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HBO World Championship Boxing Recap Part 1

November 8, 2008

Madison Square Garden-New York City, New York

HBO aired its third 24/7 mini-series building up this match and it was much worse then the previous 2. Lacking thearrogant heel character of Floyd Mayweather, Jr. and a likable babyface in either Oscar De La Hoya or Ricky Hatton, the episodes were largely boring. Enzo Calzaghe, Joe Calzaghe's father and trainer, was the only person who attempted to cut a promo on either boxer. They showed how Joe likes to make Enzo angry by turning the wrong direction on a run. That is boring. Floyd Mayweather, Jr. threw Floyd Mayweather, Sr. out of a house Senior was making payments on at the time. The 2 then stopped speaking. De La Hoya during his 24/7 series called Junior a bad son. Senior then gave Hatton tips on how to beatJunior duringthat 24/7 series. That was entertaining.

Jones spent time at his final press conference talking about the victory of President-Elect Obama. Joe was talking about retiring. Enzo was the only 1 still looking to cut promos to sell this match. This was a complete waste of a 24/7 series and devalued the brand. The final buyrates showed that with the PPV doing roughly 225,000 buys. The show did do a strong gate, though. The final attendance was 14,152 with most of the fans traveling across the Atlantic to see the match.

The Ring Light Heavyweight (175 pounds) 12-Round Match:

Joe Calzaghe (45-0, 32 KO's, 174.5 pounds) (c) vs. Roy Jones, Jr. (52-4, 38 KO's, 174.5 pounds)

Calzaghe won this title in his last match from Bernard Hopkins via 12-round split decision on April 19, 2008 at the Thomas & Mack Center in Las Vegas, Nevada. The Welshman came back from being knocked down in round 1 to apparently dominate Hopkins the rest of the match. Calzaghe's intense work rate had Hopkins exhausted in the closing rounds of the match. The full recap of that match can be found here: http://www.number1contender.net/the-latest/2008/10/18/recap-of-bernard-hopkins-vs-joe-calzaghe.html Calzaghe is making his first defense of this title.

Calzaghe had a good amateur career. He won 4 ABA schoolboy Championships followed by 3 consecutive senior British ABA Championships from 1991-1993. However, a procedural error kept Calzaghe out of the 1992 Olympics.

Calzaghe's his last loss came prior to winning his first senior British ABA amateur championship in 1990. At that time over 18 years ago, President-Elect Obama was the freshly elected President of the Harvard Law Review. Germany was still divided into East and West Germany. Universal Studios Florida, the home of the HD iMPACT! Zone had just opened. The Channel Tunnel had yet to be opened. The top selling single in the UK that year was "Unchained Melody" by the Righteous Brothers and the number 1 movie at the box office that year was "Home Alone" starring Macauley Calkin and Academy Award winner Joe Pesci.

Calzaghe is The Ring magazine champion at 175 pounds and ranked by The Ring as the number 3 pound-for-pound best boxer in the world.

Jones had a stellar amateur boxing career that was highlighted when he received the silver medal at 156.5 pounds at the 1988 Seoul Summer Olympics. At that time, Olympic boxing was scored using 5 judges with each person voting fora winner and no points were involved. Jones lost the match via decision, 3-2. The decision was so universally regarded as awful, that the 3 judges who voted against Jones were immediately suspended. For the next Olympics, the scoring system for boxing was changed to the abomination that is currently in place.

The 24/7 series leading up to this match has shown very little recent footage that would make viewers believe Jones can win. The first episode featured several Jones "highlights" from recent matches that did not seem to help market the match. They were numerous replays of Jones being knocked unconscious byGlen Johnsonand Antonio Tarver.

