Michael Watson vs. Joe Calzaghe

[Thread Stealer]

[Only registered and activated users can see links]

[Only registered and activated users can see links]

Everyone knows the current plight of Michael Watson, but the heroics of his fightback from injury were matched by the courage he displayed in the ring.


Watson was the quiet man compared to the flamboyance of the men he fought alongside so memorably, Nigel Benn and Chris Eubank.

He was the ultimate professional, a student of the game who knew his boxing history, analysed the styles of the greats and kept himself in peak physical condition.

No-one fancied his chances in the clash with Nigel Benn; the Dark Destroyer was supposed to blast Watson out of the ring.

But Watson surprised everyone with his peek-a-boo style, frustrated a flailing Benn for six rounds before taking out the exhausted Commonwealth champion.

He was again the underdog in the two Eubank fights. Watson's skill and work-rate saw him dominate the first encounter, before he was robbed by a criminal decision on the scorecards.

The second fight followed a similar pattern as he overwhelmed Eubank, dropping him in the 11th, only for the Brighton man to rise from the canvas with that fateful uppercut to Watson's jaw.

A clash between Joe Calzaghe and the Michael Watson who defeated Nigel Benn would be lapped up by the boxing connoisseur.

The two stylists would fight out an intriguing tactical battle, whilst never neglecting to get the hard work done on the inside.

Of all Calzaghe's opponents, perhaps Richie Woodhall is the nearest in style to Watson and an analysis of this fight could suggest the likely outcome of Calzaghe-Watson.

Woodhall competed for 10 high-class rounds against the Welshman, but over the course of the 30 minutes Calzaghe's heavier punching dragged the fight more and more his way until the challenger could take no more. Watson was a class above Woodhall, but a similar pattern could be expected against Calzaghe. The Welshman takes it in the 10th.

[Jinx]

Watson TKO8 Calzaghe...

[brooklyn1550]

Calzaghe UD

[TBooze]

Calzaghe WU12 (8-4)

Watson was OK as a fighter but the tragedy that happened to him, mean many overrate him.


The McCallum fight showed Watson's limitations, the Lee fight his strengths, but overall he would not be good enough to beat Calzaghe, unless of course he could get the Welshman down to 160...

[Amsterdam]

Eubank said Watson in their second fight was 'streets ahead' of Calzaghe

Every fighter you can name off from the past British scene is superior to Calzaghe by your logic.

[Amsterdam]

How do you mean?

When Eubank says something you listen, because he's about the only boxer who's honest.

Plus, use your eyes - Watson looked far superior to Calzaghe when watching Eubank-Watson II and Eubank-Calzaghe, albeit for only 10.9 rounds of his career.

What I mean is that you are a Calzaghe hater and an illogical one at that who blasts Calzaghe at every turn, giving zero credit for anything, but giving massive credit to lesser fighters than Calzaghe.

[Amsterdam]

Michael Watson a lesser fighter than Calzaghe? Than's an insult (...) and I'm sure Calzaghe himself would disagree with you

I love big Joe and have supported him for 15 years, but my honest opinion is that while he was once grossly underrated he is now grossly overrated and will get schooled by Kessler

Calzaghe is likely the best SMW of all time.

[brooklyn1550]

Calzaghe is likely the best SMW of all time.

A likely win over Kessler will solidify his place at number 1

[Amsterdam]

A likely win over Kessler will solidify his place at number 1

And with that, a spot in the top 100 P4P.

[brooklyn1550]

And with that, a spot in the top 100 P4P.

:yep Only 3 more months to go

[brooklyn1550]

Cool (delusional to suggest he's on Jones Jr's level but hey)

If Calzaghe beats Kessler, then accomplishment-wise at 168, he would be right on Jones Jr's level, probably above it since he would have 21 title defenses and wins over Kessler, Eubank, Lacy, Reid, etc. Head to head though, I don't think anybody at 168, ever, would beat Roy Jones Jr.

