Random Thoughts: Joe Calzaghe, Roy Jones, Manny Pacquiao, Oscar De La Hoya
When an international fighter competes at the Garden, the atmosphere intensifies. The flag-waving Welsh fans began cheering for Joe Calzaghe as early as 8 p.m. when his image would appear on the video screens over the ring. Many pints and few brawls later, they were rewarded with a dominating performance by their man.
Some other thoughts from the Garden:
* The New York State Athletic Commision doctor was completely shutout by the corner of Roy Jones Jr. After Jones suffered as bad a cut as we've seen, the doctor was constantly on the outside looking in, trying to sneek a peak between the cornermen. At that point in time, it becomes his corner. But the only time he got a clear view of the cut was after it was washed out and worked on by Jones' corner. He would look at briefly before the start of each new round.
* You can give credit to Jones' corner for keeping him in the fight by shielding him from the doctor. Or, you can wonder why they didn't take it upon themselves to stop the fight. Because really, after the seventh round, it was evident he wasn't going to win. I understand letting a legend go the distance, but is that possibly worth risking permanent damage to the eye? Roy would have never quit, that's why it was up to the corner or the doctor to save him from further punishment.
* I'm trying really hard to convince myself that Joe Calzaghe is great. But I keep seeing him push out those left hands and slap Roy with them and, well, I can't. The man is pleasant and a credit to the sport of boxing. He is a gifted athlete, extremely tough and perfectly conditioned. But that could also be said of a marathon runner or a soccer player.
* Here's why there are so many questions about Joe Calzaghe. In the last 20 years in boxing, it's the only sport in which you can live in a vacuum and not have to fight the best fighters in your weight divison ( and it's not just Joe Calzaghe who does it). It's like C.W. Post going undefeated in football and saying they belong up there with USC. But this couldn't have happened in boxing 50 years ago when it was mandated that the best fight the best. If this were the Golden Age, Roy and Joe would have hooked up five years ago. People point to Mikkel Kessler as one of Calzaghe's best opponents. OK. He's a nice opponent, a skilled fighter. But who is on his record that makes you say, OK, he's fought the best in the world?
* Honestly, if Joe Calzaghe or Mikkel Kessler were to fight Roy Jones Jr. and Bernard Hopkins when they were all in the primes, who are you picking? One further. Can you comfortably pick Calzaghe over Chad Dawson?
* Michael Marley was with Mogens Palle and Mikkel Kessler at the Garden the other night. That's quite a fistic triumverate. It was pointed out to me by Marley that Palle was the man responsible for bringing my father -- Bobby Cassidy -- over to Sweden to fight European champion Bo Hogberg in 1967. The fight ended in a draw, so what does that tell you?
* Calzaghe suggested a Kessler-Hopkins fight. He'd like to promote it. I'd like to see it.
* HBO's 24/7 of De La Hoya and Pacquiao begins this Sunday.
* Freddie Roach was on a conference call with the media earlier this week. He trains Manny Pacquiao and he trained Oscar De La Hoya for his fight against Floyd Mayweather Jr. Check out this quote: "Oscar was great in training camp. He works really hard and he's a hard trainer, he's a hard worker. I know that. He's not the fastest learner in the world. When you show him something new you have to keep working on him where Pacquiao picks it up a lot quicker. You show Manny something once he picks it up quick. Oscar's not that type of guy. And not that there's anything wrong with it but the thing is it takes a little more time for him. The game plan we had for the fight [against Mayweather], was working well in the early rounds and I thought we were winning the fight. And then he abandoned the game plan and then we end up losing the decision. And then, I guess about a month ago, he started blaming me for the loss. But, he's always blaming somebody so he can blame me for this one too."
* If Manny Pacquiao defeats Oscar De La Hoya he should immediately call out to Floyd Mayweather Jr. for a fight. It could be the biggest fight in that weight range since Leonard-Duran I.
* If Oscar De La Hoya beats Manny Pacquiao don't be surprised to see him fight Joe Calzaghe at say a catch weight of 165. If Joe can get down to that weight, the fight would be huge. The money would be astronomical. Oscar considered fighting Ricky Hatton at the new Wembley Stadium, so why not Joe? And in terms of legacy, well, Oscar would be able to say that he defeated the two best P4Pers in the game while fighting across a range of roughly 20 pounds.
-- CASSIDY
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