Jones' last match was a 12-round unanimous decision over the unretiring Felix Trinidad at 170 pounds on January 19, 2008 at Madison Square Garden. Trinidad was coming off a 20-month layoff and moving up 10 pounds after being dominated in a loss to Winky Wright. Jones knocked Trinidad down in round 7, but appeared to lack the stamina to finish the Puerto Rican boxer. The Pensacola, Florida knocked Trinidad down again, late in round 10, but was gain unable to finish his opponent. Jones looked very good in the match, but was criticized for being unable to finish an over the hill overweight Trinidad. The Floridian has not knocked out an opponent in over 6 years. However, that was the best selling boxing PPV of 2008 to date doing 500,000 buys. A full recap of that match can be found here and it also more thoroughly discusses the 1988 Olympic boxing controversy: http://www.number1contender.net/the-latest/2008/11/10/recap-of-roy-jones-jr-vs-felix-trinidad.html

Jones is The Ring's number 6 contender at 175 pounds.

At 36-years old, Calzaghe is 3 years younger then the 39-year-old Jones. Calzaghe has the height advantage standing 6' tall, while Jones stands 5' 11" tall. Both boxers have a 24" arm length measured from the armpit to the end of the fist. Neither boxers' unofficial weight approaching match time is shown. However, Calzaghe appears to be the heavier boxer in the ring. The champion will employ the southpaw stance and the challenger will employ the orthodox stance. Calzaghe is the 3-to-1 betting favorite going into this match.

The unified rules of boxing are in effect for this match. The official judges keeping score of this match from ringside are from Nevada, New York, and Wales. The referee is Hubert Earle. Since this is a replay, only the official scores will be shown after every round.

With 50 seconds to go in round 1, a right hand from Jones drops Calzaghe to a knee on the canvas. Hopkins dropped Calzaghe in round 1 of their match with a right hand. The Hopkins knockdown was a flash knockdown. This time Calzaghe appears to be hurt. Calzaghe successfully answers the referees count to continue with 39 seconds to go in the round. Calzaghe was probably winning round 1, until he was knocked down. All of the official judges score round 1 for Jones, 10-8. On replay it appears the blow that knocked Calzaghe down was actually a forearm shot from Jones. Jones was going to throw an uppercut as Calzaghe ducked and caught the Welshman with his forearm. The challenger did not catch Calzaghe with the outside of his forearm, like when pro-wrestlers throw European uppercuts. Jones caught Calzaghe with the inside of his forearm as Jones missed Calzaghe with his fist. The reason the blow did so much damage is because, Calzaghe never saw the strike. To open round 2, there is blood on the bridge of Calzaghe's nose. The cut was probably caused by the Jones forearm. In round 2, Jones was much faster then Calzaghe in the center of the ring. Whenever Jones got backed up against the ropes, the Florida native put his hands up for defense and allowed Calzaghe to punch without worrying about being countered. Calzaghe wins round 2 on all of the judges' scorecards, because Jones allowed Calzaghe all the free shots against the ropes, 10-9. Calzaghe spends round 3 showboating, taunting, and generally embarrassing Jones.The Welshman was standing directly in front of Jones with both hands completely down and throwing the same comical punches Jones has used historically to embarrass his opponents. That whole time, Jones was not hitting Calzaghe. Whenever the champion chose to punch, he was landing 5 and 6 punch combination on the challenger. Calzaghe has felt Jones' power and despite being knocked down appears to have no respect for it by the end of round 3. All of the judges score round 3 for Calzaghe, 10-9, and have the match even after 3 rounds, 28-28.

In round 4, Calzaghe was faster then Jones in the center of the ring and against the ropes. The champion is making Jones look bad in a way no other opponent ever has. All of the judges score round 4 for Calzaghe, 10-9. Through 4 rounds, Jones has landed only 1 of the 20 jabs he has thrown, for a pitiful 5% jab connect percentage. Through 4 rounds, Calzaghe has landed 15 of the 28 jabs he has thrown, for a 54% jab connect percentage. At the end of round 5, Jones' left eye is beginning to swell. Jones lands several good single power punches in round 5, but Calzaghe landed numerous combinations to win round 5 on all of the judges' scorecards, 10-9. Through 5 rounds, Jones has landed 62 of the 197 total punches has thrown for a 31% total connect percentage. Through 5 rounds, Calzaghe has landed 142 of the 397 total punches he has thrown, for a 36% total connect percentage. All of the judges score round 6 for Calzaghe, 10-9, and have the champion leading at this point, 58-55. Bernard Hopkins is shown in the crowd after round 6 and is loudly booed when his face appears on the big screens. In response, "The Executioner" throws up the X-sign and makes a throat slashing gesture. Hopkins is seeking to avenge a loss in a rematch with the winner of this match, and this move will help solidify him as a marketable heel in that match up.

