one of the, or THE best ever win by a british fighter.

What Benn did to De Witt and Barkley almost beats what Calzaghe has done in pretty much his entire career.. going over there after the most shattering of losses, just 3 years as a pro, and taking on the most intimidating tough bastards around in their backyards.. and knowing that he'd have to throw KO blows from the opening bell, cos if De Witt or Barkley got warmed up and into the fight opening up Nigel would have lost.. and he did, they were fighting under water in the first minute, the toughest fuckers, who had laughed at Hearns.. De Witt with his flat nose and thousands of rounds of sparring with Hagler as a 16 year old and Barkley with his pyscho eyes and hundreds of streetfights in the South Bronx at 16.. Nigel was king of the tough guys..!!

But.. Hopkins is a far better boxer than Barkley and De Witt..!

Matt Hilton and Mike Nunn were both better than Mikkel Kessler, no question.. they were p4p rated in the KO magazine that did it back then with a year-end poll.. but they were also better than De Witt and Barkley, Hilton was a light-middle and Nunn just a pussy, i'd score Nunn-Barkley to Barkley because he was the one always forcing the fight, Nunn looked shit scared and just did not stop running, even though he was a different stratosphere to Barkley in talent.. Hilton moved up because nobody would fight him at light-middle i believe, he had supposedly the best left hook in boxing and De Witt took it flush and came firing back, but he barely took Nigel's left hooks..

De Witt and Barkley were tough guys but there to be hit, and if you were there to be hit against Nigel Benn you werent going to win.. Bernard Hopkins is a light years better boxer and this a different stratosphere fight for hardcore boxing fans.. Benn-Barkley was somewhat big, only because Benn was so big in Britain and Barkley had so many viewers in America, but to every boxing fan in both Brit and America, Calzaghe and Hopkins are 'the men' and this is somewhat a dream match..

(btw i'd take De Witt and Barkley over Pavlik and Taylor)

barkely had just iced Tommy hearns mate. I know he had just dropped an SD to Duran and lost to Nunn but he was still up there in the top 5.

I HAVE TO ADMIT, I DIDNT SEE BENN BEATING DEWITT AT ALL, I DONT THINK ANYONE DID, HE LOOKED GOOD AGAINST HEARNS, EVERY ROUND WAS REALLY CLOSE ! HE HAD GREAT LEFT HAND WORK, DOUBLING THE JAB, HOOKING OFF THE JAB, KEEPING HIS OTHER HAND UP AND SETTIN UP COMBINATIONS

I AGREE THAT IF DEWITT GOT INTO THE FIGHT WITH OUT HIS HEAD BEING PUNCHED FROM ONE SIDE OF THE RING TO THE OTHER, HE MAY HAVE BEATEN NIGEL

HAVE TO LAUGH THO AT DOUG THINKING HE'D HAVE BEATEN HAGLER :: http://www.eastsideboxing.com/news.php?p=14090&more=1

HE'S HAD HIS NOSE FIXED THO !

Talking of De witt, have you seen how much plastic surgery he's had! He looks like a haddock....

Wasn't he in boxing news the other day, he looked damned weird, he's actor now apparently.

Yeah i saw that in BN, how much make up did he have on?!

It reminded me of Beetlejuice (alternative title: Malignaggi) when the guy has his face pulled back...

jamesmcdonnell wrote:Wasn't he in boxing news the other day, he looked damned weird, he's actor now apparently.

Saw that too. What films has he been in?

Anyone though his picture looked like a Just For Men advert?

Curry is a better fighter than Hopkins ever was?

How do you back that one up?

CUrry was also never universally considered the best fighter in the world at any point in his career.

Hagler was the man at the time and clearly so.Don only threatened him for all of a year in the p4p stakes.

he's looking to take hopkins apart. if he tried to do a nigel benn out there, he'd probably be knocked out, he's not 25 anymore with a strong hand.

curry never even lost a round before the honey fight. infact, i never even saw him waste a punch. and he was the epitomiser of sharp puncher. but he clearly wasn't at his best against the ragga, struggling with weight etc. but curry at his best, you couldn't really get better. the footage i've seen of sugar ray robinson, it's really no better.

mrkh wrote:curry never even lost a round before the honey fight. infact, i never even saw him waste a punch. and he was the epitomiser of sharp puncher. but he clearly wasn't at his best against the ragga, struggling with weight etc. but curry at his best, you couldn't really get better. the footage i've seen of sugar ray robinson, it's really no better.

Never lost a round? How about the split decision in the first Starling fight?

Loynesy wrote:Curry is a better fighter than Hopkins ever was?

How do you back that one up?

yeah wtf.

people are going too far the other way now and under rating hopkins.

i make hops a close favourite heading into the calzaghe fight.

Loynesy wrote:

mrkh wrote:curry never even lost a round before the honey fight. infact, i never even saw him waste a punch. and he was the epitomiser of sharp puncher. but he clearly wasn't at his best against the ragga, struggling with weight etc. but curry at his best, you couldn't really get better. the footage i've seen of sugar ray robinson, it's really no better.

Never lost a round? How about the split decision in the first Starling fight?

2nd fight was close until the last few rds as well.

DOES ANY ONE ELSE THINK BENN WOULD HAVE TAKEN NUNN ?

Crew2 wrote:DOES ANY ONE ELSE THINK BENN WOULD HAVE TAKEN NUNN ?

maybe.

think i would have tipped nunn though.

Crew2 wrote:DOES ANY ONE ELSE THINK BENN WOULD HAVE TAKEN NUNN ?

The Nunn who fought Barkley, yeah, being unstationary for every second of every round, because you're giving Benn maximum leverage and space to launch himself. The Nunn who fought Toney, who was more stationary to prove a point to his critics, would have had a field day with Nigel. That Nunn, against Toney, showed more skill than ever. He was pitching a shut-out with high out-put! He was doing a Lacy on Toney!

You can say Nunn was at his most effective using great movement and being really rangey, keeping guys on the end of his right jab and using ropes for defence when he had to (!), but he was unbelievably smooth and flowing in the Toney fight - not darting in-and-out like Jones did, standing in front of Toney and just completely outboxing him with combinations. Against Frank Tate and Roldan, Nunn didn't take a punch. He didn't get hit. But he was most impressive to me against Toney, no question. And that Nunn makes Benn look much worse than he was, really does.

For me, Nunn was the most talented fighter of his era. Combine that with his height and stance, hand speed and foot speed, and not snorting cocaine up his nose, and staying away from Nigel Benn's natural punching leverages, and he's pretty much unbeatable.

Nunn had NO power, he was all powder puff stuff. Eubank would of walked through him and has said as much in private, conceeding Nunn was the better pure boxer but that his shots would've had no effect and how he knows he'd of got him out of there. He says though Nunn brought nothing to the table, he got bigger pay days against Gary Strech (playboy to the papers) and Michael Watson (beat Benn of course) and points out he signed to fight Nunn for if he beat Benn at the return match, but conceeded after it was a draw that leading contender Henry Wharton or Ray Close would have been easier and James Toney bigger money if he signed with a other TV net.

Al Savani wrote:Eubank would of walked through him and has said as much in private

When and where was this?