By James Slater: Joe Calzaghe and Roy Jones Junior, who meet in a hugely anticipated fight on November 8th, have been busily helping hype the bout at a series of appearances in a five-city tour. Right now they are in New York and tensions have got a little tense between the two light-heavyweights.
In an article that appeared in yesterday’s Sunday Mirror newspaper, challenger Jones, who will be attempting to take the Ring magazine 175-pound championship off the unbeaten Calzaghe when they clash at Madison Square Garden in less than a month’s time, verbally attacked the Welshman and his all-time great standing.
“Joe is a long way from being the king of boxing in America,” Jones Junior said. “He’s a good European fighter but there are too many question marks about his career. I have answered all my doubters and beaten living legends but Joe has too much catching up to do. He beat Bernard Hopkins but Hopkins was at the end of his career – and now he has to get past me. I’ve been looking at tapes of Joe’s fights and I just can’t see a way that he can beat me.”
According to the Mirror article, the only response Joe gave was to say how the two have grown more and more tense as the press tour has gone on.
“We got on okay during the tour but it was getting a little tense at the end,” Calzaghe said.
So, is Jones correct when he says Joe is no king of boxing? Jones’ words are harsh, for sure. Calzaghe may not have met the greats Jones has, but he has never ever lost, has been a world champion for over eleven long years and he has beaten some excellent fighters. Wins over men like Eubank, Lacy, Kessler and Hopkins deserve far more respect than what Jones seems willing to give “The Pride of Wales.” And as for the multi-weight world champion not seeing “any way that Calzaghe can beat him,” how about Joe’s famous work-rate, immense punch output and blurring hand speed?
Also, Joe appears to have more left at this point, than does Jones. It should be some good fight on November 8th, but to this writer’s way of thinking Calzaghe will make Jones pay for his negative comments. A Calzaghe KO win would come as some surprise, but a clear points win would not.
And maybe after Joe beats him by a wide decision, Jones will admit that Calzaghe IS the king of boxing – at least in his weight class.