With over a minute to go in round 7, Jones has been cut over his left eye by a right hand from Calzaghe. That cut is bleeding heavily. When Jones returns to his corner, his chest is covered in crimson streaks from all the blood that has flowed down his face from the laceration. Round 7 was one of the closest of the match, but all of the judges gave it to Calzaghe, 10-9. The appearance of Jones may have played into the judges' decisions. Jones' trainer informed HBO during round 8 that his charge has never been cut before in his career. Calzaghe wins round 8 on all of the judges' scorecards, 10-9. The ringside physician checks Jones' cut at the start of round 9 and after taking a long look rules the boxer is fit to continue. The cut is bleeding like a Ric Flair blade job, and it has to be badly effecting Jones' vision. Jones has had 32 matches scored by CompuBox, and in the first minute of round 9 Calzaghe has set the record for the number of punches landed on Jones in a match. Calzaghe may go past the old record by more then a 100 punches if Jones cannot see properly for the rest of the match. The conversation in Jones' corner indicates that the challenger has lost complete sight out of his left eye. All of the official judges score round 9 for Calzaghe, 10-9. After 9 rounds, Calzaghe leads on all of the official judges' scorecards, 88-82. If Calzaghe had not been hit by the illegal forearm in round 1, he would be shutting out Jones on the scorecard.

In round 10, Jones' left hooks are consistently missing Calzaghe behind the Welshman's head. It appears without the aid of his left eye, Jones is having depth perception issues. Therefore, he cannot correctly judge the distance to aim his punches. Jones' corner should seriously think about stopping this match for the safety of their boxer. Calzaghe continues to dominate Jones in round 10 and takes the round on all the judges' scorecards, 10-9. The doctor checks Jones' eye, again at the start of round 11 and rules the boxer is fit to continue. The referee's shirt is soaked with Jones' blood. The sleeves and areas around the referee's sides where he has been pushing the boxers apart are pink in places. Calzaghe wins round 11 on all of the judges' scorecards, 10-9. Calzaghe has so much energy left that he did not sit down in the break between rounds 11 and 12. Calzaghe could have played it safe in round 12, but stayed aggressive throughout the round. He takes it easily on all of the judges' scorecards, 10-9.

The official decision as read by Michael Buffer is that the judges have scored the match: 118-109, 118-109, 118-109, all for the winner by unanimous decision, still undefeated, and still The Ring Light Heavyweight Champion of the World, "The Fighting Pride of Newbridge, Wales" Joe Calzaghe. The win moves Calzaghe to 46-0 with 32 of those wins coming by way of knockout.

The final punchstat numbers had Calzaghe landed 344 of the 985 total punches he threw, for a 35% total connect percentage. That was only 63 better then the previous record of 281 total connects against Jones. Anthony Hanshaw did that to Jones, in the match right before Jones in July 2007. Calzaghe landed 120 of the 362 jabs he threw, for a 33 percent jab connect percentage. The champion landed 224 of the 623 power punches he threw, for a 36% power connect percentage. Jones landed 159 of the 475 total punches he threw, for a 33 percent total connect percentage. The vanquished challenger landed only 12 of the 149 jabs he threw, for a miserable 8% jab connect percentage in the match. Jones landed 147 of the 326 power punches he threw, for a 45 % power connect percentage.

