Despite REED's Overall Indifference to Joe Calzaghe, He LITERALLY Slaps the Shit Out of Saunders (Repeatedly) and Wins a WIDE UD... Calzaghe's Taller, Stronger, Faster, More Athletic and Mentally Tougher...He'd TAUNT the Shit Out of Saunders and Keep Him Shelled Up and/or Moving About the Ring Like a Distressed Damsel in a Horror Flick... The Build-Up Would Be EPIC...Then the Bell Rings... REED
Slightly ahead??????? Lol. Cmonnnnnnn. Joe would beat the living shit outta that crappy, gutless gypsy.
Who did Calz beat the shit off??? Lacy, manfredo and Sheika. All come forwards guys. Calz wouldnt be comfortable chasing Saunders down. He would win since hes a much higher quality guy, but i dont think he would look great in that one
Wouldn't matter. Saunders doesn't have the ability to pose any problems whatsoever for Joe. Calzaghe would stop him, and it would be patheticly one sided.
In Joe's defense, Kessler was not geriatric, and Kessler was several levels better than Billy Joe. Plus, let's be honest, even faded Hopkins is several levels better than BJS. Faded Eubank Sr. is a different level than BJS as well. I truly don't even think BJS beats Charles Brewer, I really don't. I have no love for Joe either, but this is a ridiculous mismatch.
I dont see much to back up the assertion that Kessler was miles better than Saunders, personally. Thats more or less a 50/50 fight in my book.... Kesslers career highlight is going 1-1 with Froch
Beating Froch alone should be the only answer needed. That alone is truly enough. I don't think BJS would beat a Librado Andrade or prime Anthony Mundine, in all honesty. The guy is shit.
Kessler is a solid b level guy nothing more. A skysports hype job like Jeff Lacy, albeit not as shit. Carl Froch easily ranks above him based on their overall resumes.
Saunders does not beat a SINGLE ONE of the circa 09-11 elite super middles. None of em. Froch, Ward, Kessler, Dirrell, AA, Bute, Taylor, all 7 would hand BJS his ass. And I would add Librado Andrade to that list. BJS doesn't have the power to deter Andrade, and doesn't have the heart to handle the pressure Andrade would apply.
If Kess is B-level, then Froch is too. Kessler has a clean win over Froch when both were in their primes. Kessler was faded in the rematch.
It always cracks me when Froch fans pretend like he was this level above Kessler. Their first fight was not some fluke. Kessler beat him for fucks sake. And not some controversial hometown decision, either. I had Kessler winning a clean, deserved 7-5. Kessler was hardly a "hype job." That's a very unfair characterization. He didn't live up to the opinions many of us had of him circa 06, when many were thinking he would be a great fighter. But he was still a damn good fighter, and only the elites in super middle history would beat him.
Concur 100%. The other two locks being Jones and Toney. I dont see Canelo as a lock over Kessler yet. If prime Kessler fought Smith and BJS, he would look like a killer too.
Agreed. Toney and Jones beat him clear IMO. Calzaghe of the early title defences beats him easier. Canelo would beat him IMO, but he's far from a lock. That's a 51/49 for Canelo, in my eyes. Watson would also beat him IMO, but we never saw the intangibles to make him a lock. Not to mention, it's hard to be that sure of him winning when he didn't actually win his only fight of note at the weight.
Watson slipped my mind, but he probably does beat Kessler. Watson would have a stoppage win over Eubank if not for that hailmary uppercut. Kessler didn't have the kind of fighting-changing power Eubank had, I think Watson probably outclasses him. You also have the passerby's at super middle, like Hearns and Leonard, who would also beat Kessler. So there are a few guys who beat him. But that's irrelevant here, as BJS is shit, and Kessler would push his face in. BJS would be totally incapable of avoiding Kessler's straight right. His "slickness" is a myth.
I don't think Saunders is a bad fighter. I still think he's the third best in the world, after Benavidez and obviously Canelo. But yeah, Kessler is way too good.
I think Plant is clearly better than BJS, and that'll become apparent when Plant gives Canelo a better run than BJS did. Plant's more athletic and fluid than BJS, he has a better jab, faster hands, and I would actually argue more pop. Once again I'll stress, no I'm not picking him over Canelo, I think Benavidez is the only one at 168 capable of that. But Plant's gonna give a good account of himself.
I guess I just never saw where this extremely high estimation of Kessler came from. He edged out Froch on home soil. Excellent win. Lost the rematch. After that its pretty thin soup.
Home soil would only be relevant if it was a gift. It wasn't. Kessler won clearly. I haven't seen the fight in years, but I recollect Froch starting stronger, but Kessler took over down the stretch and badly hurt Froch at one point. His right hand to the body wore Froch down. That one win alone is more than BJS could ever muster. Froch would give BJS the Bute treatment.
That's not true. Studies in sport has proven that there is such a thing as home field advantage, and it's not only cause of bad judges-referees decisions