[Amsterdam]

:yep Only 3 more months to go

I'm not even concerned about it, it's another fight for Joe and that's it. Know why? Because Joe is a hot and cold fighter and always has been, at his very best in preparation in motivation he is truly a top 3 P4P fighter, with a lack of preparation and a lack of caring in motivation, he looks sloppy.

His footwork, coordination, timing and general being was piss against Bika, a limited brawler, but was phenominal against Lacy, whom is clearly 2 classes up from Bika... how anyone uses the Bika fight as an example of how Kessler is going to win is like the fools using the Torres bout against Cotto and picking Quintana due to Quintana's size and hype, didn't quite work out for them though.:yep

While Manfredo is nothing special, he's a solid 2nd rater and Calzaghe at least had 80% of his peak footspeed and 70% of his peak handspeed and you could tell his preparation was good, even though the end was bad and he mildly injured his left, he hasn't degraded enough to really worry about a timid guy like Mikkel Kessler and it's useless to compare styles when you have a guy who can't handle effective pressure, is open to awkwardness and superior speed and who hates being hit against a very awkward, very fast and very coordinated technical swarmer, it's just absurd.

So it'll solidify what Calzaghe fans knew all along pre-Lacy and pre universal respect of the man, that he's really a fighter who deserves to rank even with the best names of his generation and to be in the dicussion.

Haters like Hugh Web see through their own skewed vision.

[Amsterdam]

If Calzaghe beats Kessler, then accomplishment-wise at 168, he would be right on Jones Jr's level, probably above it since he would have 21 title defenses and wins over Kessler, Eubank, Lacy, Reid, etc. Head to head though, I don't think anybody at 168, ever, would beat Roy Jones Jr.

Exactly, Roy will always be number 1 head to head at SMW, but he didn't do enough there to be ranked as the all around number 1 spot. A win over Kessler, especially if it's a massacre like I am predicting, will cement his as the undisputed number 1 SMW of all time.

He only loses to Jones Jr. at SMW anyway from my point of view and for me that is a testament to Calzaghe.

[Amsterdam]

But who's this Kessler? Who's he fought? The WBC and WBA titles mean nothing anymore, especially when you take them from the two worst titlists in boxing. Calzaghe would still not have fought anybody of any real note near their best. James Toney fought Barkley, Thornton, Littles and Williams - that's four better fighters than any of Calzaghe's 20 world title challengers and that was in 18 months, not 10 years. Calzaghe needed to move up to light-heavy to chase Jones Jr and Michalczewski or cruiser to chase Toney and Jirov. And Toney plays the matador to get the beating of Calzaghe in a fantasy fight.

You rank off of reputation instead of actual skill and ability.

Toney loses to Calzaghe at 168 10 out of 10 times, Calzaghe has an awful style for James Toney, but you wouldn't know that would you?:yep

[Amsterdam]

No, but you hate Calzaghe. You rank a past it Barkley as a signature win for Toney and downplay anything that Calzaghe does, you're even downplaying Kessler, whom you pick to "school" Calzaghe, but since I threw out an alternate prediction that is possible and if it happens, you'll give Calzaghe little credit, but give Toney credit for taking 10 rounds to put away a past it Barkley. It's not like Barkley was ever anything special anyway, the guy was a GOOD fighter at his best and a rightful to 5 contender, Kessler is easily a superior record win in comparison to Barkley for anybody... but Barkely has a reputation that you can absord I suppose.

This is called a double standard.

[sean]

not sure where you get this high opinion of iran barkley at 168.

beast ?

he was an average skilled ,heavy handed , slow as treacle, with a non exsistent defense fighter.

the andrade of his day , without the andrade chin.

honest fighter/loads of guts , but his skill level was way /way behind calzaghe`s, and anybody who watched a lot of barkley like i did will tell you the same thing, unless they have a particular bias or are barkley`s mum.