Calzaghe was great in this match. He is arguably the pound-for-pound best boxer in the world. Now would be the perfect time for him to go out on top. He has just defeated 2 future hall-of-famers and put the first loss on a young lion that many people thought would replace him atop the 168-pound division in Mikkel Kessler in his last 3 matches. Calzaghe does not have any exciting potential match ups available. He could rematch Hopkins. However, Calzaghe would have nothing to gain in a rematch. The other top 175-pounder is Chad Dawson. Dawson has no drawing power and for an aging boxer that is having problems getting motivated, Dawson is a terrible choice for an opponent. If this is it for Calzaghe, he will end his career a few wins shy of Rocky Marciano's record for most wins for a boxer retiring undefeated. Still, Calzaghe's hall of fame credentials are secure. He will walk away with the record for drawing the largest indoor boxing crowd in European history. He is undoubtedly the greatest 168-pound champion in the history of the division and probably the greatest boxer ever to come out of the UK. No one has dominated boxing over the last 18 years the way Joe Calzaghe has. It may be a very long time, before boxing sees a champion as dominant as Calzaghe.

Jones was awful in this match. His career is probably over. Anymore time Jones spends competing in the ring is dangerous to his health. He is no longer marketable as a boxer following this performance and his skills have diminished so greatly that he risks serious injury if he continues to compete. He was a great champion and at one time he was the best in the world. At this point he barely resembles that boxer and is a person who has overstayed his welcome in the sport. Jones stuck around too long and has once again been embarrassed by a younger, better boxer. Jones will go into the hall of fame and be remembered for accomplishing some amazing things, but the last 61 months of Jones' boxing career are best forgotten.

This match was not competitive. However, it may be the final match for 2 all-time great boxers, that makes it a must watch show. There are still several replays of the show left.

News and Notes: Wladimir Klitschko has signed to defend his heavyweight championships on December 13 at the SAP Arena in Mannheim, Germany against Hasim Rahman. Rahman is taking the spot of the injured IBF mandatory challenger Alexander Povetkin. Rahman will get over $1 million to challenge for the title on short notice. Also, as part of the contract Klitschko has had an immediate rematch clause inserted, just in case. Since Rahman is taking Povetkin's spot as the mandatory challenger it will count as Klitschko's mandatory title defense. That means Povetkin may not get his title shot for another 2 years, which may not be the worst thing for the young Russian.

Evander Holyfield has signed to challenge for Niklolai Valuev's heavyweight title on December 20 in Zurich, Switzerland. Holyfield will make less then $750,000 for that match and it is currently not scheduled to be televised in the United States. The man who carried the Olympic torch into the stadium in 1996 is now less relevant then Hasim Rahman.

After making fun of the pictures on David Haye's myspace page (apparently boxing trash talk has digressed to the level of preteen girls), Monte Barrett was knocked out in round 5 by David Haye Saturday at the O2 Arena in London, England. Haye knocked Barrett down 5-times in the match on the way to earning the stoppage. However, Haye was also knocked down once. The referee ruled it a slip, but the Brit admitted after the match that he was knocked down and the referee missed the call. It appears Haye is going to take 1 more match at heavyweight then face a Klitschko brother for their heavyweight belts. Considering Vitali has never been knocked out and has almost all of his wins by knockout, Haye would be advised to pick on the younger Klitschko brother, Wladimir. That match will happen in the summer of 2009 in either Germany or Great Britain. The Klitschko's want to have the match held in a stadium. However, there is probably not an outdoor stadium available that would accommodate the actual drawing power of either brother and Haye.

The only member of the United States Olympic boxing team to medal in Beijing made his pro debut on Saturday. Bronze medalist Deontay Wilder, debuted insolid fashion at heavyweight with a second round knockout of Ethen Cox on Saturday. Wilder impressed the viewers by entering the ring like Big Show, by stepping over the top rope. At 6' 7" tall,Wilder has added weight since the Olympics and was up to 207 pounds at the official weigh-ins on Friday. The plan is for him to be brought along slowly and receive a title shot in around 5 years. Then he will be 28-years-old and should weigh about 235 pounds.

The next recap will come out tomorrow covering the live portion of this HBO event featuring Jermain Taylor vs. Jeff Lacy.

Sincerely,

Jereme Warneck

number1contender.net

Boxing and Video Game Correspondent for f4wonline.com

Hidden Valley Lake, CA

I can be reached for feedback and comments at ZurRoadie@aol.com or as JeremeW on XBOX Live. I read everything.