Joe Calzaghe vs James Toney at 168lbs

Too close to call, IMO

I know the fightbeaters will lopsidedly pick Toney, but objectively this is as competitive a matchup as it gets. I lean towards Calzaghe by majority decision.

 

It's an interesting fight.

Joe could certainly out hustle James which in most cases what would likely happen. There's always an "if" with James and that's whether he was in shape. Because of that it's tough to pick him in these matchups.

Safe pick is Calzaghe outworking him.

 

Zaghe wins via brutal jazzercising exhibition

 

I think Joe wins. Joe was a big 168lb man, and I think James hated activity, whether it was his own or somebody elses.

 

Homos will think Calzaghe won because he'll land 102/1165 slaps ... Straight dudes will think Toney won because he landed 220/520 meaty counters and floored the cocksucker once and made him drunk dance a couple other times

 

Toney threw a lot of punches back then too. He let his hands go in combination. I hate Compubox, I think it's often inaccurate when it comes to punches landed, but it does show that Toney threw a lot of punches back then.

168 was his best division, and I think the extent of the weight-drainage is probably exaggerated in the Jones fight. I don't think Toney was drained here like he was at 160 and deserved to lose to Dave Tiberi of all people (two months after looking brilliant against McCallum). RJJ was not only a great fighter, but one of the worst matchups for Toney.

Calzaghe will win some rounds on his activity and make it competitive, but I don't think enough to win the fight. It's hard to keep that workrate up with someone who is as brilliant and sharp a counterpuncher as Toney.

Toney by decision, 8-4.

 

Toney via close decision, 7-5 type score.

I think his body work would actually SLOW DOWN Calzaghe, and he'd knock him down sometime in the latter rounds to seal it.

 

Calslappy will throw 85 sissy punches land 45 punches.....Toney will throw 65 hurtful/purposeful punches landing 35 of them...

Toney will never be in danger....Calzaghe head snaps back repeatedly in the fight...Toney will score a knockdown or two...in route to a UD decision victory...8-4...plus the knocdowns.

 

Toney KO8 by slap-counter

 

Crapsaggy would crap in his pants making them saggy

 

If it's the Toney that took apart Barkley and Charles Williams, he wins.

 

SlapHappy is IMO one of THE most overrated fighters of all time

 

Toney kills him to death

 

Frill

 

Yeah objectively this is a clear cut 8-4 win for Toney at worst but you know the Limeys and euro allies would be arguing about the effectiveness of the welsh guido faggot cockmind Jazzerciser's awkward slaps to the air on Toney's gloves and elbows

 

Calzaghe would outwork him like TNT Tiberi did

I wonder what if Calzaghe had a proper trainer who would have taught him how to actually throw punches correctly....he would have been twice as good as he was...it amazes me the good career he had with that horrible technique because he had power, speed, strength, good chin, footwork, and most importantly....a lot of confidence.....dude was a talent

 

Yeah Toney was in great shape when he fought Tibieri ...

 

Calzaghe would win a reasonably close decision and then afterwards FightBeat would try and find a way to tear down the win. Such is life.

 

I was a Calzaghe fan but a well trained Toney fucks him up pretty bad.

 

Yeah but Toney got a gift decision when he was dehydrated and suffering from cramps due to weighing 3000 pounds between fights so therefore Calzaghe wins (assuming Toney again shows up in horrendous shape)

 

Calzaghe beats any version of James Toney tbh. I say that as a Toney fan. Joe was just a level up if you take off the hate-tinted glasses.

 

Calzaghe wins a more convincing decision than TNT Tiberi

 

Toney's win over Nunn alone trumps any of Calz's wins. Calz never beat a fighter as good as a prime Nunn.

There's nobody on Joe's resume that prime Toney couldn't have beaten.

Toney would've beaten an old Hopkins, he would have beaten Kessler, and I shutter to think what he'd have done to Lacy.

There's no hate-tinted glasses on. Calz was very good, but he's become ABSURDLY overrated since retirement.

If I was truly biased against Joe, I'd say the notion of him winning this fight is laughable. I don't think it's laughable. In other words, he COULD potentially beat an in-shape Toney. But I tend to believe that if JT's at his best, he slowly picks Joe apart.

 

Nunn is as overrated round these parts as Calzaghe is underrated. I don't think Calzaghe has become overrated since he retired at all, at least not round these parts. The Celtic alliance have run a (largely successful) campaign to paint Joe as a jazzercizing faggot.

Toney would be the best fighter Calzaghe fought by a fair bit. But it's a pick 'em at 168 for my money.

MTF

 

toney would whup him and slap him

i think crapslappy would become a woman

 

Prime Nunn was a better fighter than anybody Calz beat, and there's no debating that.

I can live with people saying it's a pick em.

Calz was good enough to where I'd say that the only guy who beats him at 168 WITHOUT QUESTION is Jones.

Toney, and Ward beat him as well in my book, but you can make a case for Calz winning those matchups.

 

Nunn is hideously overrated - his entire reputation is built around about three fights. I'd maybe agree that Nunn is better than anyone Calzaghe fought but that says more about the shitness of Joe's resume than it does about Nunn.

I'm nowhere near convinced Ward beats Calzaghe. I can't see any advantage Ward has that says as much. I saw a guy run round the ring for the last four rounds against Froch and headbutt his way past Kessler. Nothing there to convince me he outworks Joe.

Jones beats Joe in a rare, vaguely competitive Jones fight at 168 but it's a competitive 'wide' win for Jones. 8-4, 9-3 kind of win that looks close because it's a better effort than anyone else puts in against Jones but nowhere near enough good enough to win. Jones at 168 was Jones at his very best. A phenom.

Strangely, I think a prime Eubank gives Calzaghe a very tough fight. His awkwardness and toughness would give Joe fits IMO. I think Watson circa Eubanks II is a very tough fight for Joe also. Joe didn't hard enough to keep Watson off and Watson's technical quality would keep Joe from fighting his preferred fight. That's speculation, of course, because Calzaghe was lucky enough to fight immediately after the prime era for 168-lbers where real quality fighters near killed each other scrapping for belts.

MTF

 

usually guys in bad shape don't make it to 12 rounds throwing that many punches....it was a dog fight he mentally wasn't ready for

 

I find it hilarious that all the Calz groupies are bringing up Toney's questionable victories. As if Calz didn't get a questionable decision over Robin Reid in his prime.

But I guess Toney wasn't as good as Reid, huh?