Tuesday, June 30, 2009
Sunday, June 28, 2009
A Look Back: Joe Calzaghe vs. Roy Jones Jr.
November 2008: Two ring legends, Joe Calzaghe and Roy Jones Jr. gave boxing fans a memory they wont soon forget. Although half of the fight was more like an exhibition bout and the fight itself took place about 8 years too late, it still was exciting to see both men share the ring together. And the fight let us piece the puzzle together on what (most likely) would have happened had these two fighters met in November of 2000.
I was expecting Joe Calzaghe to come into the fight and dominate. He did dominate, but not in the way I expected; I was thinking more along the lines of him knocking Roy Jones Jr. out early, or in the mid-rounds.
The first round was full of drama with Roy Jones Jr. showing superior speed in the center of the ring - he also had more snap on his punches. He knocked Joe Calzaghe down towards the end of the first. Definitely a surprise to me.
The second round saw Calzaghe fully recuperated from the first round knock down, but Roy Jones Jr. was still landing clean, crisp punches. In my view, Jones took the first 2 rounds.
The tide turned in the third round as Joe Calzaghe dominated Roy Jones against the ropes and in the center of the ring.
Round four was more of the same; Calzaghe throwing and landing more punches.
Round 5 was a close round to score and could have gone either way. Both men had moments. I personally scored it for Roy Jones Jr. on his cleaner, harder punches.
Round 6 was clearly Joe Calzaghe's round, even though he got hit with a monstrous uppercut at the tail end of the round. If Calzaghe didn't have such a good chin, I doubt he would have been standing after that punch.
Round 7 was an interesting round; Roy Jones Jr. started to jab Calzaghe. And he was troubling Calzaghe as he tried to get inside. Jones mixed it up - you could almost see the wheels turning inside Calzaghe's head. After Jones landed effective jabs to keep Joe at bay, Calzaghe landed a couple of straight left hands which opened a cut above Jones' left eye. After suffering the cut, it was all down hill for Roy.
The remainder of the fight was all Joe Calzaghe, as he cruised to a UD.
I take nothing away from Calzaghe. It was an impressive win for him - after all, he was 36 years old himself. But let's not lose sight of the fact that Jones was not being blown out of the water until AFTER he sustained that cut. I doubt Roy would have won had he not suffered the cut, but I believe the fight would have been much more competitive.
Roy Jones Jr., even at age 39 had the quicker single shots and the crisper, harder, cleaner punches on the night. Calzaghe was faster with flurries and foot work.
Which leads me to my conclusion: Prime for prime, Roy Jones Jr. wins by a wide UD. Roy Jones Jr. was simply too fast for Joe Calzaghe, at any time in his career (watch the first 7 rounds of Calzaghe-Jones to see what I'm talking about).
Whatever the case, both fighters gave us an opportunity to see their styles clash. At least they fought; better late than never.
Both fighters will undoubtedly be inducted into the boxing hall of fame.
I was expecting Joe Calzaghe to come into the fight and dominate. He did dominate, but not in the way I expected; I was thinking more along the lines of him knocking Roy Jones Jr. out early, or in the mid-rounds.
The first round was full of drama with Roy Jones Jr. showing superior speed in the center of the ring - he also had more snap on his punches. He knocked Joe Calzaghe down towards the end of the first. Definitely a surprise to me.
The second round saw Calzaghe fully recuperated from the first round knock down, but Roy Jones Jr. was still landing clean, crisp punches. In my view, Jones took the first 2 rounds.
The tide turned in the third round as Joe Calzaghe dominated Roy Jones against the ropes and in the center of the ring.
Round four was more of the same; Calzaghe throwing and landing more punches.
Round 5 was a close round to score and could have gone either way. Both men had moments. I personally scored it for Roy Jones Jr. on his cleaner, harder punches.
Round 6 was clearly Joe Calzaghe's round, even though he got hit with a monstrous uppercut at the tail end of the round. If Calzaghe didn't have such a good chin, I doubt he would have been standing after that punch.
Round 7 was an interesting round; Roy Jones Jr. started to jab Calzaghe. And he was troubling Calzaghe as he tried to get inside. Jones mixed it up - you could almost see the wheels turning inside Calzaghe's head. After Jones landed effective jabs to keep Joe at bay, Calzaghe landed a couple of straight left hands which opened a cut above Jones' left eye. After suffering the cut, it was all down hill for Roy.
The remainder of the fight was all Joe Calzaghe, as he cruised to a UD.
I take nothing away from Calzaghe. It was an impressive win for him - after all, he was 36 years old himself. But let's not lose sight of the fact that Jones was not being blown out of the water until AFTER he sustained that cut. I doubt Roy would have won had he not suffered the cut, but I believe the fight would have been much more competitive.
Roy Jones Jr., even at age 39 had the quicker single shots and the crisper, harder, cleaner punches on the night. Calzaghe was faster with flurries and foot work.
Which leads me to my conclusion: Prime for prime, Roy Jones Jr. wins by a wide UD. Roy Jones Jr. was simply too fast for Joe Calzaghe, at any time in his career (watch the first 7 rounds of Calzaghe-Jones to see what I'm talking about).
Whatever the case, both fighters gave us an opportunity to see their styles clash. At least they fought; better late than never.
Both fighters will undoubtedly be inducted into the boxing hall of fame.
Arthur Abraham Wins Via 10-Round KO
Arthur Abraham defended his title for the 10th time, as he disposed of his challenger, Mahir Oral, knocking him down 5 times, ultimately getting the stoppage in round 10.
Arthur Abraham dominated throughout and looked as good as ever.
Abraham has a few options on the table for him; he can face Carl Froch, or Kelly Pavlik. I'd rather see Pavlik vs. Abraham at middleweight. This fight has been discussed quite a bit these last couple of years. I see Pavlik vs. Abraham as a 50/50 fight. Both have the power to hurt each other. My early prediction favors Kelly Pavlik though, as he has the better jab, longer reach and is the better technical boxer.
We'll see where the talks go in the next few weeks. If there is one downside to the sport of boxing, it is that negotiations for bouts between top fighters in each weight class can be painstakingly slow. . . as we have seen over the years.
Saturday, June 27, 2009
Amazing, Memorable & Funny Boxing Moments
Don't forget to check out the youtube link I have posted below for some laughs.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hTHXIZzCKBc
Mayweather vs. Marquez Is Back On For September 19
Floyd Mayweather Jr. vs Juan Manuel Marquez is officially back on. The bout is rescheduled for September 19.
After being cleared to fight by his doctor, Mayweather said, "I am relieved to be cleared to fight as I was already looking forward to getting back into the ring.
"Trust me, 19 September is a great weekend for boxing, and all of my fans, of which there are many Mexicans too, can certainly hold on to their hats and sombreros when I get back into the ring and show them what they have been missing these past 18 months. I will destroy Marquez and reclaim my rightful place as boxing's pound-for-pound king all in one night."
I'm glad the fight is back on, although I must disagree with Mayweather on one point; if Floyd is to reclaim boxing's number one pound-for-pound spot, he must first beat Manny Pacquiao. Defeating Juan Manuel Marquez, on his first trip to the ring in over a year would be impressive for Mayweather - no doubt about it. But it wont put him above Manny Pacquiao.
Marquez had this to say about the rescheduled bout with Mayweather: "I am happy that Mayweather has been cleared to fight and we can get down to business. This weekend is not just an important weekend for boxing, but even more so for all of the Mexican and Mexican-American people I will be fighting for."
Floyd Mayweather Jr. vs. Juan Manuel Marquez - September 19 - let the hype resume!
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