TalkingBoxing Articles
One Step Closer - Calzaghe Decisions Bika
FRI, October 20 Brian O. Blake - Nine years. Joe Calzaghe has held the WBO super middleweight belt for nine whole years. You’d think that would command a great deal of respect. But it hasn’t. He’s gained a lifetime of criticism in that period of time.
But it’s not like it’s without good reason. He’s ducked and dodged good competition for pretty much his whole career, whether it was up to him or not. For numerous years Joe has called out the most elite fighters in the game only to have fights called off for one reason or the other, or just never materialize at all. To be completely honest with all of you the fact that I experienced Calzaghe and Jeff Lacy walk into the ring on the same night was almost enough for me to want to shake Joe’s hand.
That wouldn’t be necessary.
Joe embarrassed Lacy over the course of their 12 round unification bout. All of a sudden ‘The Pride of Wales’, Joe Calzaghe, was the man of the hour. I must confess, even I was unbelievably impressed with the performance that Joe pulled off.
One day prior to that event I considered Jeff Lacy to be ‘the man’ in the super-middleweight division, and Calzaghe was...in all honesty…just your average Joe.
My how things can change.
This past Saturday night the IBF and WBO unified champion took on the game Sakio Bika. Of course, I’ll be honest with you, it clearly wasn’t Calzaghe’s best performance. It wasn’t even close. But at the end of the night he was able to put up a win against the game Sakio Bika. Over the course of twelve tough, dirty, hard fought rounds Calzaghe earned himself a unanimous decision victory. Judges Jose Rivera and John Lawson scored the bout 117-110 while Judge Phil Edwards saw it one round closer at 116-111.
Did I think Joe would lose? No, I didn’t
Earlier in the evening two other super-middleweight champs had a go at it. WBC king Markus Beyer was defeated in a few rounds by WBA top dog, Mikkel Kessler. Hopefully, the unified champ, Kessler, of his fight will take on the other winner, Calzaghe. If it happens it will not only bring Calzaghe one step closer to being the undisputed super middleweight champion of the world, but it’ll also bring him one step closer to respect and greatness.
Not bad for a guy I used to consider, ‘just your average Joe.’
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Brian Blake can be reached at: BrianOBlake@yahoo.com - and always enjoys receiving your thoughts, comments and questions.
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