This cliche fits Calzhage to a tee. Against lesser opposition, he does just enough to win comfortably. Against better competition he steps up his game. Hell, even when hes faced with diversity is an fight he dramatically turns up the heat. Its really hard to gauge him as a fighter due to this. You think?
Calzaghe has always frustrated me by doing this. He might have got the bigger fights sooner had he been able to get himself up for the lesser fights and put on a performance.
He's an arsehole to predict, I hate him, Kessler had barely lost a round in his entire career, and had shown obviously superb fundamentals for outside fighting, and intelligent improvisions when faced with just the tiniest bit of adversity, eg (Mundine and the illegally infamous defensive system known as the "shoulder roll" ). Kessler has been a star on the horizon, and recently looked spectacular landing 8 and 9 punch combinations against Librado Andrade, he also possesses arguably the best jab in the game, and with all this evidence considered I kept wondering what Calzaghe could do if Kessler kept the distance between them, nothing?........and especially considering Calzaghe's pre-fight comparisons, on several occasions Calzaghe has gone through awkward gruellers instead of changing fight tactics against styles that trouble him, we've got him jerking his head up, with cut eyebrows squealing like a bitch against Sakio Bika, and before that we had him being dumped on his arse in a true amatuerish slurrage of a mess with that anonymous bum Cadbury Salem (sp?), or whoever the fuck it was, Calzaghe is also at an advanced age, he's been dropped and hurt, and pushed to split decisions before,.. Kessler also had the supreme size and power advantage, ........so why not pick Kessler?..it was the logical choice on basic evidence. ...then look what fucking happens?.......:flip: what a cunt, I've never been so stirred up by a fight in me life..
It's pretty hard to come into the lions den and perform the way Kessler performed. If he had fought most rounds like he did the 12 round, he would have won. He was just a tad short. He would have beat anybody else badly, but he was facing a great fighter.
it was clearly the two best fighters in the division, and Calzaghe was awesome in another of his biggest fights. I really wanna see him fight Hopkins, it would be an intense clash between two guys who always make their own pace.
I've alway's known he was this way and it goes back to the Lacy fight,before that fight he looked average/below average then he fights Lacy and I was like Woooow :eeeek: I think he wanted big defining fights just as badly as his fightbeat haters :: but for one reason or another it didn't pan out at the time.Joe is a great fighter and belongs with the great elite fighters of the past 20years.
Are you kidding me? He fights like he is 25 years old. He has been knocked 2 times in his ENTIRE pro career, and he was pushed to s SD 1 time, the rest of the decisions in his career were quite 1 sided. Do you homework before posting this trash.
No Im not kidding, I swear he's at the advanced age of 35, he HAS been taken to a split decision, HAS been hurt and dropped before, HAS looked sloppy and inconsistant in certain fights, I kid you not, it's true.
Thats what Im saying, examining the evidence in comparison to Kessler's near flawless resume entering the fight, the logical choice would've been to pick Kessler, but again, Joe fucken shows up a different fighter and performs on a higher level than he's ever displayed before,..the same with the Lacy fight,...that's why I wish he was dead, he's a fucken spin out :doh: , irritating and unatural.
Thats boxing! This is the exact reason why MM's and predictions based on previous fights can never be relied on too heavily. Suprises wait around every corner.
I feel is the case for both Calzague and Hatton. they look crappy in between big fights but seem to step it up when they need to.
:clap: Agreed entirely (on both). I don't think it a great stretch to state that Joe seems to be, well, full of self confidence (I'll be generous) and when that is the case you often see the 'what the fuck am I doing in the ring with this bum?' attitude in a fighter. Only a real threat seems to wake him up, but after yesterday it cannot be argued that when he wakes up, he is some tough and versatile SOB. MTF
I think fighting to the level of opposition is more a product of a fighters style rather than his will or desire to win, as is implied. Some fighters simply have a style that commands they fight in a way so that they are always 1 step ahead of their opponent.. they have diverse attacks and defence, and adjust it according to their opponents style. Fighters who can do this effectively are highly succesful, Calzaghe, Hops, Holyfield, Ottke etc.. When fighters have just one way of fighting.. they tend to blow out lower opposition, but can't always adjust against higher oppoisition... if you CAN adjust to your opponent.. and stay that step ahead.. you can win but often not be as impressive.
Great post and interesting way of thinking about it.... This is what leads to the "he does just enough to win" observations. I think it's a case-by-case basis, but totally get your point that a fighter who adjusts to his opponent's style and has more flexibility will often look like he is inconsistent b/c he is 'reacting to' what is given him. Still - that's where killer instinct and the ability to blow out inferior opposition needs to come into play. Peace.
