posted November 6, 2008 at 17:03 in Other Articles
Calzaghe Looks to Keep Record Perfect Against Roy Jones
BetUS boxing enthusiasts may not know that I emphatically selected my fellow Philadelphia ‘homeboy’ Bernard Hopkins to destroy undefeated middleweight Kelly Pavlik in their Oct. 18 non-title bout, but it’s true!
ESPN readers who skimmed through some of the boxing comments posted by readers prior to that fight knew my feelings on the outcome of that bout, which turned out to be right on the bull’s-eye.
While my beloved BetUS Sportsbook boxing bettors didn’t get the privilege of my pugilistic prowess, I can assure BetUS online boxing sports betting members that won’t happen again as I plan to weigh in on every upcoming fight of consequence in an effort to aid bettors increase their respective boxing bankrolls.
Now that I’ve gotten that long-winded spiel out of my system, let me share my feelings on this Saturday’s mega-fight between undefeated European super-middleweight Joe Calzaghe (45-0, 32 KOs) and widely-respected former world champion heavyweight and light-heavyweight showman, Roy Jones Jr. (52-4, 38 KOs).
I’ll come right out and say the same thing I did to my wonderful BetUS Locker Room editor a few days ago – that ‘Super’ Joe Calzaghe is going to kick Jones’, ‘you-know-what’ all the way from the bout’s Madison Square Garden location back to Calzaghe’s hometown in Great Britain England.
Calzaghe's last fight was a split-decision victory over the legendary Hopkins in Las Vegas April 19, 2007 in which he got off the floor from a first round knockdown to win with a stellar second half against the person I believe is the world’s greatest athlete in any sport.
Now, Calzaghe gets Jones, who will make his first significant fight since a string of three consecutive losses at light-heavyweight to Antonio Tarver, Glen Johnson and Tarver again in 2004-05, including two emphatic knockouts, robbed him of his air of invincibility.
"This opportunity is a long time coming and after I beat Hopkins in April, there was only one fight I wanted next and that was Roy Jones", said Calzaghe. "Once again I am willing to go to America and fight him in his own country. None of that matters to me as I have always believed in my abilities to fight and beat the best in the game."
"To fight two American legends back-to-back is right where I want my career to be at this stage," said Calzaghe. "I plan on remaining undefeated with a victory over Roy Jones just like the Hopkins fight."
Despite the fact that I have a serious dislike for the loud-mouthed, showboating Jones his comeback trail from those three losses has been spotty at best.
Jones Jr. scored decision wins over Prince Ajamu and Anthony Hanshaw taking place a year apart and managed to out-point the much smaller Felix Trinidad in New York last January.Now he faces the unbeaten Calzaghe while trying to take the Ring Magazine belt as undisputed light-heavyweight champion that the Welshman earned by narrowly beating Hopkins.
Jones, who says he will never fight Hopkins, (he’s scared bettors) says Calzaghe’s legacy, not his own, is at stake in this bout.
"A loss for Joe would be much more significant to him than a win would be for me," Jones Jr. said. "Winning would be good for me but losing would really ruin his record.
Here is my brief tale of the tape, along with some analysis on each boxer as well as the outcome of the fight:
Size: Jones has won titles at multiple weights and seems to be comfortable at light-heavyweight. Calzaghe also looks like he’s comfortable in this weight-class so there really won’t be much of a difference here.
Power: Calzaghe’s got big-time power and Jones has shown in recent years, that when hit hard, he has a glass jaw while Jones hasn’t knocked any fighter out in over six years.
Speed: Both fighters have absolutely blazing hand speed so getting into which boxer has the faster hands is silly if you ask me.
Age: Calzaghe is 36 and has shown that going the distance is clearly not a problem. Jones Jr. is 39, but may wear down with all of his fancy footwork in the later rounds. Tired legs means less punching power and more of a chance of getting knocked out.Brains: Ha! Get real! Calzaghe is a thinking man’s fighter more along the lines of Hopkins while Jones Jr. always relied on his superior talent to dominate opponent. Calzaghe holds the clear edge in this category.
Joe Calzaghe -300
Roy Jones Jr. +220
Over 9½ -350
Under 9 ½ +250
The Pick: I’m making this pick emphatically! I like Calzaghe to not only win this fight, but also stop Jones before this fight ends with a flurry of punches in one of the later rounds.
Let’s call this a knockout for Calzaghe in the 10th round.
Calzaghe 10th round K.O.
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